Who is the youngest QB to start a Super Bowl? Drake Maye is doing what Tom Brady couldn’t at age 23
The Patriots quarterback is starting Super Bowl LX this Sunday at just 23 years old. Here’s where he ranks compared to Brady and other young QBs.
This Sunday in Super Bowl LX, the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will meet in a matchup that already holds historic significance simply because of the age of one of the signal callers stepping onto football’s biggest stage.
At just 23 years and 162 days old on February 8, Drake Maye will become the second-youngest quarterback ever to start a Super Bowl, a rare achievement in NFL history that puts him in elite company stretching back more than four decades.
Drake Maye is the 2nd youngest QB to play on the Super Bowl stage.
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) February 5, 2026
At 23, there is one thing he has that the Patriots can’t teach. “We’re just fortunate he has it” #Patriots pic.twitter.com/FtXELQmCN2
All-time youngest QBs to start a Super Bowl and where Drake Maye lands
The youngest quarterback to ever start a Super Bowl was Dan Marino, who took the Miami Dolphins to Super Bowl XIX at 23 years and 127 days old in 1985. Marino’s performance was impressive, despite the fact that the Dolphins lost, and his age record has stood for more than 40 years.
Maye, drafted third overall by the Patriots in 2024 out of UNC, has ascended quickly in just his second season, leading New England through a remarkable playoff run that culminated in an AFC Championship victory and this Super Bowl berth.
Drake Maye as come into his own as an NFL QB and has a pro mentality at such a young age 🙌 pic.twitter.com/DFw2ePSrYw
— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) February 4, 2026
With Maye now added to the list, here’s a look at the top 10 youngest quarterbacks in Super Bowl history (age on game day):
- Dan Marino - 23 years, 127 days (Super Bowl XIX)
- Drake Maye - 23 years, 162 days (Super Bowl LX)
- Ben Roethlisberger - 23 years, 340 days (Super Bowl XL)
- Brock Purdy - 24 years, 46 days (Super Bowl LVIII)
- David Woodley - 24 years, 97 days (Super Bowl XVII)
- Jared Goff - 24 years, 112 days (Super Bowl LIII)
- Patrick Mahomes - 24 years, 138 days (Super Bowl LIV)
- Tom Brady - 24 years, 184 days (Super Bowl XXXVI)
- Jalen Hurts - 24 years, 189 days (Super Bowl LVII)
- Drew Bledsoe - 24 years, 346 days (Super Bowl XXXI)
That list spans generations, from Marino’s record-setting Dolphins era in the 1980s to Maye’s rise in the modern game, and includes several quarterbacks who would go on to write Hall of Fame careers.
Beating Brady...but only with a win
Of course, the story doesn’t end with just starting the game. When Tom Brady led the Patriots to a win in Super Bowl XXXVI (2002), he was 24 years and six months old, making him the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl at the time.
That record was later broken by Ben Roethlisberger, who won Super Bowl XL in 2006 with the Steelers at 23 years and 340 days, a mark that still stands today.
If Drake Maye leads New England to victory in Super Bowl LX, he would become the youngest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl as a starter, surpassing Roethlisberger’s record.
Elite quarterback play has been emerging earlier than ever. From Marino’s groundbreaking start in 1985 to Roethlisberger and Mahomes, and now to Maye in 2026, the Super Bowl stage continues to welcome young talent ready to leave their mark.
Now all eyes are on Super Bowl LX, not just for who wins the Lombardi Trophy, but for whether Drake Maye can push even further into the record books on the NFL’s biggest night.
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