Can Pat #RunItBack? Mahomes isn’t the only elite QB chasing a second Super Bowl title
Shortly after the Packers had won Super Bowl XLV in 2011, Ted Thompson was raving about the future of star quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Thompson, who was Green Bay’s general manager at the time, had drafted Rodgers as the heir apparent to Brett Favre. After sitting for three years, Rodgers got his chance and guided Green Bay past the Steelers for a championship.
“I think people are going to write stories about him 10 years from now that he’s pretty special,” Thompson told ESPN’s Elizabeth Merrill. “Even though he’s done so much, he’s sort of just getting started.”
The future looked bright for Rodgers, who was the game’s MVP at age 27. He’s remained a star, winning a pair of NFL MVP awards, but despite that promising future, Rodgers and the Packers haven’t returned to the Super Bowl.
It’s a stark reminder for Chiefs fans who see multiple titles in the team’s future because quarterback Patrick Mahomes is 24 years old and months earlier was the Super Bowl MVP.
The future is bright for Mahomes, but there is no guarantee that being a star at such a young age ensures future Super Bowl success.
Here are other examples of current and Hall of Fame quarterbacks.
Russell Wilson
Wilson was 25 years old when the Seahawks crushed the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014. Seattle advanced to the Super Bowl with a chance to defend their title, but Wilson threw an interception in the end zone in the final seconds as the Patriots won.
The Seahawks have been in the postseason four of the five years since the loss to New England but haven’t gotten back to the NFL’s biggest stage despite having Wilson, who was No. 2 on the NFL’s Top 100 list.
Drew Brees
While not exactly a kid, Brees was only 30 when the Saints won Super Bowl XLIV in the 2009 season. Brees has been one of the game’s best quarterbacks since that championship. He’s thrown for 46,770 yards with 345 touchdowns in the last 10 seasons.
However, the Saints have been back to the NFC Championship Game just once, although they were unlucky not to win that game. The Rams took advantage of a missed call and won at the Superdome in the 2018 season. At age 41, Brees is still searching for an elusive second Super Bowl win.
Kurt Warner
A late bloomer, Warner was 28 years old and in his first season as a starter with the Rams when they beat the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. Warner and the Rams went back to the Super Bowl two years later but lost to the Patriots. Warner took the Cardinals to Super Bowl XLIII, but they lost on a late touchdown by the Steelers.
Joe Namath
As a brash 25-year-old Namath famously guaranteed a Jets victory over the Colts in Super Bowl III. Namath made good on the promise and New Yorkers had reason to believe it was the start of a Jets dynasty. Instead, they were knocked out of the playoffs by the Chiefs the following year and haven’t been back to the Super Bowl.
