Should the Washington Commanders defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, Jayden Daniels would be the first rookie quarterback to start in a Super Bowl. Dan Marino and Ben Roethlisberger were both younger than Daniels is now when they made it to the Big Game, but neither was in their rookie seasons.
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.
A number of rookie quarterbacks have made it close, like the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger, the Baltimore Ravens’ Joe Flacco, and the New York Jets’ Mark Sanchez. However, all were eliminated in the AFC Championship Games during their respective rookie seasons.
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 40. 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 No. 6-seeded Steelers to a 21-10 victory over the NFC’s top-seeded Seattle Seahawks. Wide receiver Hines Ward was the Super Bowl MVP of the game after catching five passes for 123 yards and a touchdown.
To this day, Roethlisberger is still the youngest QB to win a Super Bowl in NFL history.
Could Jayden Daniels Make NFL History This Year?
Daniels is already expected to win the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Now, will he become the first rookie QB 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, respectively, Daniels has a chance to make NFL history by becoming the first rookie QB to ever do so.
This season, Daniels threw for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns while also rushing for 891 yards and six scores on the ground. He led Washington to a 12-5 record and posted an 85.7 score in PFN’s QB+ metric, which ranked ninth-best among all quarterbacks this season and well ahead of the next best rookie (Bo Nix, 18th).
