A Super Bowl win defines legacies. Stats and winning are important, but will always come second to winning the big one. Dan Marino knows that. He’ll never be in the GOAT conversations because he never got over the hump. Fair or not, rings carry the most weight, and those who have them are immortalized, while those who don’t are followed with “yeah buts.” There are always a number of people who can use that legacy bump, but there are five in particular right now who are especially desperate.
1. Lamar Jackson
Nobody needs to shake the ringless title more than Jackson. There’s little to dislike about his resume. He’s the all-time leader in rushing yards for a quarterback, along with the most games with a perfect passer rating. He’s the epitome of a dual-threat. He’s won 71% of his games in the NFL and is a two-time MVP.
The problem is that Jackson is the only multi-time MVP to never play in a Super Bowl, let alone win one. His records and awards are all for nothing if he cannot break through. He’s been heavily criticized for falling short in the playoffs, and now the spotlight is really on him. The Ravens just let go of John Harbaugh after 18 seasons, putting all their eggs in Jackson’s basket. He needs to make the decision worth it.
The argument that running into Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs is lost at this point. They missed the playoffs altogether last year, and Baltimore couldn’t take advantage of that. The Ravens had ample opportunities to recover from a broken season and sneak into the playoffs, but let the chance slip. The pressure is the highest it’s ever been for Jackson, and he should be desperate to get rid of it.
2. Josh Allen
Like Jackson, Josh Allen had his coach fired for not getting his team to the next level. Buffalo has hit the Kansas City wall multiple times, but chose quarterback over coach without the Chiefs in the playoffs. Allen does not have the hardware Jackson does, but instead has been propped up into the second-best quarterback conversation.
Buffalo fans are not the only ones pushing that narrative. Members of the media are enamored with Allen’s traits to the point that he is forced into every conversation. They argue his arm is just as strong, if not stronger than Mahomes. They argue he is the better dual-threat because he has more rushing touchdowns than Jackson. Anything one quarterback can do, Allen can do better. Everything except winning, that is.
January has been Allen’s nemesis. While his most ardent supporters do their best to absolve him of blame, the rest of the league recognizes that he is stuck until he wins one. A Super Bowl not only adds to his legacy, but levels out the discussion. His physical gifts are impossible to ignore, but at some point, the winning has to come with it.
3. Matthew Stafford
Matthew Stafford is in a unique situation. Fans seem unsure about where to rank him all-time. The counting stats are there. He is seventh all-time in touchdowns, sixth in yards, and in the top five in both game-winning drives and comebacks. The problem is that he was buried in Detroit for the first 12 years of his career.
Stafford has since re-shaped his image. In five years with Los Angeles, he has won 62% of his games, a Super Bowl, and now an MVP. His tenures with each team have made him difficult to rank among his contemporaries. In Detroit, he was wildly talented and put up gaudy numbers, but struggled to win and make the playoffs. With the Rams, he has been incredibly efficient and has added hardware to his name. So, where does he land in the all-time rankings?
The Rams signal-caller is just outside the top tier of all-time great quarterbacks. His inability to overcome the dysfunction in Detroit currently outweighs the success he’s had in Los Angeles. A second Super Bowl, alongside his MVP in such a short time with stability, would make his case much more appealing. It would match Ben Roethlisberger in Super Bowls, passing both Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers in wins and appearances. He’s already ahead of Marino and Big Ben in yards and has the chance to pass Favre and Rodgers.
Stafford has the chance to go from outside the top ten to into the top seven range alongside Elway, Marino, Favre, and Rodgers. It’s a unique position that, 16 years in, he is still shaping his legacy.
4. Kyle Shanahan
Shanahan has been the NFL’s “wonder boy” head coach for over a decade now. He’s lauded for his system and for being a quarterback whisperer. Matt Ryan won an MVP with Shanahan as his offensive coordinator. Matt Schaub had his best season with him. Robert Griffin was the Offensive Rookie of the Year. It’s a skill that followed him to San Francisco by getting Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy to the Super Bowl.
Shanahan’s only issue is that he hasn’t actually won one. His commitment to his process and play sheet has shifted from genius to arrogance. The same things he was praised for in his first few seasons have become criticisms. What was smart play design has become a lack of diversity. He has gone from the next great Shanahan to being an underwhelming generation in a football family.
A Super Bowl ring would change that narrative and validate his entire operation. His reach on offensive weapons in the draft starts to make sense, and his overpays for quarterbacks will cease to be talked about. There is not a coach in the league who could use a Super Bowl more than Kyle Shanahan.
5. Dak Prescott
Prescott is in a completely different situation compared to the rest of the list. Winning a Super Bowl doesn’t magically launch him into top 20 all-time discussions. It definitely doesn’t make him even a fringe Hall of Fame candidate. He would end the drought and become one of three Cowboys quarterbacks to win one.
This argument may sound silly, but it just happened in the NBA. Jalen Brunson was the best player on a Knicks team that hadn’t won in 53 years. Regardless of what happens the rest of his career, Brunson is officially immortalized in the league because of winning with one of the biggest brands. Prescott has the chance to earn the same treatment, but bigger.
Dallas is the biggest brand in the NFL, and is the only NFC team to not make a conference championship since 1995. Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach have landed in legendary status because of their Super Bowl wins. Tony Romo is still talked about positively because of his time with the Cowboys, and he has no hardware. The “America’s Team” distinction adds so much value to individuals that being one of their greats protects them for life.
Prescott bringing a Super Bowl to Dallas vaults him into rarified air. He would become the savior. The Jones family would take care of him for life. Add in the fact that Philadelphia has won two in the last decade, and it feels like the magnitude of his legend status would have no limits.
