Following his Philadelphia Eagles' utter domination of the New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game, Jalen Hurts became the latest quarterback to reach the Super Bowl early in his career. While the 24-year-old undoubtedly accomplished a great feat quickly, he's far from the youngest signal-caller to reach this point.
Dan Marino still holds the record for the youngest starter in Super Bowl history after he took the Miami Dolphins to Super Bowl 19. The future Hall of Famer was just 23 years, four months and five days old when he faced the San Francisco 49ers in that 1985 contest.
A further six quarterbacks have made appearances in the Super Bowl before the age of 25, a list that includes Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, with the latter the man Hurts will have to outduel for his first Super Bowl ring.
It is almost certain Hurts won't be the last fresh-faced signal-caller to make the big game, either. There are plenty of supremely talented quarterbacks coming up in the ranks who are hungry to show off their skills on the biggest stage.
With that in mind, here is a look at five quarterbacks—who will still be 25 years old or younger at the start of next season—who could soon join Hurts and co. with a Super Bowl berth of their own.
Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers
Age: 24
Birthdate: June 6, 1998
NFL Seasons: 1
The Pittsburgh Steelers may have been the only team to draft a quarterback during the first two rounds of the 2022 draft, but their decision to take Kenny Pickett at No. 20 overall is already paying dividends.
While Pickett battled hard in training camp for the starting job, the rookie took a backseat to free-agent pickup Mitch Trubisky at the beginning of the campaign. The Steelers offense was lifeless with the veteran under center, however, and Pickett emerged as the starter by Week 5.
Although he looked every bit of a first-year signal-caller who was in over his head early on, the Pittsburgh product eventually found his footing and began to display uncanny poise and maturity for a rookie.
Pickett went 1-3 in his first four starts with only two touchdowns and five interceptions, but he shrugged it off to finish the year winning six of his final eight starts while completing five touchdown passes against a single interception.
That stretch kept the Steelers improbably in the playoff hunt right up until the end of the campaign. Despite winning each of the last three contests, the team was eventually eliminated because of external results.
Regardless, Pickett's rapid ascendance allowed Pittsburgh to keep its longstanding string of .500 or better seasons alive, a streak that reached 19 years following this 9-8 campaign.
The future is now exceedingly bright for the Steelers, who had almost no gap between former franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Pickett. The team solved its biggest question in 2022 and now can add pieces around the young quarterback to thrive in 2023.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Age: 24
Birthdate: March 2, 1998
NFL Seasons: 3
Tua Tagovailoa endured a rough start to his NFL career, but he's managed to persevere through trade rumors and doubts about his ability to finally thrive.
After two years of waffling around a commitment to Tagovailoa as a franchise quarterback, the Miami Dolphins finally made the plunge this past offseason and provided their young signal-caller with the weapons he needed to succeed.
Following a public commitment to Tagovailoa, Miami's brass went out and swung a blockbuster trade to get the Alabama product arguably the best receiver in the league: Tyreek Hill. The 'Phins spared no expense, shipping multiple early-round draft picks off and signing the superstar wideout to a massive extension.
That move, coupled with the hiring of Mike McDaniel as head coach, seemed to completely revitalize a quarterback who had been middling at best across his 21 starts in 2020 and 2021. Under the tutelage of his new coach and armed with an enviable set of pass-catchers, Tagovailoa quickly realized the talent that made him the No. 5 overall pick three years ago and morphed into a legitimate star.
Although injuries would limit him to 13 starts, Tagovailoa posted career-bests in passing yardage (3,548 yards) and touchdown throws (25) while limiting his turnovers—he had just eight interceptions on the year—and guiding the 'Phins to an 8-5 record.
