Top 10 QBs who never won a Super Bowl (2024)

As a quarterback, the number one goal in the NFL is to lead your team to a Super Bowl and win it. Unfortunately, not every QB gets this opportunity—but not for a lack of talent. There were some phenomenal QBs over the years who broke records, had great playoff runs, and even got inducted into the Hall of Fame, but just never could get that ring. Some did make it to the big game, but fell just short. Here are the top 10 quarterbacks to never win a championship.

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10 Steve McNair, 1995-2007

What couldn’t Steve McNair do? Well, win a Super Bowl. But besides that, McNair was an all-around QB. The guy had a tremendous arm, but not only that, he could run like a running back, and he was the size of a linebacker. He was just a weapon in every aspect of the game. That’s the type of QB you’d want to lead your team.

The Houston Oilers, who later became the Tennessee Oilers and then the Tennessee Titans, drafted the quarterback in 1995 out of Alcorn State to replace another QB on this list. In the 1998 season, McNair set then-career passing highs with 289 completions for 3,228 yards and 15 touchdowns. In 1999, McNair made his only Super Bowl appearance with the Titans, and it was literally a game of inches.

The Titans were an arm’s length away from winning their first title, but St. Louis Rams linebacker Mike Jones held on for a game-saving tackle at the one-yard line in the dying seconds to seal the 23-16 victory for the Rams. McNair was remarkable in that game. He set a Super Bowl record for rushing yards by a QB with 64 on eight carries. He finished the game going 22-for-36 for 214 yards through the air.

McNair made three Pro Bowls in his career, he was Second-Team All-Pro in 2003, and he was also named co-NFL MVP in 2003. McNair’s final career stats were 31,304 passing yards for 174 touchdowns and 3,590 rushing yards for 37 TDs. McNair was tragically murdered on July 4, 2009, in Nashville, TN.

9 Donovan McNabb, 1999-2011

Donovan McNabb was always cool and composed in the pocket. He could throw an 80-yard pass like it was nothing, but he was also excellent on his feet. He is one of the best scrambling QBs the NFL has ever seen. McNabb was a defensive line's worst nightmare, because it took a lot to take the big man down. McNabb was drafted second overall to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999 and proceeded to lead his team to four consecutive NFC East titles and NFC Championship game appearances from 2001 to 2004.

In the 2004 campaign, McNabb and the Eagles beat the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship and made it to the Super Bowl, but could not pull off the win against the New England Patriots. In his career, he played in six Pro Bowls, and he led the NFL in QB wins from 2000-2004. He finished his 13-year stint in the NFL with 234 touchdowns and 37,376 passing yards to go with 3,459 rushing yards and 29 rushing TDs.

8 Randall Cunningham, 1985-2001

Randall Cunningham was the original dual threat QB. He could throw the ball from one end of the field to the other, and when he couldn't find an open receiver, he did the rest on the ground. The man was unstoppable in and out of the pocket, and not only was he fast, but he was hard to tackle. Cunningham was the ultimate weapon.

He was drafted in the second round by the Eagles in 1985. Cunningham led Philly to the NFC Divisional Playoff Round in 1988 in a game now known as the “Fog Bowl.” He threw a franchise record 54 passes for an incredible 407 yards, but came up short against the Chicago Bears.

Fast-forward to the 1997 season, when Cunningham joined the Minnesota Vikings after being out of football in 1996. The next year, in 1998, they ended the regular season with a 15-1 record, and Cunningham had 34 TD passes, 10 interceptions, and 3,704 passing yards to lead one of the greatest offenses in NFL history. He led his team to the NFC Championship that season, but lost to the Falcons by a field goal in overtime.

Cunningham retired as the all-time leading rusher for a quarterback with 4,928 rushing yards. He threw for 29,979 yards and 207 touchdowns with 35 rushing touchdowns throughout his career. He was selected for four Pro Bowls, one First-Team All-Pro, and two Second-Team All-Pros. Cunningham also won Comeback Player of the Year in 1992.

7 Philip Rivers, 2004-2020

Philip Rivers talked a lot of trash on the field, and he backed it up. He had one of the strangest throwing motion's the NFL has ever seen, but he was also one of the most accurate QBs to ever step on the turf too. So hey, if it works, it works. He was known as one of the game’s fiercest competitors.

Rivers was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in 2004, and he stayed with the franchise for the majority of his career, even through the move to Los Angeles in 2017. He got his first start in the beginning of the 2006 season, and he started every single regular season game for the rest of his career.

In 2007, the Chargers made it to the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots but could not get the win as Rivers attempted to carry them to the promised land on a torn ACL in one of the gutsiest performances in NFL history.

That was the closest number 17 ever got to a Super Bowl, but Rivers still had a stellar career. He made it to eight Pro Bowls in his 17-year career, led the league in passing yards in 2010, and won Comeback Player of the Year in 2013. Rivers retired after the 2020 season with 5,277 completions, 421 TDs, and 63,440 passing yards.

6 Warren Moon, 1984-2000

Warren Moon redefined the quarterback position in more ways than one. He was an underdog coming into the league as an undrafted free agent after spending time in the CFL. He was picked up by the Oilers in 1984 after having won five straight Grey Cups in the CFL, and he spent 10 years in Houston. Moon was told that he was too short, and his arm wasn't strong enough to be a QB in the NFL, but he proved everyone wrong.

In 1990, Moon led the league in passing yards with 4,689, passing completions with 362, and touchdowns with 32 as he won Offensive Player of the Year. He also led the league in passing again in the ’91 season with 4,690, just one more yard than the year prior. Moon made it to the playoffs eight times in his career, but unfortunately, never made it past the Divisional round.

While he reached the pinnacle five times in the CFL, he could never match that team success in the NFL. He finished his career with 49,325 passing yards, 291 touchdowns, and 22 rushing TDs. Moon won the NFL Man of the Year award in 1989, was selected to nine Pro Bowls, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.

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5 Sonny Jurgensen, 1957-1974

Sonny Jurgensen was known as one of the finest pure passers of all time. He was respected for his ability to deliver the ball at the last moment under pressure of the pass rush. He was drafted by the Eagles in 1957 out of Duke and played in Philly for seven seasons, but he had his most success with the Washington Redskins.

His most memorable game was in 1965, his second season with the Redskins. The Dallas Cowboys had a 21-0 lead, but Jurgensen wound up throwing for 411 yards to get the epic comeback win. In 1967, he broke his own single-season passing record with 3,747 passing yards, and he also set single season records for attempts and completions, going 288-for-508.

Jurgensen did make it to one Super Bowl in the 1972 season against the Miami Dolphins, but he did not actually play in that game. Billy Kilmer was the starter for Washington at that point, and the Dolphins won that one to complete their perfect campaign anyway. But don’t let that take away from how good of a QB Jurgensen was. He finished his Hall of Fame career with 32,224 passing yards, 255 touchdowns, and he was selected to five Pro Bowls.

4 Dan Fouts, 1973-1987

Fouts was arguably the most prolific passer of the 1970s and 1980s. He was lethal with the ball in his hands. He led the NFL in passing yards for four straight seasons from 1979-1982. Fouts was drafted by the San Diego Chargers and played there for the entirety of his career.

The 1979 season was the first year the Chargers made the playoffs with Fouts at the helm, and it was the second year under legendary coach Don Coryell, architect of the "Air Coryell" offense that was one of the first to truly embrace the passing game. Fouts finished the regular season with 4,082 passing yards, breaking Joe Namath’s record of 4,007, and he also tied Namath with six 300-yard games on the year.

Between 1980-1982 Fouts and the Chargers made it to the AFC Championship game three times but could not manage to advance to the Super Bowl even once. Fouts was a two-time First-Team All-Pro and two-time Second-Team All-Pro. He was selected to six Pro Bowls in his career and won Offensive Player of the Year in 1982. He finished with 3,297 passing completions for 43,040 yards and 254 touchdowns and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.

3 Fran Tarkenton, 1961-1978

Fran Tarkenton was built differently than most quarterbacks in his era. He made scrambling a part of football. He was mobile in the pocket and excellent at buying time in order to find an open receiver. The guy would run from one side of the line of scrimmage to the other. He was entertaining to watch, and his frantic style helped him become an outstanding QB.

But, just like everyone else on this list, it did not help him win a Super Bowl. He played for some iconic Minnesota Vikings teams where he was backed by one of the great defenses of the time, the Purple People Eaters. In his second stint with Minnesota, from 1972 to 1978, Tarkenton reached the Super Bowl three times, but lost all three.

Tarkenton became synonymous with the great Vikings teams of the late 1960s and 1970s, and he even earned the NFL MVP in 1975. After 18 seasons in the league, he owned nearly every significant passing record. He ended his Hall of Fame career with 47,003 passing yards, 342 touchdowns, and nine trips to the Pro Bowl.

2 Jim Kelly, 1986-1996

You’ll never meet a quarterback tougher than Jim Kelly. He wasn’t afraid to take a hit nor was he afraid to make a tackle when necessary. He even beat back cancer after his playing career was over. Kelly was a strong-armed passer with a linebacker mentality. Which is funny, because he was almost recruited to Penn State as a linebacker, but declined the offer because he knew he was meant to play QB.

After spending some time in the USFL, Kelly signed with the Buffalo Bills in 1986. In 11 seasons with Buffalo, Kelly led the Bills to the playoffs eight times. They won six divisional championships, and the Bills made it to the Super Bowl for four consecutive years, but just could not seal the deal. Kelly passed for 3,863 yards and 21 touchdowns combined in those postseasons.

Kelly broke more franchise records than one could count. Eight times during his 11 seasons he threw for over 3,000 yards. Only three players in NFL history reached 30,000 career yards faster than Kelly. He also passed for over 300 yards in a game 26 times. Kelly ended his career with 35,467 yards, 237 TDs, and was selected for five Pro Bowls. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.

1 Dan Marino,1983-2000

There’s no doubt that Dan Marino was one of the best QBs to ever step on the gridiron. He was a once in a lifetime talent. Marino had this massive arm to go with the quickest release and top-notch accuracy. Plus, he was just a cool guy and an underdog after falling all the way to the 27th pick in the 1983 Draft. He is easily the greatest QB to never win a chip.

However, he did get very close to winning a title early on in his career. Marino had a huge second season with the Miami Dolphins as he broke six NFL single-season passing records. Yes, you read that correctly, six. He broke the record for most touchdown passes with 48. He also broke the record for most passing yards with 5,084. Marino led the league in completions, yards, and touchdown passes en route to MVP honors.

Later in the postseason, Miami beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 45-28 in the AFC Championship game as Marino set AFC Championship Game records with 421 passing yards and four touchdowns. Those records still stand today.

In Super Bowl XIX, Marino and company went up against Joe Montana and the 49ers. Montana would win the battle, claiming the second of his four Super Bowls at Marino's expense. Marino played with the Dolphins for his whole career but never made it back to the promised land. He finished his outstanding Hall of Fame career with 4,967 passing completions, 61,361 passing yards, and 420 TDs.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference and all contract information courtesy of Spotrac unless stated otherwise.

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