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 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.
MORE: Ranking the NFL Quarterbacks
Another problem with rookie QBs making the Super Bowl is simply that not many rookies 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 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.
Roethlisberger was 23 years old when he hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for the first time as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, 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.
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? Let’s examine how he has performed this year.
Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
- PFN QB+: 85.7
- PFN Grade: B
- PFN Ranking: 9
- Team Record: 12-5
- 2024 Stats:
- 3,568 passing yards
- 25 passing touchdowns
- 891 rushing yards
- Six rushing touchdowns
After Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud recorded the eighth-best QB+ score of any quarterback while earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2023, Daniels finished ninth-best in 2024.
Does Daniels have a shot at generationality? To answer that, you have to decide if his primary comparison is generational — Lamar Jackson. After a career season, the Baltimore Ravens superstar is very much in the MVP mix once again. Potentially bringing home his third MVP in 2024, Jackson is one of the league’s era-defining players.
Daniels might be the next-best thing.
Daniels hasn’t yet reached Jackson-esque levels, but if he remains healthy—if he can avoid ailments like the rib injury that slightly derailed the middle of his season—following in Jackson’s footsteps is a semi-realistic trajectory.