San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy is on the verge of making NFL history. If the 49ers can upset the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, Purdy would become the first rookie quarterback to ever start in a Super Bowl.

Only a few rookie “quarterbacks” have ever led a team to an NFL title, with quarterbacks in quotation marks the farther back in time we go. In 1946, a 25-year-old Otto Graham led the Cleveland Browns to an AAFC title in his first season. The prior year, a 25-year-old Bob Waterfield led the NFL in touchdown passes as a rookie and then threw two touchdown passes in the NFL title game to help lead the Rams to their first ring. Perhaps the best rookie season of them all came from Sammy Baugh in 1937, as he led Washington to the championship. And three years earlier, rookie Ed Danowski helped the Giants stage a fourth quarter comeback to beat the Bears in a famous title game.

Purdy has only started five regular season and two playoff games in his NFL career so far, and he sports a perfect 7-0 record. An appearance in Super Bowl LVII would be his 9th NFL start; believe it or not, that would only rank as the third fewest by a starting quarterback in the Super Bowl. On the other hand, at just over 23 years old, Purdy would in fact be the youngest quarterback to start a Super Bowl.

The table below shows every quarterback to start a Super Bowl, along with the final four quarterbacks remaining in the 2022 playoffs. Purdy would replace Dan Marino as the youngest quarterback to ever start the Super Bowl, and would be starting the big game one game earlier than fellow 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

Year	QB	Team	Start#	Age	Boxscore	Result
1990	Jeff Hostetler	NYG	7	29.8	Boxscore	Won
1979	Vince Ferragamo	RAM	8	25.7	Boxscore	Lost
2022	Brock Purdy	SFO	9	23.1	Boxscore
2012	Colin Kaepernick	SFO	10	25.3	Boxscore	Lost
2001	Tom Brady	NWE	17	24.5	Boxscore	Won
1971	Roger Staubach	DAL	17	29.9	Boxscore	Won
1999	Kurt Warner	STL	19	28.6	Boxscore	Won
1967	Daryle Lamonica	OAK	20	26.5	Boxscore	Lost
2003	Jake Delhomme	CAR	21	29.1	Boxscore	Lost
2006	Rex Grossman	CHI	27	26.5	Boxscore	Lost
1981	Joe Montana	SFO	27	25.6	Boxscore	Won
1984	Dan Marino	MIA	29	23.3	Boxscore	Lost
2019	Jimmy Garoppolo	SFO	29	28.3	Boxscore	Lost
2021	Joe Burrow	CIN	30	25.2	Boxscore	Lost
2005	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	31	23.9	Boxscore	Won
1985	Tony Eason	NWE	31	26.3	Boxscore	Lost
1970	Craig Morton	DAL	33	27.9	Boxscore	Lost
2019	Patrick Mahomes	KAN	36	24.4	Boxscore	Won
2013	Russell Wilson	SEA	37	25.2	Boxscore	Won
2022	Jalen Hurts	PHI	38	24.5	Boxscore
1982	David Woodley	MIA	40	24.3	Boxscore	Lost
2018	Jared Goff	LAR	42	24.3	Boxscore	Lost
1969	Joe Kapp	MIN	42	31.8	Boxscore	Lost
1985	Jim McMahon	CHI	43	26.4	Boxscore	Won
2017	Nick Foles	PHI	43	29.0	Boxscore	Won
2022	Joe Burrow	CIN	50	26.2	Boxscore
1994	Stan Humphries	SDG	50	29.8	Boxscore	Lost
2001	Kurt Warner	STL	50	30.6	Boxscore	Lost
1991	Mark Rypien	WAS	51	29.3	Boxscore	Won
2010	Aaron Rodgers	GNB	52	27.2	Boxscore	Won
2003	Tom Brady	NWE	52	26.5	Boxscore	Won
1968	Joe Namath	NYJ	52	25.6	Boxscore	Won
1999	Steve McNair	TEN	53	27.0	Boxscore	Lost
2020	Patrick Mahomes	KAN	54	25.4	Boxscore	Lost
2014	Russell Wilson	SEA	56	26.2	Boxscore	Lost
1974	Terry Bradshaw	PIT	57	26.4	Boxscore	Won
1992	Troy Aikman	DAL	57	26.2	Boxscore	Won
1986	John Elway	DEN	60	26.6	Boxscore	Lost
1976	Ken Stabler	OAK	60	31.0	Boxscore	Won
2007	Eli Manning	NYG	61	27.1	Boxscore	Won
1996	Drew Bledsoe	NWE	63	25.0	Boxscore	Lost
1971	Bob Griese	MIA	63	26.9	Boxscore	Lost
1975	Roger Staubach	DAL	64	33.9	Boxscore	Lost
1988	Boomer Esiason	CIN	65	27.8	Boxscore	Lost
1972	Billy Kilmer	WAS	67	33.4	Boxscore	Lost
1995	Neil O'Donnell	PIT	68	29.6	Boxscore	Lost
1972	Bob Griese	MIA	69	27.9	Boxscore	Won
2004	Tom Brady	NWE	71	27.5	Boxscore	Won
1980	Ron Jaworski	PHI	72	29.8	Boxscore	Lost
1984	Joe Montana	SFO	72	28.6	Boxscore	Won
1966	Len Dawson	KAN	72	31.6	Boxscore	Lost
2005	Matt Hasselbeck	SEA	73	30.4	Boxscore	Lost
1975	Terry Bradshaw	PIT	74	27.4	Boxscore	Won
1993	Troy Aikman	DAL	74	27.2	Boxscore	Won
1987	John Elway	DEN	75	27.6	Boxscore	Lost
1987	Doug Williams	WAS	76	32.5	Boxscore	Won
1990	Jim Kelly	BUF	77	31.0	Boxscore	Lost
2000	Kerry Collins	NYG	77	28.1	Boxscore	Lost
1968	Earl Morrall	BAL	81	34.7	Boxscore	Lost
2008	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	81	26.9	Boxscore	Won
2015	Cam Newton	CAR	84	26.7	Boxscore	Lost
1973	Bob Griese	MIA	85	28.9	Boxscore	Won
1982	Joe Theismann	WAS	85	33.4	Boxscore	Won
2002	Brad Johnson	TAM	86	34.4	Boxscore	Won
1996	Brett Favre	GNB	87	27.3	Boxscore	Won
1986	Phil Simms	NYG	89	31.2	Boxscore	Won
2000	Trent Dilfer	BAL	90	28.9	Boxscore	Won
2004	Donovan McNabb	PHI	91	28.2	Boxscore	Lost
2012	Joe Flacco	BAL	93	28.0	Boxscore	Won
2022	Patrick Mahomes	KAN	94	27.4	Boxscore
1994	Steve Young	SFO	94	33.3	Boxscore	Won
1991	Jim Kelly	BUF	95	31.9	Boxscore	Lost
1977	Roger Staubach	DAL	96	35.9	Boxscore	Won
1998	Chris Chandler	ATL	101	33.3	Boxscore	Lost
1980	Jim Plunkett	OAK	102	33.1	Boxscore	Won
1977	Craig Morton	DEN	102	34.9	Boxscore	Lost
1983	Joe Theismann	WAS	104	34.4	Boxscore	Lost
1997	Brett Favre	GNB	106	28.3	Boxscore	Lost
1989	John Elway	DEN	108	29.6	Boxscore	Lost
1995	Troy Aikman	DAL	109	29.2	Boxscore	Won
1969	Len Dawson	KAN	110	34.6	Boxscore	Won
2010	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	111	28.9	Boxscore	Lost
2008	Kurt Warner	ARI	112	37.6	Boxscore	Lost
1992	Jim Kelly	BUF	113	33.0	Boxscore	Lost
1978	Roger Staubach	DAL	114	37.0	Boxscore	Lost
1966	Bart Starr	GNB	118	33.0	Boxscore	Won
1978	Terry Bradshaw	PIT	118	30.4	Boxscore	Won
1988	Joe Montana	SFO	125	32.6	Boxscore	Won
2007	Tom Brady	NWE	127	30.5	Boxscore	Lost
2009	Drew Brees	NOR	127	31.1	Boxscore	Won
2002	Rich Gannon	OAK	129	37.1	Boxscore	Lost
2011	Eli Manning	NYG	130	31.1	Boxscore	Won
1993	Jim Kelly	BUF	132	34.0	Boxscore	Lost
1967	Bart Starr	GNB	133	34.0	Boxscore	Won
1983	Jim Plunkett	RAI	136	36.1	Boxscore	Won
1979	Terry Bradshaw	PIT	137	31.4	Boxscore	Won
1989	Joe Montana	SFO	141	33.6	Boxscore	Won
1981	Ken Anderson	CIN	144	32.9	Boxscore	Lost
2016	Matt Ryan	ATL	150	31.7	Boxscore	Lost
2006	Peyton Manning	IND	157	30.9	Boxscore	Won
1973	Fran Tarkenton	MIN	177	33.9	Boxscore	Lost
1970	Johnny Unitas	BAL	177	37.7	Boxscore	Won
2011	Tom Brady	NWE	181	34.5	Boxscore	Lost
2021	Matthew Stafford	LAR	189	34.0	Boxscore	Won
1974	Fran Tarkenton	MIN	193	34.9	Boxscore	Lost
2009	Peyton Manning	IND	210	33.9	Boxscore	Lost
1976	Fran Tarkenton	MIN	224	36.9	Boxscore	Lost
2014	Tom Brady	NWE	236	37.5	Boxscore	Won
1997	John Elway	DEN	237	37.6	Boxscore	Won
1998	John Elway	DEN	252	38.6	Boxscore	Won
2013	Peyton Manning	DEN	263	37.9	Boxscore	Lost
2016	Tom Brady	NWE	269	39.5	Boxscore	Won
2017	Tom Brady	NWE	288	40.5	Boxscore	Lost
2015	Peyton Manning	DEN	292	39.9	Boxscore	Won
2018	Tom Brady	NWE	307	41.5	Boxscore	Won
2020	Tom Brady	TAM	344	43.5	Boxscore	Won

Purdy isn’t the only player looking to make history.

• Patrick Mahomes led the NFL in passing yards this season, and no player has ever done that and won the Super Bowl in the same season. Johnny Unitas, in 1959, was the last quarterback to lead the NFL in passing yards and win a ring in the same season. Mahomes, who will win the AP (and likely every other organization’s) Most Valuable Player Award, is also trying to break a weird curse. No quarterback since Kurt Warner in 1999 has won the AP MVP award and a Super Bowl in the same season, a remarkable span of over two decades. Since 2000, quarterbacks to appear in the Super Bowl in the season they won the AP MVP award are 0-8 in the big game (Warner ’01, Rich Gannon ’02, Tom Brady ’07 and ’17, Peyton Manning ’09 and ’13, Cam Newton ’15, and Matt Ryan ’16).
• Joe Burrow is trying to become just the third quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl after leading his college team to a national championship. The first two have something else in common: Joe Namath and Joe Montana.
• Jalen Hurts is also pretty young and inexperienced: he’d be the second-youngest NFC quarterback to start a Super Bowl. If the Eagles win it all, Hurts would shatter any remaining questions about dual-threat quarterbacks. As it stands, Russell Wilson’s 33.7 yards per the game remains the highest rushing average by any quarterback in a season they won the Super Bowl (Wilson averaged 53 yards per game the year the Seahawks lost); during the regular season, Hurts averaged 50.7 rushing yards per game and ran for 13 touchdowns. The record for rushing yards in a Super Bowl by the winning quarterback is 59, set by Joe Montana back in Super Bowl XIX. That is another mark that Hurts could challenge in a couple of weeks.