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You will be surprised how often mediocre quarterbacks compete for Super Bowls. We’ve witnessed a few NFL teams capture titles without the best packet passers in the league. Experts often refer to them as “game managers” who limit their mistakes and play efficiently. The truth is that other team members often do the heavy lifting, which allows average Qbs to write their names in the history books. Some of them might surprise you. This article includes my list of the worst quarterbacks to win a Superbowl ever. These guys are not Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, but they have at least one ring!
Mark Rypien
- Superbowl Rings: 2
- NFL Seasons: 11
- Passing Yards: 18,473
Despite earning multiple Pro Bowl selections, Mark Rypien was an average quarterback at best. He got off to a strong start in his career but couldn’t sustain his success. Within three years of winning a Super Bowl, Rypien was no longer a starting QB in the NFL. Rypien led Washington to a 14-2 record in 1991-92 during a season in which he won a Super Bowl MVP. He also finished fourth in the MVP voting that year for the regular season. His career was trending in the right direction, but it would all slip away within a few years. Subpar performances plagued Rypien’s career after achieving so much success early on. He’s ultimately one of the worst QBs to win a Superbowl because he was a one-hit-wonder. He was also only able to hang around for a few years as a backup in the NFL.
Nick Foles
- Superbowl Rings: 1
- NFL Seasons: 11
- Passing Yards: 14,003
Eagles starting quarterback Carson Wentz was having the best season of his career in 2017-18. However, a torn ACL injury would sideline him for the rest of the year, and the Eagles would turn to Nick Foles. We then witnessed one of the most magical runs in NFL history. Foles was able to accomplish the incredible during the 2017-18 season. He took over the starting QB role and took his game to an entirely different level – Foles threw for 971 yards and six touchdowns in three postseason games. He also won Super Bowl MVP that year.
Unfortunately, Foles has never been able to sustain success in the NFL. He’s never started more than 11 games in a season, and since making the Pro Bowl in 2013-14, he’s been marginally good at best. He does hold the record for the most touchdown passes in a game (7) and a ring, though, so I’m sure he’s happy with his career.
Brad Johnson
- Superbowl Rings: 1
- NFL Seasons: 15
- Passing Yards: 29,054
NFL pundits often argue that Bard Johnson is the worst QB to ever win a Superbowl. He was a mediocre player who benefited from a championship-caliber defense. In 2002-03, Johnson was the starting QB for the Buccaneers, a team that was destined for greatness. In all fairness, Johnson was a productive QB throughout his career. He made the Pro Bowl twice, and he had five seasons in which he threw for more than 3,000 passing yards. Towards the end of his career, however, Johnson was a turnover machine. During his lone Super Bowl appearance, Johnson was average at best. His job that day was not to lose the game for his team. He threw for 215 passing yards to go along with two touchdown passes and an interception. Buccaneers safety Dexter Jackson won the Super Bowl MVP.
Trent Dilfer
- Superbowl Rings: 1
- NFL Seasons: 13
- Passing Yards: 20,518
Trent Dilfer is unquestionably one of the worst quarterbacks to win a Superbowl. The former first-round pick never lived up to the hype and underperformed massively throughout his career. Dilfer never threw for more than 3,000 passing yards in a single season as an NFL QB. The player is the epitome of a game manager in the NFL because he was never the reason why his teams were any good. Dilfer also only went to the playoffs twice in his career. He appeared in just six postseason games and only threw four touchdowns during those contests.
Quarterbacks often win Super Bowl MVPs by default. In fact, quarterbacks have captured the award 56% of the time. Dilfer, on the other hand, was extremely mediocre for the Ravens during the team’s Super Bowl victory in 2000-01. He only had 153 passing yards and a touchdown.
>Doug Williams
- Superbowl Rings: 1
- NFL Seasons: 8
- Passing Yards: 16,998
From a numbers standpoint, you could argue that Doug Williams was pretty decent. He had an impressive 94.0 passer rating in 1987-88, the season in which the Redskins won the Super Bowl. However, Williams nearly threw as many interceptions as he did touchdowns in his career. Williams delivered one of his best performances in Super Bowl XXII against the Broncos. The quarterback completed 18 of 29 pass attempts for 340 yards and four touchdowns for a 127.9 quarterback rating. The performance earned him a Super Bowl MVP award.
His Super Bowl performance is still one of the most inexplicably great games we’ve ever seen. Williams played so incredibly well that Washington inducted him into their Ring of Honor. That’s not bad for someone who had an average career at best.
Jim McMahon
- Superbowl Rings: 2
- NFL Seasons: 15
- Passing Yards: 18,148
The 1985 Bears team was iconic for several reasons, but starting QB Jim McMahon was an afterthought during that magical run. He was also part of the only Super Bowl victory in franchise history for Chicago. McMahon’s only season that earned him a Pro Bowl selection was also in 1985-86. He threw for 2,392 yards and 15 touchdowns, which are both career highs. He benefited from an all-time great defense and having Walter Payton on his team during Chicago’s run that year. Unfortunately, the Bears have suffered from mediocrity at the QB position for many years. McMahon is one of many Bears QBs who’ve failed to meet expectations. After winning the Super Bowl, McMahon was out of Chicago after only three seasons.
Who’s the Next Poor QB to Win a Super Bowl?
Many interesting names come to mind when I think about the worst quarterbacks to win a Superbowl in the future. They include Daniel Jones, Zach Wilson, Ryan Tannehill, and Mac Jones. It’s always possible that a poor QB could become the next Super Bowl winner. The best Super Bowl betting sites often offer high odds on teams with poor QBs. The bookies don’t expect them to go the distance and capture a championship. This means that you can increase your profitability if you can predict the next average QB to win a Super Bowl!
