Welcome to the MVP Chase, where I look for, or chase, the best objective criteria in determining greatness without personal bias.
As a Green Bay Packers fan, it occurred to me that Patrick Mahomes has already had a better career than either Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers, regardless of Sunday's Super Bowl 57's outcome.
I was thinking only of Super Bowl appearances. In just six seasons in the NFL, Mahomes has reached the game three times, which is equal to Favre and Rodgers combined in 31 Packer seasons.
Of course, we can't say that Mahomes has really had a better career overall than those two, but I wonder where Mahomes already ranks among quarterbacks who've played in the Super Bowl
I ranked every quarterback who has started the game based on the quality of their career overall. I totaled up:
The number of seasons the qb was named to the Pro Bowl
The number of conference championship games he started
The number of Super Bowl wins he started
These standards are valid across eras as the passing rules have changed and the number of playoff rounds has increased. Great quarterbacks make the Pro Bowl and have playoff success.
That said, this list includes only Super Bowl starters, not great ones who've never played the game like Dan Fouts, Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, or Philip Rivers. But I wanted to get a handle on where Mahomes ranks among Super Bowl quarterbacks at this stage of his career.
Current players are in bold. Quarterbacks in the Pro Football Hall of Fame are in italics. I note where players had careers under ten years, and recently retired players who are not yet eligible for the Hall of Fame have the note "NYE" (not yet eligible).
Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, and Len Dawson won league championships before the Super Bowl. I gave a half-point for that achievement. I also note players who started the Super Bowl for two different teams, just as trivia.
Tom Brady (7 SB wins) NYE 36 (2 different teams in the Super Bowl)
Peyton Manning (2) 21 (2 different teams in SB)
Joe Montana (4) 19
Johnny Unitas (1) 18 (1 point total for 2 pre-SB NFL championships)
John Elway (2) 17
Brett Favre (1) 17
Drew Brees (1) NYE 17
Aaron Rodgers (1) 16
Roger Staubach (2) 15
Bart Starr (2) 13.5 (1.5 points total for 3 pre-SB NFL championships)
Terry Bradshaw (4) 13
Troy Aikman (3) 13
Ben Roethlisberger (2) NYE 13
Fran Tarkenton 13
Dan Marino 13
Steve Young (1) 12
Bob Griese (2) 12
Russell Wilson (1) 12
Len Dawson (1) 11.5 (0.5 points for 1 pre-SB AFL championship)
Patrick Mahomes (1) 11 (6 years)
Donovan McNabb 11
Ken Stabler (1) 10
Jim Kelly 10
Daryle Lamonica 9
Kurt Warner (1) 8 (2 different teams in SB)
Eli Manning (2) 8
Joe Namath (1) 7
Matt Ryan 6
Rich Gannon 6
Ken Anderson 6
Joe Theismann (1) 5
Jim McMahon (1) 5
Steve McNair 5
Boomer Esiason 5
Drew Bledsoe 5
Jim Plunkett (2) 4
Mark Rypien (1) 4
Brad Johnson (1) 4
Joe Flacco (1) 4
Cam Newton 4
Earl Morral 4
Jared Goff 4 (7 years)
Matt Hasselbeck 4
Kerry Collins 4
Matthew Stafford (1) 3
Phil Simms (1) 3
Jeff Hostetler (1) 3
Trent Dilfer (1) 3
Doug Williams (1) 3 (9 years; USFL mid-career)
Nick Foles (1) 3
Chris Chandler 3
Jake Delhomme 3
Joe Burrow 3 (3 years)
Neil O'Donnell 3
Craig Morton 2 (2 different teams in SB)
Ron Jaworski 2
Jalen Hurts 2 (3 years)
Joe Kapp 2 (4 years; CFL previous)
Colin Kaepernick 2 (6 years)
Rex Grossman 1 (9 years)
Stan Humphries 1 (8 years)
Tony Eason 1 (8 years)
David Woodley 1 (6 years)
With the number of Pro Bowls and championship games he has already, Mahomes can be considered one of the 20 most accomplished quarterbacks of the Super Bowl era with borderline Hall of Fame credentials even if he becomes an average quarterback for the rest of his career.
James Leroy Wilson writes The MVP Chase, Daily Miracles, The Daily Bible Chapter, and JL Cells. Thanks for your subscriptions and support! You may contact James for your writing, editing, and research needs: jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com.
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