National Football League

Great NFL QBs didn't always win Super Bowls. That has changed in last 25 years

Updated Feb. 8, 2024 5:35 p.m. ET

LAS VEGAS — There was a time not long ago when quarterbacking greatness and possession of a Super Bowl ring did not go together particularly neatly.

If you're in the habit of spending Super Bowl week rewatching title deciders from yesteryear, and if you happen across the Denver Broncos' victory at Super Bowl 32, you'll notice a somewhat jarring graphic appear midway through the first half.

At that time, listed in direct reference to the attempt that year by Broncos QB John Elway to finally clinch his first Lombardi Trophy, none of the top five signal-callers on the all-time passing yards list had turned their statistical brilliance into an immortal triumph.

Dan Marino topped the list back then, followed by Elway, who would end the night having put things right by outdueling the Green Bay Packers before backing it up a year later for a second ring. Warren Moon was next, then Fran Tarkenton and finally Dan Fouts, a group that before Elway's redemption had reached seven Super Bowls but not won any of them.

Patrick Mahomes knows his NFL history well enough to understand that despite the Kansas City Chiefs' recent dominance — Sunday's clash with the San Francisco 49ers will be their fourth appearance in five years — such things are not to be taken for granted.

'I understand how lucky I am to be on this team," Mahomes said. "To come into a team that was already a winning organization with a winning culture, with a lot of great players, Hall of Fame players, and being able to just jump right in.

"Getting a year where I could learn under Alex Smith, I was blessed. So I want to maximize these opportunities, I know that they don't always come, you're not going to be in every single Super Bowl. So whenever I am here I enjoy it, I enjoy the week and just try to make a memory that will last forever."

Elway's win 26 years ago marked a turning point. The current all-time top-five passing list is entirely made up of players who have won at least one Super Bowl. It is topped by Tom Brady, who won seven, followed by Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and Ben Roethlisberger.

Of the four active QBs who are in the historical top 20, all have won a championship, with one each for Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Joe Flacco and Russell Wilson. Just seven seasons into his career, Mahomes is 65th on the all-time list with 28,424 yards, and assuming he stays healthy, appears a lock to surge toward the top.

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One theory behind the recent shift is that in modern times, teams have done a more sophisticated job of capitalizing upon an elite quarterbacking talent and surrounding him with the right parts to ensure success.

"There is a lot that goes into it," FOX Sports NFL expert and former head coach Eric Mangini told me recently. "It is not as simple as just having the best players, it is a big puzzle that needs to be put together. That's what teams are searching for, especially if they have an excellent QB."

Currently, Philip Rivers (No. 6 passing) has the most yards of any QB not to have won a Super Bowl. Present-day players also likely to climb quickly up the list include Dak Prescott (No. 57), Josh Allen (No. 97) and Justin Herbert, who already sits at No. 138.

Naturally, there are plenty of intangibles that determine whether a QB is going to shine. However, according to Mahomes' favorite target, tight end Travis Kelce, the swift-footed Chiefs QB would have turned into a superstar even if he had found himself in a suboptimal situation when entering the league.

"Once in a lifetime player, man," Kelce said on Wednesday. "When you put that guy on a team, he naturally makes everybody better. I've got confidence he would've been ‘Pat Mahomes' no matter where he ended up. But the ‘Pat Mahomes-Andy Reid Special' is definitely unique — and one for the ages."

Mahomes has a further opportunity to cement his greatness this weekend. By making a fourth Super Bowl start, he will ascend to joint-third on a QB shortlist alongside Joe Montana, Manning, Terry Bradshaw, Jim Kelly and Roger Staubach. Only Brady and Elway will have started more.

A win would put him tied for fourth in terms of victories, along with Troy Aikman, and behind only Brady, Bradshaw and Montana.

Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.