Drake Maye could make a lot of history in Sunday’s Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks. One piece of history he could make that might get overlooked is with his first Super Bowl victory, he could end up being the youngest starting quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl. Those are some big shoes to fill and he'll be in great company if he pulls off the feat.
Sunday should be as exciting as ever when it comes to storylines. You have one quarterback who, in their second season, could start their legacy and the other could finish off the most miraculous redemption story in recent history. Here’s more history on the oldest and youngest Super Bowl winning quarterbacks.
Youngest quarterbacks to ever win the Super Bowl
At 23 years old and 340 days, Ben Roethlisberger is the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl. He won with the Pittsburgh Steelers and coincidentally enough, it was also in his second season in the NFL. The other four quarterbacks to be the youngest to win the Super Bowl have had just as good of careers as Roethlisberger. Maye could add his name to this list.
PLAYER | TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|
Ben Roethlisberger | Pittsburgh Steelers | 23 years, 340 days |
Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs | 24 years, 138 days |
Tom Brady | New England Patriots | 24 years, 184 days |
Russell Wilson | Seattle Seahawks | 25 years, 65 days |
Joe Namath | New York Jets | 25 years, 226 days |
For those too young to remember, Roethlisberger didn't exactly have an excellent performance in Super Bowl XL. But, a strong defense and some nifty play-calling helped carry the Steelers to victory. Maye might need the same from Mike Vrabel and Co.
Oldest quarterbacks to ever win the Super Bowl
Sam Darnold won’t crack this list with a win, but strangely enough, Tom Brady has both won a Super Bowl as one of the youngest and oldest starting quarterbacks. The youngest quarterback in this group was just 39 years old. Experience as well as talent goes a long way to winning championships. While history won’t be made with the oldest, here’s a look at the oldest quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl.
PLAYER | TEAM | AGE |
|---|---|---|
Tom Brady | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 43 years, 188 days |
Tom Brady | New England Patriots | 41 years, 184 days |
Peyton Manning | Denver Broncos | 39 years, 220 days |
Tom Brady | New England Patriots | 39 years, 186 days |
John Elway | Denver Broncos | 38 years, 217 days |
In that final Super Bowl victory against the Chiefs, Brady threw for over 200 yards and three touchdowns, while the Buccaneers defense smothered upstart Patrick Mahomes. Brady's experience won the day.
What Super Bowl QB age history tells us about winning now
History shows that the younger quarterbacks tend to struggle when it comes to the Super Bowl. While Jalen Hurts was able to defy odds and win a Super Bowl at 26 years old, most Super Bowl winning quarterbacks are closer to 30 years old. In recent years, Patrick Mahomes was able to win one at 24 years old back in 2020 for his first Super Bowl.
Based on the previous Super Bowl winner, it feels like Sam Darnold has the edge from an age standpoint. The ages of the five last Super Bowl winning quarterbacks are 26, 27, 26, 34, 43. Winning a Super Bowl during your rookie contract isn’t impossible, but it’s a hard feat to accomplish.
Maye could do it and be the first quarterback to win a Super Bowl under the age of 25 since Mahomes did it back in 2020. Regardless of the age of quarterbacks, Super Bowl 60 should be as entertaining as any Super Bowl.
Drake Maye can become the youngest Super Bowl–winning QB ever
What Drake Maybe has done this season is exactly why he could become the youngest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl. He had an MVP-caliber season with New England and doesn’t look like your typical second-year quarterback. To be named in the same company as Roethlisberger, Brady and Mahomes at this point in his career is remarkable. It sounds like a long shot, but he’s shown just how good he can be.
The difference for Maye in the final game of the season is that he’ll have his work cut out against the Seahawks defense. Maye hasn't seen a defense like this, as they don’t run a lot of base. They pride themselves on playing nickel defense, making sure to always have an extra defensive back on the field. Their goal is to force Maye to take everything underneath and not get beat with the deep ball.
If Maye does win a Super Bowl this year, it will ultimately be one of the best second years by a quarterback in the NFL. It would also mean the trajectory of his NFL career just skyrocketed.