Today we will look at the top ten greatest players in Super Bowl history!
Every year, the Super Bowl is held as the NFL’s season finale, with NFL teams competing for the prestigious Lombardi trophy. It is also when the league’s best football players square off.
The Super Bowl 2023 will take place on February 13, 2023, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
There is no doubt that the NFL has many outstanding players, but only a few stand out on the Super Bowl stage. The Super Bowl MVP is the most outstanding player during the Super Bowl game.
If you are a die-hard NFL fan, you can probably guess who the greatest players in Super Bowl history are. However, even fans may disagree on who should be at the top of that list.
In this article, we will attempt to rank the top ten greatest players in Super Bowl history based on their record and stats. Continue reading until the end of the article.
A Brief Overview
Here’s a short Preview of our article.
Player Names Super Bowl Champions
| 1 | Tom Brady | 7 |
| 2 | Joe Montana | 4 |
| 3 | Eli Manning | 2 |
| 4 | Kurt Warner | 1 |
| 5 | Peyton Manning | 2 |
| 6 | Santonio Holmes | 1 |
| 7 | Troy Aikman | 3 |
| 8 | John Elway | 2 |
| 9 | Desmond Howard | 1 |
| 10 | Terry Bradshaw | 4 |
Top 10 Greatest Players in the History of Super Bowl
We used Top 10 as our primary source of information.
1. Tom Brady
Tom Brady, widely regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time in the NFL, takes the top spot on our list of the greatest players in Super Bowl history. The 45-year-old is currently a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady was selected 199th overall by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He was a Patriots player from 2000 to 2019, leading the team to nine Super Bowl appearances and six championships.
Brady was a key member of the New England Patriots’ dynasty. In Super Bowl XXXVI, he and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick helped the team win its first championship.
Brady joined the Buccaneers in 2020 and helped them win the Super Bowl LV championship. His tenth Super Bowl appearance and seventh Super Bowl championship came in 2020.
Brady holds multiple major quarterback records and is the only Super Bowl MVP who has played for two different NFL teams. He has been named Super Bowl MVP five times and is the oldest player to do so at the age of 43.
2. Joe Montana
Joe Montana, 66, is ranked second among the top ten greatest players in Super Bowl history. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, having played 16 seasons.
Montana was selected 82nd overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft. He played 14 seasons for the 49ers before moving on to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Montana had a lot of success with the 49ers. He won four Super Bowls and was named Super MVP three times while playing for the team. He was the first player in league history to be named Super MVP three times.
Similarly, Montana holds the Super Bowl career records for most passes completed without an interception and highest passer rating. In his career, he was named to the Pro Bowl eight times.
Montana, also known as “the Comeback Kid” and “Joe Cool,” has a long list of victories and accomplishments. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
3. Eli Manning
We’ve narrowed it down to the top three players. On our list, former quarterback Eli Manning ranks third all-time in Super Bowl history. The 42-year-old spent 16 seasons in the NFL.
Manning was selected first overall by the New York Giants in the 2004 NFL Draft. His career lasted from 2004 to 2019, all of which he spent with the Giants.
Despite his struggles with consistency throughout his career, Manning has led the Giants to Super Bowl XLII and XLVI.
Manning was named Super Bowl MVP in both games. As a result, he was one of only five players in the league to be named Super Bowl MVP.
In addition, he was named to the Pro Bowl four times during his career. Manning held the Giants’ franchise records for passing yards, completions, and touchdown passes from 2004 to 2019.
4. Kurt Warner
Former quarterback Kurt Warner, 51, is the fourth player on our list of the top ten greatest players in Super Bowl history. He spent 12 seasons in the NFL.
Warner’s NFL career is regarded as one of the greatest Cinderella stories in league history. He began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent and went on to win the Super Bowl.
Warner was signed by the Green Bay Packers in 1994, but he was released before the start of the regular season. Four years later, in 1998, he made his NFL debut with the St. Louis Rams. He also played for the New York Giants and the Arizona Cardinals during his career.
Warner led The Greatest Show on Turf offense to a Rams victory in his first Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XXXIV. As a result, he won the Super Bowl MVP award.
Warner is the greatest undrafted player in league history and the only undrafted quarterback to win Super Bowl MVP and NFL MVP. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
5.Peyton Manning
46-year-old, Peyton Manning is a former NFL quarterback who spent 18 seasons in the league. He is regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.
Manning was selected first overall by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 1998 NFL draft. He joined the team in 1998 and remained until 2011. From 2012 to 2015, he was a member of the Denver Broncos.
Manning was instrumental in reviving the Colts’ struggling franchise. He helped the team become a consistent playoff contender, appearing in two Super Bowls and winning Super Bowl XLI.
Manning was named Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl XLI. Similarly, he assisted the Broncos in winning Super Bowl 50. He became the first starting quarterback to win the Super Bowl with two different teams.
Manning was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. He holds several NFL records and is the only quarterback to have started multiple Super Bowls with different teams.
6. Santonio Holmes
Former wide receiver Santonio Holmes is the next player to crack the top six. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected him with the 25th pick in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft.
The 38-year-old played in the NFL for nine seasons, from 2006 to 2014. Holmes also played for the New York Jets and the Chicago Bears in addition to the Steelers.
During Super Bowl XLIII, he made his first and only Super Bowl appearance with the Steelers. Similarly, he was crowned Super Bowl champion and named Super Bowl MVP.
Holmes returned to the Steelers in 2017 and retired as a member of the franchise.
7. Troy Aikman
Troy Aikman is the seventh player on our list of the top ten greatest players in Super Bowl history. The 56-year-old is a former NFL quarterback who spent 12 seasons in the league.
Aikman was selected first overall by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 1989 NFL Draft. He made his debut with the team and spent his entire career with them.
His career lasted from 1989 to 2000, and he won the Super Bowl three times. Similarly, he was named Super Bowl XXVII MVP, the franchise’s first title in over a decade.
Aikman was also named to the Pro Bowl six times between 1991 and 1996. His other professional accomplishments include NFL completion percentage leader in 1993 and NFL Man of the Year in 1997.
Aikman was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. He dabbled in commentating and co-owned the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team Hall of Fame Racing for a time.
8. John Elway
John Elway is a former NFL quarterback who spent 16 seasons in the league. The 62-year-old is currently the president of football operations for the Denver Broncos.
Elway was selected first overall by the Broncos in the 1983 NFL Draft. He made his debut with the team and remained with them throughout his career.
During his professional career, Elway established himself as a prolific ball rusher. He is statistically the NFL’s second most prolific passer in history.
He has two Super Bowl titles, Super Bowl XXXII and Super Bowl XXXIII. Similarly, he was named Super Bowl XXXIII MVP and set a record with five Super Bowl starts.
Elway was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004. He was also named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
9. Desmond Howard
Desmond Howard, 52, is a former NFL wide receiver who played 11 seasons. He was the fourth pick in the first round of the 1992 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins.
Howard began his career with the Redskins and stayed with the team until 1994. Following that, he played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers, Oakland Raiders, and Detroit Lions, among others.
Howard set the NFL record for most punt return yards in a single season (875) in 1996. He only appeared in one Super Bowl during his career, with Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXI.
He was crowned Super Bowl champion. Similarly, Howard returned a kickoff for a 99-yard touchdown, the then-longest return in Super Bowl history. The play earned him the Super Bowl MVP award.
Howard is the only special teams player in Super Bowl history to be named MVP.
10. Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw is the first player on our list of the top ten greatest players in Super Bowl history. He is a 74-year-old former football player who was named Super Bowl MVP twice.
The former quarterback was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 1970 NFL Draft. He spent his entire career with the Steelers, from 1970 to 1983.
During his career, Bradshaw won four Super Bowls and three Pro Bowls. Similarly, among other players in NFL history, he earned a reputation for being a tough competitor with powerful arms.
Bradshaw set the then-Super Bowl record with 932 passing yards and nine touchdowns in four Super Bowl appearances. He was also the first quarterback to win three or four Super Bowls.
Bradshaw is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well as the Pittsburgh Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Honorable Mentions
Conclusion
These were our top picks for the top 10 greatest players in the history of the Super Bowl. Their achievements speak volumes, and they are some of the greatest players in the NFL.
