The Super Bowl is right around the corner as the 2025 NFL season is quickly winding down to its official conclusion. Just four teams remain in the playoffs, and as usual, the quarterbacks have been in the spotlight. This year features a rare opportunity for a backup to win a ring, which would join a rare list from NFL history.
Which Super Bowl-winning QBs Were Back Ups for Their NFL Teams?
The Denver Broncos received devastating news ahead of their AFC Conference Championship game against the New England Patriots. Starting quarterback Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle last week and will be unavailable for the remainder of this year’s NFL Playoffs. This means that they will turn to backup Jarrett Stidham on their quest to win a Super Bowl ring, potentially.
This likely decreases their chances of winning, but it’s a situation that has been overcome before. Other backup quarterbacks have led their teams to a Super Bowl victory, though it has been a rare accomplishment. Here is the exclusive list of quarterbacks that Stidham has a chance at joining to cement his name into NFL history permanently.
- Roger Staubach, Dallas Cowboys (1972)
- Earl Morrall, Miami Dolphins (1973)
- Jim Plunkett, Las Vegas Raiders (1981)
- Doug Williams, Washington Commanders (1988)
- Jeff Hostetler, New York Giants (1991)
- Kurt Warner, Los Angeles Rams (2000)
- Trent Dilfer, Baltimore Ravens (2001)
- Tom Brady, New England Patriots (2002)
- Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles (2017)
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Stidham could potentially become the tenth quarterback in NFL history to win a Super Bowl ring after opening the season as a backup quarterback. It would also be just the second such occurrence in more than two decades, with Nick Foles’ iconic run for the Philadelphia Eagles being the other. He infamously replaced the injured Carson Wentz and went on to defeat the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
Speaking of New England, Tom Brady is another legendary figure who achieved this rare feat. He was called upon to replace Drew Bledsoe, and even after the veteran starter returned, Bill Belichick notoriously stuck with his inexperienced quarterback. He obviously made the right choice as Brady would go on to win seven rings in probably the greatest career of all time.
He is joined on the list by other Hall of Fame quarterbacks like Roger Staubach and Kurt Warner, while some names, like Foles, are essentially irrelevant in NFL history outside their one Super Bowl story. Stidham will replace Nix, who finished 14th in PFSN’s Impact Rankings, and if he can make a magical run, he will find his name on one of those lists forever.
