Ranking the 15 NFL quarterbacks who most need a Super Bowl win for their legacy

No other position in sports carries the weight associated with winning a championship than quarterback. Few know that better than icons like Tom Brady and Dan Marino, for entirely different reasons. Brady's seven Super Bowl wins earned him the unofficial title of the greatest quarterback of all time. Marino wears the title of the greatest quarterback who never hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Marino's career doesn't get the full credit it deserves because he didn't win it all.

>With that in mind, we ranked the quarterbacks who could most use a Super Bowl win to define their legacy. While the list is largely composed of quarterbacks yet to win a Super Bowl, it also includes several champions that would greatly benefit from doing so again.

>By winning last season's Super Bowl, Darnold forever changed the narrative of his career. Darnold erased any "bust" labels and is now a two-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champion.

>A second Super Bowl win would again change the narrative surrounding Darnold, especially if he and the Seahawks successfully defend their title. Darnold would become only the ninth starting quarterback to win back-to-back Super Bowls. Of the eight quarterbacks that have done so, six are in the Hall of Fame, and the other two (Brady and Patrick Mahomes) will be when they are eligible for induction.

>The youngest quarterback ranked, the 24-year-old Stroud has won two division titles and led the Texans to three straight playoff berths in his first three NFL seasons. He and Josh Allen are the only NFL quarterbacks that won a playoff game each of the last three seasons.

>Inconsistency plagues Stroud, however, which largely contributed to the inability to get past the divisional round of the playoffs. A Super Bowl win would dispel any lingering questions about Stroud, who has two years left on his rookie contract.

>Two years after leading the 49ers to an NFC title, Purdy signed a contract extension befitting a top-tier quarterback. But if Purdy wants to truly be considered elite, he needs to help the 49ers end their 32-year championship drought.

>Ironically, Steve Young, the 49ers' quarterback the last time San Francisco won it all, faced a similar narrative prior to 1994. Young responded by winning his second league MVP. He also won Super Bowl MVP honors after throwing a record six touchdown passes during San Francisco's blowout win over the Chargers. Can Purdy write a similar story in 2026?

>Stafford would rank higher if not for last season's MVP trophy. Now, with a Super Bowl win and a league MVP in tow, Stafford appears to be a lock for the Hall of Fame.

>Another Super Bowl win would still considerably elevate Stafford's career, though.  As far as this era is concerned, he'd join Mahomes as the only active starting quarterbacks to win multiple Super Bowls. That achievement could make Stafford a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he is eligible for induction.

>Like Baker Mayfield, Murray is a former No. 1 overall pick on a roller coaster of a career. But unlike Mayfield (who is 31 and playing on a team that had a losing record in 2025), the 28-year-old Murray has more time on his side. He also has an ideal situation for 2026.

>After toiling on mostly subpar teams in Arizona, Murray is going to a Vikings team that won 43 games over the last four years. He's playing for a legitimate quarterback whisperer in coach Kevin O'Connell and with arguably the game's best receiver in Justin Jefferson. J.J. McCarthy is the only thing standing between Murray and a chance to do something special in Minnesota.

>Is Mahomes already challenging Brady for the unofficial status as the greatest quarterback of all time? That conversion was the byproduct of Mahomes joining Brady and Joe Montana as the only three-time Super Bowl MVPs. Mahomes also replaced Brady as the most recent quarterback to win back-to-back Super Bowls. Additionally, he joined Brady as the only quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl in overtime.

>That conversation came to an abrupt end, however, after Mahomes suffered his second Super Bowl setback in decisive fashion. And, after a disappointing 2025 season that ended early due to injury, Mahomes now appears to be on the verge of turning into the NFL's version of Steph Curry, a generational talent who has been overshadowed in recent years by some of the NBA's younger stars.

>Another Super Bowl win, though, would put Mahomes right back into the conversation among the top three or four quarterbacks of all time. By winning another Super Bowl, Mahomes would join Brady, Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the only starting quarterbacks with four Super Bowl rings.

>Hurts might be the most underappreciated Super Bowl-winning quarterback ever. Hurts delivered an MVP performance during the Eagles' blowout win over the two-time reigning champion Chiefs. His name is rarely mentioned among the NFL's best current quarterbacks. That would undoubtedly change, however, if Hurts is about to win a second Super Bowl. Some of the anonymous criticism recently sent his way would also dissipate.

>By winning a second ring, Hurts would join Bart Starr, Roger Staubach, Bob Griese, Bradshaw, Jim Plunkett, Montana, Troy Aikman, John Elway, Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Mahomes as the only starting quarterbacks to win multiple Super Bowls. He'd also join Staubach, Griese, Bradshaw, Montana, Aikman, Elway, Brady, Big Ben, Peyton, Brady and Mahomes as the only Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks to start in at least three Super Bowls.

>While the 27-year-old is younger than most of the other quarterbacks that cracked this list, Love's sense of urgency to win a Super Bowl is probably just as high, if not higher.

>Aaron Rodgers' successor in Green Bay, Love showed impressive poise in 2023, his first year as a starter. After a 3-6 start, Love led the Packers to six wins in their final eight games to clinch a playoff berth. In the playoffs, Love spearheaded Green Bay's shocking upset win over the Cowboys in the wild-card round before playing well in the Packers' close divisional round loss to the eventual NFC champion 49ers.

>Love and the Packers were unable to match that level of success the last two years, however, which is why Love is surely eager to have a big year in 2026.

>Goff's career has been nothing short of an enigma. Despite a successful run with the Rams (that included a Super Bowl berth in 2018), he was traded to the Lions in the deal that sent Stafford to Los Angeles. Stafford won his elusive Super Bowl with the Rams, while Goff has enjoyed similar individual success in Detroit while leading the Lions' resurgence. In 2023, he defeated his former team while leading the Lions to their first playoff win in 32 years.

>But despite his continued success in Detroit, Goff remains overlooked among other quarterbacks in his era. That'll likely remain Goff's lot in life unless he leads the Lions to their first Super Bowl title.

>Rodgers already cemented his status as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. A second Super Bowl win, however, would put him in even more rarified air.

>Rodgers would join Brady and Peyton Manning as the only starting quarterbacks to win Super Bowls with multiple franchises. Rodgers would also join Brady as the only starting quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl after turning 40. It would be hard to leave Rodgers off any list of the top five quarterbacks in NFL history if the four-time league MVP wins a Super Bowl during what appears to be his final NFL season.

>Barring injuries, Herbert appears to be on track towards Hall of Fame induction. His list of career accomplishments so far includes an historic rookie season (he set rookie records with 31 touchdown passes and 396 completions), being the fastest player to reach 10,000 and 12,000 career passing yards and scoring the most total touchdowns (102) during the first three seasons of a career.

>Ironically, Herbert is following in the footsteps of former Chargers quarterbacks Dan Fouts and Philip Rivers. Both quarterbacks enjoyed prolific careers but were at times overlooked during their primes because of their inability to get to and ultimately win a Super Bowl. Herbert -- who didn't win a playoff game during his first six NFL seasons -- is undoubtedly looking to avoid the same fate.

>Prescott is a Dallas icon. The franchise's career passing leader (he's also closing in on Tony Romo's career touchdown pass mark), Prescott will probably see his name and number immortalized in the Cowboys Ring of Honor sometime after his career comes to an end.

>If Prescott wants to truly be remembered as an all-time great, he can do so by leading the Cowboys to the franchise's first Super Bowl title since their 1990s dynasty. If he can win a Super Bowl ring, Prescott would not only join Hall of Famers Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman as the only starting quarterbacks to lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl title, but he would also put himself in position to possibly join them in Canton.

>An Ohio native, Burrow would forever be a legend in the Buckeye State if he helps the Bengals become the state's first Super Bowl champion. That almost happened back in 2021 before Cincinnati felt victim to a controversial penalty, Stafford's late-game heroics and Aaron Donald's brilliance at the end of the Rams' 23-20 victory in Super Bowl XLVI.

>A Super Bowl win would also greatly help Burrow's Hall of Fame case. While he is undeniably a Hall of Fame talent, injuries held Burrow back. A Super Bowl would permanently put those disappointing and injury-plagued seasons in the rearview mirror while putting Burrow back on track for Canton.

>For multiple reasons, a Super Bowl win would do wonders for Allen's career. From a personal standpoint, it would solidify Allen's place among the best quarterbacks of his era. Allen would also be the quarterback of the first Super Bowl-winning Bills team, which is a legacy-defining accomplishment in itself.

>For now, though, Allen is part of the group of notable quarterbacks that haven't won a Super Bowl, a list that includes fellow former Bills quarterback Jim Kelly, who never got over the hump despite leading Buffalo to four straight Super Bowl appearances.

>No quarterback needs a Super Bowl more for his legacy, despite everything Jackson already accomplished as a two-time league MVP and the most prolific running quarterback in NFL history. Oddly, the latter achievement actually hindered Jackson's legacy until now, which is largely why he tops the list.

>A narrative exists that running quarterbacks cannot win Super Bowls. Jackson, because of his success running with the football, is largely labeled as a running quarterback. But that title diminishes how good Jackson is as a passer. He is, after all, tied with Rodgers with the career passer rating in league history.