What’s common among Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Josh Allen, apart from being among the best QBs of this generation? None of them has a Super Bowl win on their resume. Allen and Jackson haven’t even appeared in one in their careers.
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But according to Robert Griffin III, Super Bowl LIX on Sunday can change everything for Hurts. The former Carolina Panthers quarterback believes that if Hurts wins the Lombardi Trophy, he will separate himself from the pack and enter a category above his peers.
History has always been written by the winners. Despite Dan Marino and Jim Kelly being amongst the best passers in the history of the league, their name unfortunately isn’t taken in the same breath as someone like Joe Montana, who has four Super Bowls to his name.
The same holds true for Jackson, Burrow, and Allen, who have repeatedly fallen short against Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs. Burrow managed to beat him once and reach the big game, only to come up short. Even Hurts had his shot in Super Bowl LVII but fell to Mahomes. A string of losses, if it’s not already obvious. But now, the Eagles quarterback has a chance to rewrite that narrative. At least, according to RGIII.
“If Jalen Hurts and the Eagles win the Super Bowl, he won’t be in the same category of Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Josh Allen. HE WILL BE A CATEGORY ABOVE THEM in the one that matters. Super Bowl Champ. With all due disrespect to anyone who thinks differently, FOH with the hate,” the former Commanders QB tweeted.
If Jalen Hurts and the Eagles win the Super Bowl, he won’t be in the same category of Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Josh Allen. HE WILL BE A CATEGORY ABOVE THEM in the one that matters. Super Bowl Champ. With all due disrespect to anyone who thinks differently, FOH with the hate. pic.twitter.com/BXm941K8g3
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) February 9, 2025
Fans unsurprisingly disagreed with Griffin. Whether it was discrediting Jalen’s run to the Super Bowl or accusing him of being carried by Saquon Barkley, they couldn’t grasp how a single Super Bowl ring would place Hurts above the AFC trio.
The NFC is two times easier than the AFC.
There are 0 QBs in the NFC.— Owfi ~ RL Season (@Owfi5) February 9, 2025
All he does is turn around and hand the ball off to Saquon
— Depressed Buffalo Sports Fan (@Tommy_Dangles72) February 9, 2025
For the rest, using the Super Bowl as a metric for greatness seemed silly. Especially since it would imply that someone like Eli Manning or Trent Dilfer is better than Dan Marino.
With this “sound” logic, Eli Manning is a better QB than Dan Marino because he has two Super Bowl rings.
— (@TheThomasDeLaus) February 9, 2025
So Trent Dilfer better than Lamar? Just stop engagement farming, have some self respect.
— Lamar Flacco (@FlaccoLamar) February 9, 2025
The NFL is a league with immense competition and no shortage of budget among teams. When the playing field is so even, the only thing that separates the greats is a Super Bowl victory.
One can have an opinion on the four QBs’ individual talents, but at the end of the day, history will always be kinder to the one who went all the way. In the end, nuance fades because, in the record books, only the winners are immortalized.
