The 10 youngest starting quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl

Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady won their first Super Bowls at 24. Here are the 10 youngest starting quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl in NFL history.

Feb 5, 2025 - 20:32

Patrick Mahomes stands with his arms raised, smiling as confetti falls around him following the Chiefs' Super Bowl LIV win. — Mahomes was 24 when he won his first Super Bowl with the Chiefs in 2020.
John W. McDonough/Contributor/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images

On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs will face the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.
This will be Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes' fifth Super Bowl appearance.
He made history in 2020 when he became the second-youngest quarterback to win the Super Bowl.

Only two teams remain in the race for Super Bowl LIX: the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Sunday's game will mark Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes' fifth Super Bowl competition for his fourth ring … and he's only 29.

Since becoming a starter in 2018, Mahomes has helped usher in an era of dominance that naturally draws comparisons to another Super Bowl-winning dynasty: the New England Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady.

Both Brady and Mahomes were just 24 years old when they lifted the Lombardi Trophy for the first time, placing them among the youngest starting quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl in NFL history.

So, while NFL fans wait to see if Mahomes can get one step closer to superseding Brady's seven-ring legacy, here's a look back at the pair's historic wins and the other great quarterbacks who helped their team win the ultimate prize at impressively young ages.

10. Tom Brady

Tom Brady raises his fist as he's surrounded by reporters after winning Super Bowl XXXVIII. — Brady won Super Bowl XXXVIII when he was 26 years old.
Andy Lyons/Staff/Getty Images

Age: 26 years, 5 months, and 29 days old

Of course, Tom Brady made this list twice. The New England Patriots legend won his second Super Bowl with the team in 2004, defeating the Carolina Panthers 32-29.

9. Jim McMahon

Jim McMahon running on the sideline with his helmet off. — McMahon was 26 when he and the Chicago Bears won Super Bowl XX.
John Iacono/Contributor/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images

Age: 26 years, 5 months, and 5 days old

Jim McMahon was part of the star-studded 1985 Chicago Bears lineup, which included Walter Payton, Richard Dent, and William "The Refrigerator" Perry when they defeated the Patriots 46-10 to win the franchise's only Super Bowl in January 1986.

McMahon rushed for two touchdowns, becoming the first quarterback to do so in the Super Bowl.

8. Terry Bradshaw

Terry Bradshaw prepares to pass the football in Super Bowl IX. — Bradshaw won Super Bowl IX in 1975 at age 26.
Sylvia Allen/Contributor/Getty Images

Age: 26 years, 4 months, and 10 days old

Terry Bradshaw won the first of his four Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1975 in a 16-6 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. He would go on to win again the following year, as well as in 1979 and 1980.

7. Troy Aikman

Troy Aikman prepares to pass the football during Super Bowl XXVII. — Aikman was 26 when he won Super Bowl XXVII in 1993.
Owen C. Shaw/Contributor/Getty Images

Age: 26 years, 2 months, and 10 days old

Troy Aikman helped the Dallas Cowboys usher in a new era. Despite the team finishing 1-15 during his 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. Aikman threw for 273 yards, including four touchdowns, and earned the title MVP. It was the first of his three Super Bowls with the Cowboys franchise.

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."

6. Joe Montana

Joe Montana ran with the football during Super Bowl XVI. — Montana was 25 when he won Super Bowl XVI.
Focus On Sport/Contributor/Getty Images

Age: 25 years, 7 months, and 13 days old

Joe Montana's first of four Super Bowl wins came in 1982 in Super Bowl XVI. He was named MVP in the San Francisco 49ers' 26-21 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, an honor he'd receive twice more in his career.

5. Joe Namath

Joe Namath dropped back to throw the football during Super Bowl III. — Namath was 25 when he won Super Bowl III in 1969.
Focus On Sport/Contributor/Getty Images

Age: 25 years, 7 months, and 12 days old

Joe 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 at Super Bowl III in 1969. Namath was named MVP.

4. Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl XLVIII. — Wilson was 25 when the Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014.
Kevin C. Cox/Staff/Getty Images

Age: 25 years, 2 months, and 4 days old.

Russell Wilson led the Seattle Seahawks to their first-ever Super Bowl title in 2014. He threw for more than 200 yards, including two touchdowns, in a dominating 43-8 performance over Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos to win 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."

3. Tom Brady

Tom Brady points up as he speaks to a reporter after winning Super Bowl XXXVI. — Brady won his first Super Bowl at 24 years old.
JEFF HAYNES/Staff/AFP via Getty Images

Age: 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.

2. Patrick Mahomes

Age: 24 years, 4 months, and 16 days old

During the 2019-2020 season, Patrick Mahomes led the Kansas City Chiefs to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1970. He had two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown to help the Chiefs beat the 49ers 31-20, 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 at the time.

That win was the first of his three Super Bowl titles with the team so far.

1. Ben Roethlisberger

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger holds the Vince Lombardi trophy with teammate Jerome Bettis to his right as confetti falls around them. — Roethlisberger was 23 when he won Super Bowl XL with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
JEFF HAYNES/Staff/AFP via Getty Images

Age: 23 years, 11 months, and 3 days old

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger became the youngest starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl in NFL history thanks to the team's 21-10 defeat over the Seahawks in 2006's Super Bowl XL.

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