In the NFL, 63% of all Super Bowls since 1966 have been won by just 13 quarterbacks. If Patrick Mahomes has his way, that percentage is going to increase as he eyes a 3rd ring with the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.
Last season, Mahomes became the 13th quarterback to win multiple Super Bowls. Everyone at the NFL betting sites knows Tom Brady has won the most with 7, but can you name all 13 quarterbacks to win multiple Super Bowls without cheating?
We have the answers below as we look back at the charmed ones fortunate enough to claim multiple Super Bowl wins as starters in their careers. Someone like Steve Young technically won 3 Super Bowls with the 49ers (1988-89, 1994), but he was Joe Montana’s backup for those first 2 rings. We are only going by rings won as a starter in the Super Bowl era (since 1966).
Tom Brady – 7 Super Bowl Rings
Seasons: 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020
Teams: New England Patriots (2001-18), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020)
Tom Brady’s career spanned so long that he won his 7 rings over 3 different decades, so you could really break his career down to 4 phases:
2001-06 Patriots: Led more by Bill Belichick’s detailed coaching, elite defense, and Adam Vinatieri’s clutch kicking, the Patriots became a dynasty after Bady replaced an injured Drew Bledsoe in 2001 and proceeded to win 3 of the next 4 Super Bowls. Each Super Bowl was decided by 3 points too.
2007-13 Patriots: After shifting to a more offensive approach, Brady had his best statistics in this period when he played with Randy Moss and Rob Gronkowski, including his first MVP and a career-high 50 touchdowns in 2007, the 18-1 season. But the Patriots repeatedly fell short in the playoffs, going 0-2 against the Giants in Super Bowls in this time.
2014-18 Patriots: After nearly a decade without a ring, the Patriots regrouped after an ugly loss in Kansas City in 2014 with Belichick’s fabled “We’re onto Cincinnati” approach. The team won a classic Super Bowl against Seattle, coming back from 24-14 down, then it was a 28-3 comeback in Super Bowl LI against the Falcons in the 2016 season, the only Super Bowl to go to overtime. The 2018 Patriots made it 3 rings in 5 years after Brady won his 6th ring over the Rams, the opponent that started the dynasty in 2001.
2020-22 Buccaneers: Brady went to Tampa Bay and immediately won a Super Bowl with Bruce Arians as his head coach, becoming the first team to win the Super Bowl in its home stadium during the pandemic year. Brady probably should have retired on top right there with nothing left to prove, but he returned for 2021, lost in the divisional round to the Rams, retired, and then came back for an ill-fated 2022 season where he finished with his only losing record as a starter before retiring for good (so far, at least).
Brady’s 10 Super Bowl starts are double those of the next closest quarterback (John Elway, 5). His 7 wins are obviously 3 more than the previous record for Super Bowl wins by a quarterback, and his 5 Super Bowl MVP awards are 2 more than Joe Montana.
Will these records ever be broken? It’s probably up to Patrick Mahomes, who already did a major disservice to his chase by losing to Brady’s teams in the playoffs in 2018 and 2020.
Terry Bradshaw – 4 Super Bowl Rings
Seasons: 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979
Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
Terry Bradshaw is still the only quarterback in NFL history to win 4 Super Bowls in a 6-year span. He is also the only quarterback to repeat twice. Not bad for someone they said couldn’t spell cat if you gave him the ‘c’ and the ‘a’.
Bradshaw’s Super Bowl performances were legendary too as he had a 100.0 passer rating in all 4 of them.
He always made some big throws in the 4th quarter to put the win away. Bradshaw had 4 games with 300 yards passing in the regular season in his career, but he did that twice in the Super Bowl, winning MVP honors for Super Bowls XIII and XIV against the Cowboys and the Rams.
Bradshaw was outstanding in Super Bowl XIII against Dallas with 318 yards and 4 touchdowns. A year later against the Rams, he threw maybe the best pass of his career with a 73-yard dime to John Stallworth for the game-winning touchdown in the 4th quarter.
One thing that should be cleared up about Bradshaw is that The Immaculate Reception, the most famous play in NFL history, did not produce a Super Bowl ring for Bradshaw and the Steelers. That Franco Harris touchdown came in the 1972 divisional round against the Raiders, and the Steelers lost the following week against Miami in the championship game. Their first Super Bowl came 2 seasons later when they beat the Vikings in 1974.
But that famous play no doubt gave the Steelers their first playoff win in franchise history, and it paved the way for their run of success in the 1970s when they won 4 Super Bowls and became the first dynasty after the 1970 merger.
Joe Montana – 4 Super Bowl Rings
Seasons: 1981, 1984, 1988, 1989
Team: San Francisco 49ers
Joe Montana was the 2nd quarterback to win 4 Super Bowls, and he has the enviable stat line in Super Bowls of going 4-0 with 11 touchdown passes, 0 interceptions, and a 127.8 passer rating.
If you are a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals, then you are probably still stung by that no interception stat, as Montana threw a pass in the end zone right to corner Lewis Billups, who dropped the ball in the 1988 season’s Super Bowl. Montana threw a touchdown to Jerry Rice on the very next play to tie the game. Later in that game, Montana had his ultimate Super Bowl moment when he led a 92-yard game-winning touchdown drive, throwing the winning score to John Taylor in the last 35 seconds.
A year later, Montana embarrassed Denver’s No. 1 scoring defense with 5 touchdown passes in a 55-10 rout that is still the record for a Super Bowl beatdown. But it would be Montana’s final appearance in a Super Bowl as injuries continued to pile up for the legend.
Troy Aikman – 3 Super Bowl Rings
Seasons: 1992, 1993, 1995
Team: Dallas Cowboys
Few teams ever made winning the Super Bowl look easy like the 1992-95 Cowboys with Troy Aikman, who were rarely challenged in big games on their way to becoming the first team to win 3-of-4 Super Bowls.
That team was eerily close to a 4-peat, but they fell behind 21-0 to the 49ers in the 1994 NFC Championship Game, and it was just too much of a hole to dig out of, ending the hope for a 3-peat before they rebounded a year later to beat the Steelers in Super Bowl XXX.
Aikman was very accurate in those years, and he had the support of Emmitt Smith at running back and Michael Irvin as his top receiver. After that last Super Bowl, Aikman was just 1-3 in the playoffs the rest of his career.
But his playoff numbers in 1992-95 were outstanding and that run is primarily why he was a first-ballot Hall of Famer. We’ll see what Patrick Mahomes does against the 49ers again, but Aikman is currently the only quarterback to win exactly 3 Super Bowl rings.
Aikman is also on a short list of quarterbacks to win Super Bowls with multiple head coaches, winning a pair with Jimmy Johnson (1992-93) and another with Barry Switzer (1995).
Bart Starr – 2 Super Bowl Rings
Seasons: 1966, 1967
Team: Green Bay Packers
Bart Starr is tailor-made for historians to show off their knowledge.
While he is known for winning the first 2 Super Bowls and the first 2 Super Bowl MVP awards, Starr actually won 5 NFL championships with the Packers in the 1960s, including a 3-peat in 1965-67.
He just had the disservice of playing at a time when the Super Bowl didn’t officially start until 1966 near the backend of his career, so he doesn’t get proper credit for his 5 titles the way he probably should.
Starr also had fantastic postseason numbers as a passer, including a 61% completion percentage, 15 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, and a 104.8 passer rating – great numbers for 2024, let alone the 1960s. He was 9-1 as a starter in the playoffs, losing his debut and winning the final 9 games.
Starr also compiled those great playoff numbers in some very cold games and poor fields, including The Ice Bowl, the coldest game in NFL history against Dallas.
Bob Griese – 2 Super Bowl Rings
Seasons: 1972, 1973
Team: Miami Dolphins
Bob Griese has a complicated playoff legacy among NFL quarterbacks.
If he has a playoff highlight, it’s probably his 29-yard sack he took in Super Bowl VI against the Cowboys in a 24-3 loss.
A year later, the Dolphins completed the only perfect season in Super Bowl history by finishing 17-0. But Griese missed many games that season for injury, and he threw just 16 passes in 2 games that postseason.
In fact, when the Dolphins repeated in 1973, Griese threw just 47 passes in 5 playoff games those years. Head coach Don Shula was fond of the run back then.
However, Griese is in the Hall of Fame even if he took a real “bus driver” approach to his Super Bowl-winning seasons.
Roger Staubach – 2 Super Bowl Rings
Seasons: 1971, 1977
Team: Dallas Cowboys
Roger Staubach was 2-2 in the Super Bowl with losses to Pittsburgh, but many can still make the argument that he was the best quarterback of the 1970s.
He had incredible efficiency stats for the time, and this was the toughest decade to throw in as the rule changes to aid the passing game did not come until 1978 when Staubach was close to retirement.
Staubach’s Super Bowl-losing seasons to Pittsburgh in 1975 and 1978 may actually carry more highlights for him than the years they won it, including his famous Hail Mary play to beat the 1975 Vikings.
However, Staubach was a legend and the best quarterback in Dallas history.
Jim Plunkett – 2 Super Bowl Rings
Seasons: 1980, 1983
Team: Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
Jim Plunkett is likely going to carry the dubious distinction of being the only quarterback with multiple Super Bowl wins to not make the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We’ll have to see what happens with Eli Manning, though it feels increasingly likely they will put him in.
However, Plunkett served his purpose with the Raiders.
He was a backup in 1980 before taking over and leading the team all the way to a Super Bowl win, defeating the Eagles with big numbers through the air.
In 1983, Plunkett was going up against a juggernaut in a 14-2 Washington team that set the record for points scored and only lost a pair of games by 1 point each. But the Raiders played great, Plunkett was efficient, and the Raiders shockingly won 38-9.
Plunkett was 8-2 as a playoff starter, but he never won another playoff game after his 2nd Super Bowl win.
John Elway – 2 Super Bowl Rings
Seasons: 1996, 1997
Team: Denver Broncos
John Elway led Denver to the Super Bowl 3 times in the 1980s, and they were crushed worse each time. They lost 39-20 to the 1986 Giants, 42-10 to the 1987 Redskins, and 55-10 to the 1989 49ers.
It just felt like the AFC was inferior, and when they went up against the NFC, Elway’s team was always going to get blown out. In the 1990s, the Broncos were instrumental in turning that around and opening the door to a more competitive Super Bowl.
In 1997, the Broncos reached the Super Bowl for the 4th time against Green Bay, who just won a Super Bowl with 3-time MVP Brett Favre the previous year. It was looking like Favre’s league, but the Broncos still had a very good team that year.
Elway did not play his best, but Terrell Davis was dominant on the ground and the defense held its own against Favre. The Broncos won 31-24, then were even more dominant the next year when they repeated by beating the Falcons and Elway’s first coach and rival, Dan Reeves.
Elway retired after the game and the Broncos would not be the same until Peyton Manning joined the team in 2012.
Ben Roethlisberger – 2 Super Bowl Rings
Seasons: 2005, 2008
Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
Ben Roethlisberger is still the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, doing so at 23 years old in his 2nd season with the Steelers.
That postseason, he led the first upset of a No. 1 seed by a No. 6 seed when his team won 21-18 in Indianapolis, a game where he made a crucial, season-saving tackle of corner Nick Harper after Jerome Bettis fumbled late in the game.
Three years later with Mike Tomlin as his head coach, Roethlisberger returned to the Super Bowl and led a game-winning drive for the ages in a 27-23 win over the Cardinals.
His game-winning touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes in the final minute is the top moment of his career as the difficulty on that throw and catch was very high.
Roethlisberger returned to another Super Bowl 2 years later against the Packers, but that one did not go his team’s way, and he never made another trip to the big game.
Eli Manning – 2 Super Bowl Rings
Seasons: 2007, 2011
Team: New York Giants
The 2004 draft class produced a couple of multiple-time Super Bowl winners in Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning. The younger Manning actually got to a 2nd ring before his brother Peyton, and both times it was completely unexpected, as the Giants went on incredible runs in 2007 and 2011.
The Giants were able to knock off a trio of elite teams in 2007, including the top-seeded Cowboys in Dallas, Brett Favre and the Packers in Green Bay in a frozen game, and of course the massive upset of the 18-0 Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, where Manning was named Super Bowl MVP after his game-winning drive and touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress to win 17-14.
In 2011, Eli had his best individual season and tied the NFL record by leading 8 game-winning drives that year, including more in the playoffs against the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, and his throw to Mario Manningham in Super Bowl XLVI led to another game-winning touchdown against the Patriots. The Giants also knocked off a 15-1 Green Bay team that postseason.
Manning’s career is unique, as his playoff record is very good at 8-4, but that also means he went 0-4 in his playoff trips where he didn’t win the Super Bowl, and he missed the playoffs many times over with the Giants too.
However, those legendary Super Bowl runs and his 2 Super Bowl MVP awards will garner him enough attention to likely make the Pro Football Hall of Fame very soon.
Peyton Manning – 2 Super Bowl Rings
Seasons: 2006, 2015
Teams: Indianapolis Colts (2006), Denver Broncos (2015)
Peyton Manning may not have won as many Super Bowls as some of his peers, but he still was able to retire with a 2nd win in 2015 with Denver.
He will always be the 1st quarterback to win a Super Bowl with 2 different franchises, a fitting record for the only quarterback to go to 4 Super Bowls with 4 different head coaches too.
Manning’s playoff legacy is often criticized for his 14-13 record and 9 one-and-done postseasons, but when his team got past the opening game, he was 14-4 with those 4 Super Bowl appearances. He also lost some of the closest opening-round games in playoff history, including a record 6 blown leads in the 4th quarter by his teams.
However, Manning retired with his share of impressive postseason records as well.
He is still the only quarterback to beat the top 3 defenses in the same postseason when he did so in 2006 with the Colts, knocking off the Ravens, Patriots, and Bears to claim his first Super Bowl and only Super Bowl MVP award. He had to win a Super Bowl in the rain too despite it usually being a game played in pristine conditions.
He also got his first win after Prince’s Super Bowl halftime show, so that’s worth about 1.5 Super Bowl wins for the most individually decorated quarterback in NFL history with 7 first-team All-Pro selections and 5 MVP awards.
Patrick Mahomes – 2 Super Bowl Rings
Seasons: 2019, 2022
Team: Kansas City Chiefs
Finally, we end with someone expected to move up the list as Patrick Mahomes is already in his 4th Super Bowl with the Chiefs.
He already has 14 playoff wins, and another would give him sole possession of 3rd place in that category before his 29th birthday.
Mahomes won his first Super Bowl in style in 2019 when the Chiefs managed to trail by double digits in every playoff game and still won them all by double digits too. He was named Super Bowl MVP for his performance against the 49ers, an uneven game where he finished strong against an elite defense.
The play of the game was “2-3 Jet Chip Wasp” on a 3rd-and-15 when Mahomes found Tyreek Hill for a 44-yard gain to get the 20-10 comeback going. Without that play, the Chiefs almost certainly lose the game.
Mahomes led the Chiefs back to the Super Bowl a year later, but they lost 31-9 to the Buccaneers after he was pressured 29 times, a Super Bowl record. It is the only playoff game of his career where he didn’t score at least 17 points.
Mahomes returned to the big game in 2022 after he won MVP in the regular season.
He broke the curse of the MVP winner not winning the Super Bowl, becoming the first player to win both in the same season since Kurt Warner for the 1999 Rams. Mahomes led another 10-point comeback in a Super Bowl, taking down the Eagles 38-35 and leading a game-winning drive for a field goal.
Mahomes has the Chiefs right back in the Super Bowl against San Francisco again in the 2023 season. He will attempt to end the longest drought in NFL history without a repeat champion while claiming his 3rd ring and establishing the Chiefs as a dynasty.
Based on the way his career has gone so far, this is not going to be the end of his Super Bowl history either.
