TOP 10 QUARTERBACKS WHO NEVER WON A SUPER BOWL
In 2021 the Los Angeles Rams executed a blockbuster trade (that phrase isn’t dead right? Just the company?). The deal sent two future first round draft picks, plus a ‘21 third rounder, to the Detroit Lions in order to swap quarterbacks. Jared Goff went to Detroit, and the Lions franchise quarterback went to LA. Matthew Stafford had never won a playoff game in his twelve seasons in Detroit. But went 12-5 in his first year with the Rams and won Super Bowl LVII 23-20 over the Joe Burrow-led Cincinnati Bengals. Stafford finally got his chance at the big one, and the 25-year old Burrow has plenty of time to get back. 2021 was a coming of age season for Burrow. With ice water flowing through his veins Joe Brrr swung open the saloon doors and put the entire AFC on notice. There was a new sheriff in town.
He has time to get his hands on the Lombardi trophy, but for others, time has run out. In order for Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana to each wield a fistful of Super Bowl rings, and in order for Tom Brady to corner the market on championship hardware in the 21st century, a lot of QBs had to end their careers empty handed. The quarterbacks on this list never got the satisfaction that Stafford received. Some of them had multiple chances, some had only one, some toiled away on deadbeat teams that never sniffed the big game. These are the greatest quarterbacks who never won a Super Bowl
10. Ken Anderson
CINCINNATI BENGALS 1971-86
Ken Anderson is the epitome of a great player that just gets overlooked and lost to history. Before Bill Walsh brought the West Coast Offense to San Francisco, he served as the quarterbacks coach in Cincinnati from 1971 to 1975. The quarterback he was coaching, Ken Anderson, who led the Bengals to the playoffs twice, led the league in passing yards twice, and led the league in passer rating twice during that span.
Anderson ran a variation of the revolutionary offense Walsh would implement in San Francisco with Joe Montana and win 3 Super Bowls with, and proved it could work. Walsh praised Anderson’s abilities as a passer, and toughness as a player. But don’t just take the Hall of Fame coach’s word for it. “If I had a son who was right handed, and I wanted him to watch somebody throw the football. Watch him just perform, watch his footwork and watch his arm, Kenny Anderson would be as good as any.” - Ken Stabler, left-handed Hall of Fame quarterback.
Anderson’s stats year in and year out were very similar to Joe Montana’s. He led the league in passer rating four times, and completion percentage three times, blowing away the league averages at the time. He won the NFL MVP award in 1981, but unfortunately finished the season losing to Montana’s 49ers in Super Bowl XVI.
Record: 91-81 (Playoffs: 2-4) 81.9 rating 171 ypg 10 fourth quarter comebacks
1 MVP 4 PRO BOWLS 1-TIME ALL PRO
9. Cam Newton
Carolina 2011-19, 2021 \ New England 2020
Honestly I “hummed” and “haad" as there were many legitimate contenders for the end of this list. Ultimately I gave the nod to Superman because he did what none of the others did, rush for 75 touchdowns. Newton burst onto the scene like a house on fire, still high on a National title at Auburn. The 2011 number one pick won offensive rookie of the year after passing for a career high 4,051 yards, and an NFL record 14 rushing touchdowns by a QB.
Newton's best shot at winning the Super Bowl came in 2015. His Carolina Panthers went 15-1 thanks to their simple but effective strategy; straight up downhill running. The 6'5" quarterback that danced the line of 250 lbs, was a sheer unstoppable force in the running game. He passed for 3,837 yards, 35 TDs to only 10 interceptions, a career high 99.4 passer rating, and rushed for 636 yards with 10 scores. He averaged nearly five yards a pop in the running game as he ran away with league MVP honors.
Unfortunately for Newton he had his chance, but came up short. In Super Bowl 50 his Panthers faced Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. With 4:16 remaining in the game, the Panthers trailed 16-10. Newton was strip-sacked by Von Miller, and then seemed to make a "business decision" by not throwing himself into harm's way to recover the ball. T.J. Ward recovered the ball for the Broncos, securing Manning a 24-10 win in the Sheriff's last ride. Newton's reputation never recovered, and over time his body never recovered from the multitude of injuries that come with his style of play.
Record: 147-93 (Playoffs: 8-10) 85.2 rating 218.8 ypg 16 fourth quarter comebacks
1 MVP 3 Pro Bowls 1-time All Pro
8. Dan Fouts
San Diego 1973-87
It feels a little low for one of the most iconic gunslingers ever, but the captain of the Air Coryell offense lands at number eight. From 1974 to 1978 Fouts toiled away in obscurity under head coach Tom Prothro. Then Don Coryell was named the head coach of the San Diego Chargers and installed his revolutionary offense. Over the next three seasons the Chargers won 10+ games, and Fouts averaged 4,533 passing yards and 29 touchdowns per season.
Fouts led the NFL in passing yards in 1979, 1980, 1981, and 1982. In the strike-shortened nine game season of ‘82 Fouts averaged over 320 passing yards per game, unheard of numbers for the time. The bearded Californian cursed like a sailor, and had a cannon for an arm. It was once said he could hunt grizzlies with a football. His teams sported an embarrassment of riches; receivers John Jefferson, Charlie Joiner, Wes Chandler, many talented running backs, and tight end legend Kellen Winslow.
The sad part of it all was that his Chargers could never get over the hump. Their defenses were lackluster, and their high flying offense struggled in bad weather games. Fouts went 3-4 in the playoffs, throwing 16 interceptions and a measly 12 touchdowns. Fouts is a Hall of Famer and will always be remembered as not only one of the greats of his time, but of all time.
Record: 86-84-1 (Playoffs: 3-4) 80.2 rating 237.8 ypg 21 fourth quarter comebacks
0 MVPs 6 Pro Bowls 2-time All Pro
7. Andrew Luck
Indianapolis 2012-18
Yes I have Andrew Luck, a man who only played six injury-riddled seasons, over a Hall of Famer the caliber of Dan Fouts. Why? Because I firmly believe that had it not been for the injuries, Luck would have gone down as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time! I’m talking top 15 or top 20, he was that good! Hence why he was drafted number one overall in 2012 after being heralded as the greatest QB prospect coming out of college since Peyton Manning in ‘98. Oddly enough, Luck was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts to be Manning’s successor.
Luck was drafted by an absolutely pitiful 2-14 team. Who remembers the “Suck for Luck!” campaign? As a rookie he turned the team’s fortunes around overnight, going 11-5 in each of his first three seasons. In 2012 Luck’s Colts were immediately bounced from the playoffs. In 2013 they improved to the divisional round after Luck staged a 28-point comeback to defeat the Chiefs 45-44. They would lose to familiar Indy rival, Tom Brady. In 2013 they beat the beloved face of the franchise, Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in the divisional round. They would lose to Brady and the Pats in the conference championship. Luck had gone 0-1, 1-1, and 2-1 in the playoffs, advancing farther every year. It seemed only natural he would one day win a Super Bowl.
Unfortunately Andrew ran out of Luck. He was injured in 2015, playing in only seven games. He would miss all of the 2017 season due to injury before returning in 2018. In what would prove to be his swan song season, Luck recorded career highs with 4,593 yards, a 98.7 passer rating, a completion percentage of 67.3%, and 430 completed passes. His grit won him Comeback Player of the Year honors. But Luck was in pain, so much pain that he retired from the NFL after playing only 86 games. Luck surpassed 4,000 yards four times, and boasts the highest career yards per game of anybody on this list. Godspeed Luck.
Record: 53-33 (Playoffs: 4-4) 89.5 rating 275.2 ypg 16 fourth quarter comebacks
0 MVPs 4 Pro Bowls 0 All Pros
6. Matt Ryan
Atlanta 2008-21 \ Indianapolis 2022
Two. Eight. Three. You can't tell the story of Matt Ryan without those three numbers. In 2016 Matty Ice had a career year. Completing 69.9% of his passes for 4,944 yards, 38 touchdowns, and a league leading passer rating of 117.1, all career highs. This resurgence led him to win league MVP, and lead his team to Super Bowl LI. His Atlanta Falcons jumped out to a 28-3 lead, but Tom Brady and the Patriots came roaring back with 34 unanswered points to win.
While Ryan may never live down the blown 25-point lead, his 33 fourth quarter comebacks are tied for the most on the list. Ryan’s 120 career wins are the fourth most on the list. Ryan has consistently been one of the best quarterbacks in the league since being drafted 3rd overall in 2008. He is one of the best quarterbacks of his era, an era defined by revolutionary quarterback play.
While his swan song season with the Colts was…out of tune…Ryan passed the 60,000-yard mark in the 2022 season. Ryan’s 62,792 career passing yards ranks 7th all-time. Ryan ranks in the top 10 in every major passing category, and will one day be inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Record: 120-102 (Playoffs: 4-6) 94.2 rating 269.1 ypg 33 fourth quarter comebacks
1 MVP 4 Pro Bowls 1-time All Pro
5. Philip Rivers
San Diego-Los Angeles 2004-19 \ Indianapolis 2020
San Diego Chargers, newly christened Los Angeles Chargers…and Indy. Noticing a trend here. Rivers was drafted 4th Overall in 2004 by the New York Giants, then immediately dealt to the Chargers for Eli Manning. One can't help but wonder if the infamous Eli trade would've fallen through, would Rivers have won two rings with the G-men? We'll never know, but it's fun to speculate.
While the youngest Manning brother may have politic-ed a future of championship glory away, Rivers career was plenty fruitful. The all-time leader in every Chargers passing category, Rivers consistently led offenses that ranked among the best in the league, and was always in title contention. Rivers left it all out on the field, his 134 career wins are the second most on the list. Famously playing with a torn ACL, never cursing in a football game, and fathering enough kids to field a Pop Warner team.
It can be argued that Philip Rivers was the best quarterback from the 2004 draft that featured Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger. Even though he was the only one to retire without a title to his name. Well him and J.P. Losman, the red-headed stepchild of the '04 first round. Rivers played his final season with the Colts. At age 39, he was still good for 4,169 yards and a passer rating of 97.
Record: 134-106 (Playoffs: 5-7) 95.2 rating 260 ypg 29 fourth quarter comebacks
0 MVPs 8 Pro Bowls 0 All Pros
4. Jim Kelly
Buffalo 1986-96
The K-Gun, Jim Kelly, ranks fourth on the list (ironically…or fittingly, four is the same number of Super Bowls his teams lost). The Buffalo Bills drafted Kelly 14th overall in the LOADED 1983 draft. Having played collegiately at Miami, Kelly had no desire to play in the frigid Buffalo weather.
Kelly signed with the Houston Gamblers of the USFL in 1984. In his two seasons in the star-crossed league Kelly passed for 9,842 yards and 83 touchdowns. Kelly finally arrived in Buffalo to begin his NFL career in 1986 at the age of 26. With Head Coach Marv Levy, and a multitude of offensive playmakers, Kelly ran a revolutionary no huddle offense.
The Bills made it to the Super Bowl in 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1993, but lost all four times. Still, it took a lot of arm strength and skill to pass the ball as well as Kelly did in the cold and windy conditions of Buffalo. In retirement the NFL legend suffered a battle with oral cancer, but is in good health today at sixty-three years old.
Record: 101-59 (Playoffs: 9-8) 84.4 rating 221.7 ypg 21 fourth quarter comebacks
0 MVPs 5 Pro Bowls 1-time All Pro
3. Warren Moon
Houston 1984-93 \ Minnesota 1994-96 \ Seattle 1997-98 \ Kansas City 1999-2000
Having gone undrafted coming out of Washington, Warren Moon was an unwanted commodity at quarterback. NFL teams wanted to try Moon out at tight end and other skill positions, as African American quarterbacks were still rare in the late seventies. The Edmonton Eskimos won five straight Grey Cups in the CFL, three of which under Moon.
After six years in Canada, Moon joined the Houston Oilers in 1984 at the age of 28. In Houston Warren Moon led a high flying Run-and-Shoot offense. Moon led the NFL in passing yards in 1990 and 1991. He enjoyed a couple fruitful seasons with the Minnesota Vikings before playing out the rest of his days in Seattle and Kansas City. After having started just one game for the Chiefs in 2000, Moon retired at forty-four years old.
Warren Moon was a pioneer, the first great black quarterback. Moon has been inducted in both the NFL and CFL Hall of Fame. Moon retired with the third most passing yards in NFL history, and still ranks thirteenth. Had Moon not lost so many prime seasons to the Canadian league, there’s no telling what kind of numbers he would have put up in the NFL. Perhaps he even would’ve won a Super Bowl.
Record: 102-101 (Playoffs: 3-7) 80.9 rating 237.1 ypg 25 fourth quarter comebacks
0 MVPs 9 Pro Bowls 0 All Pros
2. Fran Tarkenton
Minnesota 1961-66, 1972-78 \ New York (Giants) 1967-71
Fran Tarkenton came close to winning a Super Bowl many times, but always came up short. Tarkenton suffered from leading good teams during a time when the Pittsburgh Steelers led one of the greatest dynasties in sports. The Steelers, Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders, and Dallas Cowboys dominated the 1970’s. Tarkenton’s Vikings just couldn’t keep up during the power struggle.
Tarkenton was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round of the 1961 draft. Tarkenton went 27-46-4 during his first tenure with the Vikings. After playing for the New York Giants from ‘67 to ‘71, he rejoined the Vikings. After his return, Tarkenton led his team to three Super Bowls, all losing efforts. At 6’0” and weighing 190 lbs, Tarkenton possessed a strong arm, and quick feet. Known as the first scrambling quarterback, Tarkenton paved the way for the modern QB.
In 1978, at the age of 38, Tarkenton led the league in passing yards with a career high 3,468 yards. Tarkenton rushed for 3,674 yards and 32 touchdowns during his career. While he is remembered most for his elusiveness and scrambling prowess, Tarkenton was no slouch in the pocket. He retired as the NFL’s all-time leader in completions, attempts, passing yards, and passing touchdowns.
Record: 124-109-6 (Playoffs: 6-5) 80.4 rating 191.1 ypg 29 fourth quarter comebacks
1 MVP 9 Pro Bowls 1-time All Pro
1. Dan Marino
Miami 1983-99
While John Elway was heralded as the crown jewel of the 1983 draft, the Pittsburgh Panthers’ Dan Marino may very well have been the best of the class. In 1984, his second season in the NFL, Marino’s Miami Dolphins went 14-2. The young gun set NFL records with 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns.
In Super Bowl XIX Marino’s Dolphins were beaten handedly by Joe Montana’s 49ers. While it was deemed as a setback, many believed Marino would return and one day win a Super Bowl, if not a couple. Unfortunately Marino never did return to the Super Bowl. While his offenses always ranked among the best in the league, his defenses were never up to snuff.
Marino led the league in passing yards five times, and retired as the all-time leading passer. Marino’s first ever 5,000 yard season was a mark that wouldn’t be seen again until Drew Brees in 2008. There have since been 14 such seasons in NFL history, but for over twenty years, Marino stood alone.
Record: 147-93 (Playoffs: 8-10) 86.4 rating 253.6 ypg 33 fourth quarter comebacks
1 MVP 9 Pro Bowls 3-time All Pro
NEXT FIVE OUT
11. John Hadl
Playing for seventeen seasons across two decades and two leagues, John Hadl never won a championship as a starter. Hadl sat behind Tobin Rote as he led the San Diego Chargers to an AFL Championship in 1963. Hadl led the league in passing yards in 1965 & 1968, but went 0-1 in the playoffs in those years. After the NFL-AFL merger, Hadl led the league in completions, attempts, passing yards, touchdowns, and game winning drives in 1971, but his 6-8 Chargers missed the playoffs.
12. Randall Cunningham
Randall Cunningham was an athletic marvel at quarterback, way ahead of his time. Dubbed “The Ultimate Weapon”, Cunningham could elude defenders in the pocket with ease, run the ball, throw it as far as any receiver could run, and just for kicks he could bust out a 91 yard punt. The Eagles legend enjoyed his best season as a passer with the Minnesota Vikings in 1998, going 13-1 as a starter, passing for 3,704 yards and a career high 34 touchdowns and a whopping league leading passer rating of 106. Cunningham finished second in MVP voting three times in his career, never winning the award, or a Lombardi.
13. Steve McNair
Steve “Air” McNair was an exceptional athlete who happened to play quarterback. He led the Tennessee Titans to a Super Bowl berth in 1999. Facing the St. Louis Rams and the Greatest Show on Turf, McNair hit Kevin Dyson on a last ditch effort to win the game. Mike Jones tackled Dyson one yard short of the endzone. McNair passed for over 30,000 yards in his career, and was named 2003 MVP.
14. Donovan McNabb
From 1999 to 2009 McNabb’s Philadelphia Eagles made it to five NFC Championship games. They only won one, and went on to lose to the rising New England dynasty in Super Bowl XXXIX.
15. Michael Vick
Vick was one of the most exciting athletes to ever step foot on a football field. Vick wasn’t a polished passer in his early days, and lost two seasons of his career to a prison sentence. He retired with a 61-51-1 record, 22,464 passing yards, and 6,109 rushing yards.
