Ranking every Super Bowl quarterback ever, from tragic Tony Eason to the GOAT

There is no brighter stage in American sports than the Super Bowl. Some quarterbacks reflect that light and shine like disco balls. Others sizzle underneath it, drying out like an egg McMuffin left past the breakfast rush.

Patrick Mahomes has been the former. He stands on the brink of NFL history if he can make the Kansas City Chiefs the first team to ever win three straight Super Bowls. If that comes to pass -- or if it doesn't -- where will he rank among the gunslingers lucky enough to start the biggest game of the year?

Five years ago, I ranked all 63 quarterbacks to have ever started a Super Bowl. Five years (and one new job) later, we're up to... 67 (thanks, Chiefs). This isn't a breakdown of their NFL careers, just how they performed in the Super Bowl and how often they got there (and won). So who's the guy you'd most want with the game on the line? And who would crush your dreams the hardest if given the chance?

Let's begin at the bottom.

Stunningly bad regardless of era

67. Tony Eason, Patriots, Super Bowl XX

Eason threw six passes, completed zero, was sacked three times and fumbled once. He was responsible for negative-three Patriot points. Steve Grogan came on in relief and threw for New England’s only touchdown in a 46-10 blowout.

Some guys you've forgotten about (and others you'd like to)

66. Craig Morton, Dallas Cowboys, Super Bowl V AND Denver Broncos, Super Bowl XII

65. Billy Kilmer, Washington, Super Bowl VII

64. Kerry Collins, New York Giants, Super Bowl XXXV

63. Earl Morrall, Baltimore Colts, Super Bowl III, V

Morton had 16 completions and seven interceptions across two Super Bowls, which is how Morrall was able to win an NFL title despite 13 completions and four interceptions in his two Big Games. While Joe Namath gets the lion's share of credit for the Jets Super Bowl win, that's overlooking the New York defense that held Morrall to a 9.3 passer rating en route to the upset win.

62. David Woodley, Miami Dolphins, Super Bowl XVII

61. Joe Kapp, Minnesota Vikings, Super Bowl IV

60. Ron Jaworski, Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl XV

59. Chris Chandler, Atlanta Falcons, Super Bowl XXXIII

58. Boomer Esiason, Cincinnati Bengals, Super Bowl XXIII

57. Neil O’Donnell, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XXX

One quarter of Woodley's completions resulted in touchdowns, which would be great if he'd completed more than four passes against Washington. Jaworski is a Philly legend but turned the ball over four times in the Eagles' first Super Bowl. If I may borrow from my last version of these rankings, "what can be said about Neil O’Donnell that hasn’t also been said about a bowl of corn flakes?"

Still bad, but capable of producing gleams of hope

56. Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams, Super Bowl 53

55. Rex Grossman, Chicago Bears, Super Bowl XLI

54. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers, Super Bowl 50

53. Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawks, Super Bowl XL

Goff's redemption after a truly gross Super Bowl performance chased him out of Los Angeles will have to wait at least one more season after the Lions' surprising 2025 collapse. Grossman was a mess but still one of two men to get the Bears beyond the Divisional Round since 1988, which is the kind of thing Ernest Hemingway would have scribbled on a bar napkin before deciding it was too depressing.

52. Stan Humphries, San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl XXIX

51. Vince Ferragamo, Los Angeles Rams, Super Bowl XIV

50. Drew Bledsoe, New England Patriots, Super Bowl XXXI

49. Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl 54

48. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl 58

47. Rich Gannon, Oakland Raiders, Super Bowl XXXVII

Purdy was ultimately less damaging than Garoppolo, though the outcome was the same with either quarterback; missed opportunities and a heartbreaking loss. Ferragamo recorded career playoff highs in passing yards (212) and completion rate (60 percent) in his lone Super Bowl and it didn't matter because he was up against the final cuts of the Steelers' 1970s buzz saw. Humphries wasn't good and it didn't matter because his defense gave up 42 points in the first three quarters of Super Bowl XXIX.

Recognizable but ineffective

46. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl XXXIX

45. Trent Dilfer, Baltimore Ravens, Super Bowl XXXV

44. Brad Johnson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Super Bowl XXXVII

43. Steve McNair, Tennessee Titans, Super Bowl XXXIV

42. Daryle Lamonica, Oakland Raiders, Super Bowl II

41. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals, Super Bowl 56

40. Jeff Hostetler, New York Giants, Super Bowl XXV

McNabb threw for 357 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw three interceptions, executed Andy Reid’s complete lack of clock management, and threw up in the fourth quarter (even if he denies it). Johnson and Dilfer won Super Bowls because they didn't screw up.

Lamonica went to the AFC rather than back up Bart Starr after being drafted by the Packers. Then he wound up losing to Green Bay in his only Super Bowl in a stellar, if overlooked, career. McNair was one yard away from jumping up this list about 10 spots.

The guys who were better than the quarterbacks of the early Super Bowl era, but I’m not gonna rank them ahead of Hall of Famers because I like a clean, hate-free inbox

Based on pure performance, these guys were mostly statistically better than the quarterbacks in the next tier. But the combination of past performance and comparing the NFL offenses of the 1960s/70s to the play of the last 30 years makes a straight comparison difficult. These are the guys you’d like to have leading your team — but if you had the option to replace them with a Hall of Famer like Joe Namath or Fran Tarkenton, you wouldn’t say no.

39. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XLVII

38. Ken Anderson, Cincinnati Bengals, Super Bowl XVI

37. Jim McMahon, Chicago Bears, Super Bowl XX

There's an alternate universe where Anderson is a three-time world champion and first-ballot Hall of Famer. There's another where Kaepernick's NFL career lasts more than six seasons, too.

McMahon, bolstered by one of the best defenses in the history of the game, landed toward the top of his multiverse array. Both his Super Bowl rings came in double-digit wins over the Patriots (though the last was as a backup).

The old guard Hall of Famers who are nearly impossible to compare to modern passers

36. Fran Tarkenton, Minnesota Vikings, Super Bowls VIII, IX, and XI

35. Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts, Super Bowl V

34. Joe Theismann, Washington, Super Bowls XVII and XVIII

33. Len Dawson, Kansas City Chiefs, Super Bowls I and IV

32. Joe Namath, New York Jets, Super Bowl III

31. Ken Stabler, Oakland Raiders, Super Bowl XI

30. Roger Staubach, Dallas Cowboys, Super Bowls VI, X, XI, and XIII

29. Bob Griese, Miami Dolphins, Super Bowls VI, VII, and VIII

Staubach was the starter on the NFL Hall of Fame's 1970s All-Decade team. His 83.4 career passer rating would have ranked him 31st among starting quarterbacks in 2024, behind fellow Cowboy legend Cooper Rush.

The game is very different, in large part because defensive backs are no longer allowed to commit assault on wide receivers, the league's playing surfaces have evolved away from carpet over concrete and a combination of quarterback protecting rules and medical science from doctors who aren't actively smoking cigarettes have emboldened passers to stand in the pocket and take more shots downfield. That makes comparisons extremely, stupidly difficult.

Tarkenton made it to three Super Bowls. He threw six interceptions and only one touchdown. Unitas had a 42.4 percent completion rate and 34.7 passer rating in the big game. Theismann’s two Super Bowl appearances saw Washington run the ball 94 times against 58 passing plays. One of those games was a blowout loss.

Dawson threw 17 passes to win Super Bowl IV. Namath found the end zone zero times to upset the Colts. Stabler was John Madden’s perfect quarterback. Staubach was keenly efficient and solid as a runner — he averaged 4.9 yards per carry — while going 2-2 as a starter in the NFL title game.

Would these guys hold up in the modern era? Would Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes be as successful in the first years following the AFL-NFL merger? We could debate this for hours and possibly days, but this probably isn't the best place for it.

The 80s and 90s legends (who underwhelmed) and a couple stragglers

28. Jim Kelly, Buffalo Bills, Super Bowls 25-28

27. Dan Marino, Miami Dolphins, Super Bowl XIX

26. Jake Delhomme, Carolina Panthers, Super Bowl XXXVIII

25. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowls 57, 59

24. John Elway, Denver Broncos, Super Bowls XXI, XXII, XXIV, XXXII, and XXXIII

Kelly went 0-4 in the Super Bowl and kinda/sorta only cracks the top 30 because he made it there so often. He had a 2:7 touchdown:interception ratio with the Vince Lombardi Trophy on the line. Marino put up big numbers in a blowout loss.

Elway rewrote his narrative by finishing on top (and spinning like one in mid-air in the process) but he never had a Super Bowl in which he threw more touchdown passes than interceptions. He finished with fewer than 125 passing yards twice in five games and twice finished with a passer rating below the baseline of 39.6 you'd get if you fired 10 straight passes into the turf.

The non-legends who claimed their immortality

23. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons, Super Bowl 51

22. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens, Super Bowl XLVII

21. Mark Rypien, Washington, Super Bowl XXVI

20. Doug Williams, Washington, Super Bowl XXII

Does Delhomme belong down here? He shredded the Patriots in his lone Super Bowl appearance just to be outshined by Tom Brady, just like Ryan. Flacco won Super Bowl MVP honors thanks to a 284-yard, three touchdown performance vs. San Francisco. Rypien and Williams also stepped up their games to bring championships to the nation's capital.

19. Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl 52

18. Jim Plunkett, Oakland Raiders, Super Bowls XV and XVIII

17. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams, Super Bowl 56

16. Phil Simms, New York Giants, Super Bowl XXI

Unlike Ryan and Delhomme, Foles rose up and beat Brady for his MVP award. Plunkett was mostly forgettable before balling out in the biggest two games of his career. His regular season passer rating? 67.5. His Super Bowl passer rating? 122.8.

In a similar vein, Stafford has been remarkable in the postseason. His 102.3 passer rating in the playoffs is significantly higher than his 91.2 in the regular season. A pair of interceptions marred his lone Super Bowl, but he threw a game-winning touchdown (one of three) to Cooper Kupp to significantly boost his Hall of Fame argument.

The modern Hall of Famers (and candidates) who were great

15. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowls XL, XLIII, XLV

14. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts, Super Bowls XLI and XLIV, and Denver Broncos, Super Bowls XLVIII and 50

13. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks, Super Bowls XLVIII and XLIX

12. Kurt Warner, St. Louis Rams, Super Bowls XXXIV and XXXVI and Arizona Cardinals, Super Bowl XLIII

Roethlisberger's raw numbers aren't great, but two titles and his game-winning touchdown drive in Super Bowl XLIII pushed him into the top 15. Warner's career was relatively short, but he made it to the Hall of Fame thanks in large part to that first Super Bowl win. Wilson's star has faded dramatically after being paid $75 million specifically to never play for the Broncos again, but at his peak he was a dynamic dual-threat quarterback who extended plays and found open receivers downfield with maddening regularity.

Manning has two Super Bowl rings but wasn't remarkable in any of his four appearances -- he never threw more touchdowns than interceptions in the big game and had nine turnovers despite the Colts and Broncos success. Is it possible No. 14 is too high?

11. Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers, Super Bowls XXXI and XXXII

10. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers, Super Bowl XLV

Rodgers capped off a stellar playoff run (with the exception of a brutal day against an elite Chicago defense) by dusting the Steelers for 300-plus yards and three touchdowns without a turnover. Favre was solid in his two Super Bowls, though he lost out on MVP honors to his own kick returner (Desmond Howard).

9. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV

8. Steve Young, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XXIX

7. Eli Manning, New York Giants, Super Bowls XLII and XLVI

The Super Bowl is the only place you'll see Eli Manning ranked higher than his brother, Rodgers, Brees, Young or about half the names on this list. But he twice led game-winning drives late in the fourth quarter as an underdog and turned the ball over only once against New England's top-three defenses. He belongs here.

The GOAT debate

6. Troy Aikman, Dallas Cowboys, Super Bowls XXVII, XXVIII, and XXX

Aikman’s first Super Bowl was his best, a four-touchdown performance that ruined Buffalo’s hopes of snapping a two-game title game losing streak. He was worse in 1994 and still beat the Bills by 17. In fact, Aikman’s been the source of some of the least dramatic Super Bowls in NFL history; none of his three starts were decided by single digits.

5. Bart Starr, Green Bay Packers, Super Bowls I, II

Starr threw for more than 450 yards in his Super Bowls. Given the current rate of NFL passing game inflation, that's roughly 3,600 yards in 2025. I think.

4. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs, Super Bowl 54, 55, 57, 58, 59

Mahomes has only lost three playoff games in his career and two were to the guy at the top of this ranking. He turned a 10-point deficit into an 11-point win in his first appearance, lost his second and then racked up two more last-minute game-winning drives each of the last two Februaries. Get it done in New Orleans and he'll usurp No. 3 on this list.

3. Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowls IX, X, XIII, XIV

Bradshaw threw for 300-plus yards in half his Super Bowls which, in the 1970s, was the quarterback equivalent of going to the moon (Super Bowl XII, in 1978, featured 217 total net passing yards). He had a passer rating of 100-plus points in all four of his appearances in a decade where only three quarterbacks were able to do the same over a full season. This man is an astronaut, even if he spends his current Sundays dressed like a cab driver.

2. Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowls XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV

Joe Montana in the Super Bowl:

• 4-0

• 286 yards per game

• 11:0 TD:INT ratio

• 68% completion rate

• 9.4 yards per pass

• 2 rushing touchdowns

• 127.8 passer rating

These are 2025-type numbers for a player taking the field four decades earlier. Granted half those games were blowouts and he only needed one game-winning drive, but still. Montana was the Playstation to the rest of the league's Atari 2600 back then.

1. Tom Brady, New England Patriots, Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLII, XLVI, XLIX, 51, 52, 53, 55

Ten Super Bowl appearances. Seven wins. This is what Mahomes is aiming for, knowing full well he went 0-2 against Brady in the playoffs. Brady's first Super Bowl saw him throw for only 145 yards (and a game-winning drive) and he still averaged better than 303 yards every time he took center stage in the biggest game of the year. Six of his Super Bowl wins were the result of game-winning drives after being tied or trailing entering the fourth quarter.

Maybe one day Mahomes can reach these heights -- heck, he's already on pace to. But there's still a long way to go.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Ranking every Super Bowl quarterback ever, from tragic Tony Eason to the GOAT