The 10 youngest starting quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl
Mykenna Maniece
- On Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs will play in Super Bowl LVIII.
- At 24, Brock Purdy could become one of the youngest starting quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl.
From "Mr. Irrelevant" to starting in the Super Bowl — that's the surprise career trajectory of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.
The 24-year-old Arizona native, who was picked last in the 2022 NFL Draft, has a chance to become the second youngest starting quarterback to lift the Vince Lombardi trophy in a highly anticipated rematch of 2020's Super Bowl LIV, where Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and the Chiefs began their dynasty.
If Purdy succeeds, he'll be 24 years, 1 month, and 15 days old when he joins this roster of quarterbacks who led their teams to the ultimate victory before their 27th birthdays.
Ben Roethlisberger is the youngest starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl in NFL history at 23 years, 11 months, and 3 days old.
"Big Ben" and the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 in Super Bowl XL in 2006, ESPN reported.
Patrick Mahomes won his first Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs at 24 years, 4 months, and 16 days old.
During the 2019-2020 season, Mahomes led Kansas City to its first Super Bowl appearance since 1970. He had two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown to help the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20, ESPN reported, and he became the youngest quarterback ever to win the Super Bowl MVP award.
"I mean, obviously, I've had a good start to my career," Mahomes told reporters, as shown in a video of the post-game press conference posted by the NFL. "I mean, I've been blessed to be in a great organization with a lot of great players around me making my job a lot easier, but I know it's gonna take a long time of consistency if I wanna be where I wanna be at in the end. And I'm lucky enough that I just have a lot of great people around me that I have a chance to go out there every single year and compete."
Tom Brady's historic career with the New England Patriots began with his first Super Bowl win when he was 24 years and 6 months old.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion and five-time Super Bowl MVP had to start somewhere. Brady's first Super Bowl celebration came after the Patriots beat the St. Louis Rams (now known as the LA Rams) 20-17 in 2002's Super Bowl XXXVI, ESPN reported.
Russell Wilson led the Seattle Seahawks to their first-ever Super Bowl title at 25 years, 2 months, and 4 days old.
ESPN reported that Wilson threw for over 200 yards, including two touchdowns, in a dominating 43-8 performance over Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.
After the game, Wilson told Fox Sports reporter Pam Oliver, "In the beginning of the season, I told the guys, 'Hey, you know, why not us?' You know, we believed that we could get here; we had the talent, we had the coaching staff, we had the best fans in the National Football League, and we wanted to win it all."
Joe Namath was only 25 years, 7 months, and 12 days old when he won Super Bowl III in 1969.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame reported that Namath and the New York Jets defeated favorites, the Baltimore Colts (now the Indianapolis Colts), 16-7 to give the team their first — and only — Super Bowl win to date. Namath was named MVP.
Joe Montana's first of four Super Bowl wins came in 1982 in Super Bowl XVI when he was 25 years, 7 months, and 13 days old.
Montana was named MVP in the 49ers' 26-21 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, an honor he'd receive twice more in his career, as reported by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Troy Aikman helped the Dallas Cowboys usher in a new era, winning the first of his three Super Bowls in 1993 when he was 26 years, 2 months, and 10 days old.
Despite the Cowboys finishing 1-15 during Aikman's rookie season in 1989, the team rebounded just a few years later to beat the Buffalo Bills 52-17 in Super Bowl XXVII in 1993, the Pro Football Hall of Fame reported. Aikman threw for 273 yards, including four touchdowns, and earned the title MVP.
In a 2022 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Aikman's agent, Leigh Steinberg, recalled telling him after the game that his life would never be the same now that he was "Troy Aikman, Super Bowl MVP, superstar."
Terry Bradshaw won the first of his four Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers when he was 26 years, 4 months, and 10 days old.
Bradshaw and the Steelers beat the Minnesota Vikings 16-6 during Super Bowl IX in 1975. He would go on to win again the following year, as well as in 1979 and 1980.
Jim McMahon was 26 years, 5 months, and 5 days old when the Chicago Bears won their only Super Bowl in 1986.
The NFL reported that McMahon was part of the star-studded 1985 Bears lineup, which included Walter Payton, Richard Dent, and William "The Refrigerator" Perry when they defeated the Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX. McMahon rushed for two touchdowns, becoming the first quarterback to do so in the Super Bowl, reported Statmuse.
Tom Brady won his second Super Bowl with the New England Patriots when he was 26 years, 5 months, and 29 days old.
Of course, Brady would manage to make this list again. He and the Patriots beat the Carolina Panthers 32-29 at Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 in Houston, ESPN reported.
Popular Right Now
Popular Keywords
Advertisement