Quarterback is the most important position in football, but sometimes the rest of the team does the heavy lifting. It’s challenging to succeed in the NFL without a competent passer; however, on rare occasions, it can be done.
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Over the years, we’ve seen smothering defenses or punishing rushing attacks rocket teams to the Super Bowl while a mediocre quarterback stood under center. Heck, some low-impact signal-callers have even won Super Bowl rings. And that’s why we’ve created our list of the worst quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl because we can’t ever forget about these second-rate gridiron heroes.
Before we dive into our list, be sure to check out some other NFL betting resources, including our Super Bowl odds page or the Super Bowl props page. If you’re new to wagering on football, head over to our How To Bet on the NFL guide.
Who Is The Worst Quarterback To Win A Super Bowl?
For brevity’s sake, we’ll limit our list to the five worst quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl.
Trent Dilfer, 2000 Baltimore Ravens
I mean, is it really a list of the worst Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks without Dilfer?
Like many signal-callers on this list, Dilfer was supported by a strong Ravens defense in 2000, so he settled in as a game manager after taking over for starter Tony Banks. In his eight regular-season starts, the 28-year-old racked up just 1,502 passing yards and an ugly 12:11 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
After squeaking into the playoffs through a wild-card berth, Dilfer’s Ravens advanced to the Super Bowl and ultimately defeated the New York Giants 34-7. In that game, Dilfer completed just 12 of 25 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown. He also threw a pick-six that was called back due to a penalty.
That same offseason, Dilfer was released by Baltimore, making him the first and only quarterback to be let go after winning a Super Bowl.
Brad Johnson, 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sure, Johnson got to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season, but Tampa Bay’s defensive crew was much more deserving. During the 2002 regular season, Johnson was a very timid passer, tossing for just 3,049 yards and earning the nickname “Checkdown Charlie” from teammates. The Bucs defense, however, snagged 31 interceptions and scored four touchdowns during the regular season. The D also scored 21 of the team’s 48 points in the Super Bowl win over the Oakland Raiders.
After the Super Bowl win, Johnson had one more solid season in 2003, but after that, he never cracked 3,000 passing yards, cementing himself on our list of the worst QBs to win a Super Bowl.
Joe Flacco, 2012 Baltimore Ravens
Clearly, the Ravens have found a recipe for winning championships with below-average QBs. In 2012, Baltimore got the job done with Flacco, a giant man with a gentle arm who tossed for 3,817 yards on a 59.7 percent completion rate.
Flacco’s regular season was underwhelming, but he stepped it up in the playoffs, tossing 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions en route to a 34-31 victory over the 49ers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
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The lights famously went out during that Super Bowl, causing a 30-minute game delay. Perhaps there was an element of foreshadowing in that blackout, as Flacco’s career has been a massive black hole since then.
Peyton Manning/Brock Osweiler, 2015 Denver Broncos
I know what you’re thinking, “How can you call Manning one of the worst quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl?” I get it, but, folks, please believe me when I say his 2015 season is among the worst of all time.
In 2015, Manning’s age-39 season, he threw for 2,249 yards in 10 games with nine touchdowns and … 17 interceptions! That’s an insane number of turnovers, and it represented the first time since Manning’s rookie year in 1998 that the Tennessee product’s interceptions outranked his touchdown passes in a season.
So, Manning eventually lost his job to Brock Osweiler, who played slightly better (10 TD, 6 INT), before the Broncos pivoted back to Manning for the playoffs. Thankfully, the Denver defense was spearheaded by the likes of Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware and Aqib Talib, which helped the Broncos claim a 24-10 victory over Cam Newton’s Panthers.
After the 2015 Super Bowl win, Manning retired, Osweiler left in free agency and the Broncos have not made the playoffs since.
Nick Foles, 2017 Philadelphia Eagles
The 2017 Eagles were a ton of fun. Philly got off to a 10-1 start, but when sophomore QB Carson Wentz went down with an injury, the team was in flux. Backup passer Nick Foles stepped up, carrying his squad to a postseason berth.
Foles earned his X-rated moniker during the postseason by throwing for more than 350 yards twice, including a 357-yard outing that resulted in three touchdowns and helped the Eagles defeat the Patriots 41-33 in the Super Bowl. Even though he returned to his backup role for the 2018 campaign, the 28-year-old was forever cemented in Philadelphia’s sports lore.
Since winning the Super Bowl, Foles hasn’t had the opportunity to serve as a full-time starting quarterback. He has alternated between the Colts, Bears and Jaguars (where he somehow managed to secure a four-year, $88-million contract), and when he does get on the field these days, there is clearly no magic left.
Who is the worst quarterback to win a Super Bowl?
Trent Dilfer is arguably the worst quarterback to win a Super Bowl, doing so with the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. Dilfer played half of the regular season, then went 12 for 25 with 157 passing yards and one touchdown as his Ravens defeated the Giants 34-7.
That same offseason, Dilfer was released by Baltimore, making him the first and only quarterback to be let go after winning a Super Bowl.
Who is the worst QB to win multiple Super Bowls?
Jim Plunkett is considered the worst quarterback to win multiple Super Bowls. Despite never passing for 3,000 yards in a season, Plunkett hoisted the Lombardi Trophy with the Raiders in 1980 and 1983. He's also the only two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback to not be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
