Making it to the Super Bowl is a once-in-a-lifetime event for many players around the NFL. It takes years of honing your craft and just the right combination of circumstances to make it to the big game. With a recent string of rookie quarterbacks finding some early success, it begs the question: Has a rookie QB ever actually won the Super Bowl in his first year?
Has a Rookie QB Ever Won the Super Bowl?
The National Football League has been around for a long time. However, in its storied existence, not once has a rookie QB managed to win the Super Bowl.
There are a number of reasons why it’s so difficult for a rookie QB to make it to the Super Bowl. First of all, rookie QBs tend to be drafted by teams that are rebuilding. If a rookie is getting starting reps in their first year, that usually means the organization spent some pretty substantial draft capital to acquire them. To have high picks in the draft means you finished the year prior with one of the worst records in football.
It does happen, but it’s pretty rare for an NFL team to go from having a top-five pick in the draft to competing for a Super Bowl the year after.
MORE: NFL Head Coach Wins Leaders
Another problem with rookie QBs making the Super Bowl is simply that not many rookies see the field in their first year. Most organizations would rather draft a rookie QB to sit behind a veteran option to learn the game before thrusting them onto a football field. Look at guys like Patrick Mahomes and, more recently, Jordan Love. They were brought in to learn before being handed the keys.
Nevertheless, it is becoming more and more common for rookies to start Week 1, especially when they are selected with a high pick in the NFL draft. Unfortunately, that doesn’t usually translate to success.
Has a Rookie QB Ever Reached or Played in the Super Bowl?
In fact, no rookie quarterback has ever even reached the Super Bowl. There are a number of guys who have made it close, like Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco, and Mark Sanchez, but their quests for the trophy ended at the AFC and NFC Championship Games.
Who Was the Youngest QB To Win a Super Bowl?
For the answer to this question, we need to go back all the way to Super Bowl XL in 2006. Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger was 23 years old when he hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for the first time, making him the youngest QB to win a Super Bowl in NFL history.
Behind an explosive offense and an elite defense, Roethlisberger helped lead the sixth-seed Steelers to a 21-10 victory over the NFC’s top-seeded Seattle Seahawks. WR Hines Ward was the MVP after catching five passes for 123 yards and a TD.