As painful as it is to be a failure, there is an argument to be made that the real tragedy is for the guys that aren’t bad… they are good—just good enough to win and win a lot… but never “the big one.” The kind of quarterback who teases an NFL franchise with flashes of brilliance – only to break hearts when it matters most. The guy who racks up stats, Pro Bowl nods, maybe even a couple of playoff wins… but never hoists the Lombardi.
And look… this isn’t personal. These are talented quarterbacks, and no one is debating that. Some of them will probably have businesses and notoriety in their cities long after their playing days are done. They will be named after them in their cities one day, but never a parade!
Whether it’s bad timing, bad coaching, or just bad luck – these 10 NFL quarterbacks are stuck in a football purgatory where “almost” is their middle name.
Let’s get into our list of 10 stars who can’t seem to win the big one… and maybe never will!
Will these star NFL quarterbacks win a Super Bowl someday?
Tua Tagovailoa – Miami Dolphins
Alright, Dolphins fans. Take a deep breath.
When Tua Tagovailoa is healthy, he looks like Drew Brees reincarnated. Accurate, smart, quick decision-maker… it’s all there. But let’s be real… we’ve all seen the stats and the electric factory that the Dolphins offense can be when Tua’s on the field.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
But can is the operative word there. Keeping him healthy and on the field has been a massive issue. And while the Dolphins look like legitimate contenders when he’s in them and playing his best, when he’s not, they look like another AFC East laughingstock.
While knocking off the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and whichever team rises to the top in the NFC is a challenge—the real battle that Tua needs to win first is over his own health.
Because in the NFL, if you can’t stay on the field, you can’t win the big one. Plain and simple.
The Dolphins have built an absolute track team around him. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are two of the fastest guys in the league. But it doesn’t matter how fast your NFL team receivers are if your quarterback isn’t out there to throw them the ball all year long.
Even if Miami is able to qualify for the postseason, with him missing games, getting through January will look like a major uphill battle.
It is sad to say, but looking at it now—Tua’s career arc feels like one that’ll leave fans saying, Man, if only he could’ve stayed healthy…
Kirk Cousins – Atlanta Falcons
Kirk Cousins, in many ways, is the ultimate regular-season quarterback.
When he is able to stay healthy, he’ll give his squad 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns and make every fantasy owner feel like a genius. But when do the lights get bright, either on Primetime or in the postseason? Let’s just say… I wouldn’t bet on the mortgage.
After all, we are talking about a guy who has a career record of 1 and 4 in the playoffs.
He’s the exact kind of quarterback that this list was designed for… The kind that will light up the Chicago Bears or New York Jets on a Sunday afternoon, but if it is a high-stakes playoff game against a coach with a week to scheme up some deceptive blitzes to make Cousins uncomfortable… Well… Good luck.
At his best, Cousins is good, not great. And in today’s NFL, where elite quarterbacks run the show, good isn’t getting you a ring.
And with the way things have unfolded for him in Atlanta—and it looks like that starting job is going to be Michael Penix Jr.’s to lose going forward, there is a real chance that Cousins has now seen his last real chance to compete for a Super Bowl pass him by.
I’m not sure that there will be a large list of suitors eager to bring him in as a 36-year-old with a bum Achilles.
It has been the prevailing theme throughout his admittedly otherwise impressive career, but the smart money says that Cousins is going to be another one of those guys who was just good enough to get his team to the playoffs but never great enough to get them over the hump and hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens
Now, let me just get ahead of the comments section… This isn’t another empty chapter of Lamar’s slander… We know that the internet loves to hate on the Ravens’ superstar NFL quarterback… and this is NOT that.
Lamar Jackson is electrifying… He is an unbelievable running AND thrower of the football.
When you turn on a Baltimore game, whether you are a Ravens fan or not, you’re almost guaranteed to see something that makes you shake your head in disbelief and will almost certainly be entertained.
He is the living, walking, breathing personification of how he did THAT.
But here’s the problem… While Lamar is a cheat code in the regular season, for whatever reason, he isn’t able to achieve the same level of consistent success in the playoffs. I don’t know if it is opposing coaches having a singular focus on game planning for him or nerves or whatever… But one thing is clear—once January football rolls around, it is a different story for the Ravens—and Lamar is borderline a different player.
And before you rush to blame the supporting cast—because I know that’s coming… We need to face the facts. Lamar’s had great defenses and solid run games, and Baltimore has done well in adding receiving weapons like Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers.
But when the playoffs arrive, Lamar’s play drops and the entire team tightens up.
It’s not a question of talent. Lamar can do things most quarterbacks wouldn’t even dream of. But to win a Super Bowl? You need more than flash, and you need to be able to deliver 60 minutes, maybe more, of precise and poised football.
And until Lamar consistently proves he can, he’s going to keep racking up regular-season highlights… MVPS… and, unfortunately for his supporters, postseason heartbreak.
Derek Carr – New Orleans Saints
One week, Derek Carr will have analysts calling him the most underrated quarterback in the NFL. The next? He’s throwing interceptions and having drives stall out like a ‘96 Honda Civic.
Now, in New Orleans, Carr is supposed to be the steady veteran the Saints need to climb back into contention, but as we’ve seen since he arrived in the Big Easy, he doesn’t quite have the chops to elevate a franchise to greatness.
He’ll put up solid numbers and keep things close, but when the stakes are high, Carr fades faster than your New Year’s resolutions.
With him under center, the Saints can stay relevant in the NFC South, but Super Bowl talk? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Also Read: 5 Active NFL Quarterbacks Who SAVED Their Careers On A NEW Team…And 5 Who DESTROYED Theirs
Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen is built like a defensive end, can sling the pigskin like a young Brett Favre, and runs like a fullback on steroids. You’d think that’s the recipe for a championship-winning quarterback… right?
Except, year after year, the Bills knock on the door… and Allen’s the one who can’t quite kick it down.
The guy does everything for Buffalo and, somewhat counterintuitively, that’s kind of ended up being the problem.
When your quarterback is not only QB1 but also the best rushing option, the goal-line weapon, and, at times, the sole source of offense for your NFL team, it eventually catches up to you.
Furthering the issue is that while Allen can win you any game with his breathtaking ability to make plays out of nothing… he can also lose you any game with those head-scratching turnovers.
Buffalo’s window isn’t closed yet, but it’s starting to creak. The defense isn’t what it used to be. Allen’s done a nice job with his young weapons, but Stefon Diggs isn’t there anymore, and the AFC is loaded. Mahomes. Burrow. Jackson. Even Justin Herbert and Co. out in Los Angeles are starting to make waves now that Jim Harbaugh has come to town.
For him to get from the Wild Card or Divisional round all the to—and through—the Super Bowl undefeated will require a level of consistency from him and the rest of the Bills that is hard to sustain with the way that they operate.
Allen’s got the talent, no question. But until the Bills figure out how to build a team that doesn’t rely on him to play superhero every Sunday, the Lombardi is going to stay just out of reach.
Brock Purdy – San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy is the NFL’s ultimate underdog… He is even more than the quarterback no one believed in… he was a quarterback that no one even knew of! Until he suddenly led one of the most dangerous teams in football.
It’s a feel-good story, sure, but this league isn’t a Disney movie—and the smart money says that Purdy will never end up bringing the 49ers—or any other team to a Super Bowl victory.
Let’s call it like it is. Purdy didn’t drag the Niners to a Super Bowl. He is an exceptional system NFL quarterback.
We saw it this past year when Deebo, Brandon Aiyuk, and CMC weren’t healthy at various points throughout the year.
This offense… and Purdy in particular—simply did not look the same.
There’s nothing wrong with being a game manager, there are dozens of teams around the league that would give an arm and a leg for a player as competent as Purdy.
But that speaks more to the desperate situation so many teams are in with the quarterback position rather than any ringing endorsement of his ability to put a team on his back and elevate them to Super Bowl glory.
Unless Purdy’s development suddenly goes parabolic and he turns into something more than a system quarterback, he will keep coming up short when the stakes are raised.
Dak Prescott – Dallas Cowboys
How long are we going to do this dance?
Every year, Cowboys fans convince themselves this is the year. And every year, Dak Prescott reminds them that it’s… not.
Don’t get me wrong – Dak is a good NFL quarterback. He’s tough, a leader, and puts up numbers. But at some point, you need to stop losing home playoff games.
Prescott hasn’t proven he can win in the moments that define legacies.
Until that changes, Dallas isn’t going anywhere.
While he is steady, and he’ll win you 10+ games without breaking a sweat, you have to be delusional to think that he’s carrying this team when it matters.
Damn, nearly every year when the lights get bright—Dak seems to blink—almost without fail!
Justin Herbert – Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert looks like he was created in an NFL quarterback factory – 6’6”, with a laser arm, effortless throws down the field, and more than enough athleticism to make plays with his legs. It is almost like he was built in a lab to play quarterback.
On paper, he should be stacking MVPs by now—and competing for Super Bowls on a yearly basis.
So why can’t the Chargers legitimately compete—let alone win the big one? That is the million-dollar question.
Some of it isn’t Herbert’s fault… Prior to Jim Harbaugh, there has been plenty of bad coaching to point the finger at—and, of course, a few brutal injuries, but at a certain point, the great ones overcome the adversity.
The good news is that Herbert’s got time, but it’s ticking. And if Herbert can’t take that next step soon, we’re going to be talking about him the same way we talked about Philip Rivers… Great, but never great enough to win the big one.
Baker Mayfield – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield is like that action movie hero who refuses to stay down.
People will count him out, and the credits will start to roll… and then, bam! There’s a sequel no one saw coming.
From Cleveland to Carolina, a brief Hollywood cameo with the Rams, and now Tampa Bay – Mayfield’s career keeps finding new life. And to his credit? He keeps improving.
But let’s be honest – Mayfield isn’t leading anyone to a Super Bowl.
Baker’s that guy who’ll pull off a few jaw-dropping wins, get the fanbase hyped, and then throw three picks in a playoff game. It’s not that he’s bad he’s just limited. Mayfield thrives as the underdog, but underdogs don’t win the big one unless they have a defense like the 2000 Ravens behind them.
Baker’s grit is undeniable. But winning championships is a different story.
Jordan Love – Green Bay Packers
The Packers and their fans believe that Jordan Love is the next guy up in a long line of legendary quarterbacks, but let’s pump the brakes on those Aaron Rodgers comparisons.
Love has the tools, no doubt. Big arm, is athletic, and has flashes of brilliance, but he struggles to consistently protect the football, and there are legitimate questions about his ability to really elevate this team to a championship level.
The reality is that the Packers have been spoiled by three decades of Hall of Fame quarterback play, and they might’ve unfortunately stumbled onto fool’s gold with Jordan Love… because from where we are sitting, Love’s ceiling feels like a good NFL quarterback, not a great one…
And not one that is going to bring a February parade to the frigid streets of Green Bay!
Also Read: The 5 BIGGEST NFL Quarterback Graveyards….And The 5 BEST QB Factories
