Youngest QBs in Super Bowl History: Where Drake Maye Ranks
On Sunday, New England Patriots QB Drake Maye will become one of the youngest QBs in Super Bowl history. The former No. 3 overall pick will trail only Dan Marino for the title of youngest starting quarterback in the history of the Big Game.
And although the Seattle Seahawks are a 4.5-point betting favorite and the popular pick for Super Bowl predictions, for Sunday's 6:30 p.m. ET (NBC) matchup from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., if Maye leads New England to a victory, he'll be the youngest QB in NFL history to win a Super Bowl.
🍼 Youngest QBs in Super Bowl history: Drake Maye’s debut
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He Maye become the youngest to ever win Super Bowl
The youngest QB to ever start the Super Bowl was Marino in 1984 when his Miami Dolphins fell to Joe Montana's San Francisco 49ers. Marino was 23 years old and 127 days when he started Super Bowl 19, and Maye will be just 35 days older when he takes the field on Sunday (23 years old and 162 days).
However, a win would mean Maye surpassing former Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger as the youngest QB to ever win the Big Game. Big Ben was 23 years old and 340 days when he defeated the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 40.
But win or lose on Sunday, Maye will be the youngest QB to start on the NFL's biggest stage in over 40 years, and just the third ever to do it before the age of 24.
The only three QBs to win the Super Bowl before turning 25 all have multiple rings, and all are viewed as future Pro Football Hall of Famers (Roethlisberger, Patrick Mahomes, and Tom Brady). The other six QBs to start the Super Bowl before the age of 25 all lost.
🏈 The youngest starting QBs in Super Bowl history
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| Rank | QB, team (year) | Age at start | Super Bowl result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dan Marino, Dolphins (1984) | 23 years, 127 days | Loss (38-16 vs. 49ers) |
| 2 | Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (2006) | 23 years, 340 days | Win (21-10 vs. Seahawks) |
| 3 | Brock Purdy, 49ers (2024) | 24 years, 46 days | Loss (25-22 vs. Chiefs) |
| 4 | David Woodley, Dolphins (1983) | 24 years, 97 days | Loss (27-17 vs. Washington) |
| 5 | Jared Goff, Rams (2019) | 24 years, 112 days | Loss (13-3 vs. Patriots) |
| 6 | Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs (2020) | 24 years, 138 days | Win (31-20 vs. 49ers) |
| 7 | Tom Brady, Patriots (2002) | 24 years, 184 days | Win (20-17 vs. Rams) |
| 8 | Jalen Hurts, Eagles (2023) | 24 years, 189 days | Loss (38-35 vs. Chiefs) |
| 9 | Drew Bledsoe, Patriots (1997) | 24 years, 347 days | Loss (35-21 vs. Packers) |
| T-10 | Joe Burrow, Bengals (2022) | 25 years, 65 days | Loss (23-20 vs. Rams) |
| T-10 | Russell Wilson, Seahawks (2014) | 25 years, 65 days | Won (43-8 vs. Broncos) |
⭐ Second-season wonders: Can Maye join the elite?
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Maye isn't just making history as the 10th QB to start a Super Bowl before the age of 25, and just the third before the age of 24; he's also joining an exclusive list of second-year signal-callers to start the Big Game.
The Patriots' triggerman is the ninth sophomore QB in NFL history to start the Super Bowl, and the third this decade (Brock Purdy, Joe Burrow). Second-year QBs are 4-4 in the Super Bowl, so Maye will break that tie regardless of outcome.
Surprisingly, of the nine second-year QBs to start the Super Bowl, Maye is just the fourth to be a former first-round pick. Of the four second-year QBs to win the Super Bowl, one is already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Kurt Warner), two will be (Brady, Roethlisberger), and the other will likely end up in (Russell Wilson).
| QB, team | Sophomore season | Draft position | Super Bowl result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drake Maye, Patriots | 2025-26 | 1st round (No. 3) | TBD |
| Brock Purdy, 49ers | 2023-24 | 7th round (No. 262) | Loss (25-22 vs. Chiefs) |
| Joe Burrow, Bengals | 2021-22 | 1st round (No. 1) | Loss (23-20 vs. Rams) |
| Russell Wilson, Seahawks | 2013-14 | 3rd round (No. 75) | Won (43-8 vs. Broncos) |
| Colin Kaepernick, 49ers | 2012-13 | 2nd round (No. 36) | Loss (34-31 vs. Ravens) |
| Ben Roethliseberger, Steelers | 2005-06 | 1st round (No. 11) | Win (21-10 vs. Seahawks) |
| Tom Brady, Patriots | 2001-02 | 6th round (No. 199) | Win (20-17 vs. Rams) |
| Kurt Warner, Rams* | 1999-00 | UDFA | Win (23-16 vs. Titans) |
| Dan Marino, Dolphins | 1984-85 | 1st round (No. 27) | Loss (38-16 vs. 49ers) |
*Kurt Warner was technically in his second season in the NFL, but was undrafted in 1994 and played multiple seasons in the Indoor Football League before signing with the St. Louis Rams in 1998 and winning the Super Bowl in 1999
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