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 rooking quarterbacks finding some early success, it begs the question: has a first-year QB ever actually advanced to the Super Bowl or hoisted the Lombardi Trophy as a rookie?
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 as a starter.
There are a number of reasons why it’s so difficult for a rookie QB to lead a team 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.
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Another problem with rookie QBs making the Super Bowl is some rookies don’t see the field in their first year. If an organization is in win-now mode, they might prefer for their rookie QB to sit behind a veteran option to learn the game before thrusting them onto a football field. Look at guys like Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and, more recently, Green Bay Packers QB 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 Started in the Super Bowl?
Not only has a rookie quarterback never led a team to victory in the Super Bowl, but no first-year QB has even advanced that far.
There are a number of rookie quarterback who have made it close, like Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Ben Roethlisberger, Baltimore Ravens rookie Joe Flacco, and New York Jets rookie Mark Sanchez, but they were eliminated in the Conference Championship Games.
Who Is the Youngest QB To Win a Super Bowl?
In 2006, Roethlisberger was 23 years old when he led the Steelers to victory in Super Bowl XL. After leading Pittsburgh to the AFC Championship Game as a rookie, Big Ben was able to win his first Super Bowl as a sophomore.
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 Super Bowl MVP after catching five passes for 123 yards and a touchdown.
Roethlisberger is still the youngest QB to win a Super Bowl in NFL history.
Could Jayden Daniels Make NFL History This Year?
The Washington Commanders have a rookie quarterback under center in Jayden Daniels, who is expected to win the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Will Daniels become the first rookie to lead a team to the Super Bowl?
After pulling off upset victories over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions in the first two rounds of the playoffs, Daniel has a chance to make NFL history and become the first rookie QB to lead a team to a Super Bowl.
This season, Daniels threw for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns while also rushing for 891 yards and six scores on the ground.
Daniels led the Commanders to a 12-5 record and posted an 85.7 score in PFN’s QB+ metric, which ranked ninth-best among all QBs this season.
