The change-of-scenery QBs who started the Super Bowl

Minutes before the Raiders' first selection in the 1967 AFL Draft, they made a deal that pushed the team to the sport's top tier -- a plane on which they resided for much of the ensuing 20 years. The Raiders sent previous starting QB Tom Flores and All-AFL wideout Art Powell to the Bills for Lamonica, who was previously Jack Kemp's backup. In his first Raiders season, Lamonica won AFL MVP honors and led the Raiders to a 14-1 record en route to Super Bowl II. This Raiders iteration was not quite ready for the NFL's kingpin, and Lamonica completed just 44% of his passes in the Packers' 33-14 win. "The Mad Bomber" still held off Ken Stabler through the 1972 season.

The No. 2 pick in the 1956 NFL Draft, Morrall was traded four times in his career. The fourth trade, coming after Johnny Unitas suffered a torn muscle during the 1968 preseason, changed his career. The Colts acquired Morrall from the Giants for backup tight end Butch Wilson in 1968 and reeled off a dominant season. Their journeyman Unitas fill-in threw 26 touchdown passes en route to MVP honors and guided the Colts to Super Bowl III, where they were 18-point favorites over the AFL's Jets. The second-biggest favorite in Super Bowl history crumbled, and Morrall threw three INTs. He later redeemed himself by replacing Unitas in Baltimore's Super Bowl V win.

After the ex-top-five pick could not stick in Pittsburgh or Cleveland, Dawson solidified his starter status in Dallas. The future Hall of Famer guided the Texans to the 1962 AFL title -- a double-overtime classic against the two-time reigning champion Oilers -- and steered the ship in Kansas City until he was 40. The Texans' 1962 free-agent pickup turned into the Chiefs' gain. Dawson the relocated team to two of the first four Super Bowls. After the Packers matchup got away from the Chiefs, Dawson finished off an injury-plagued 1969 season by piloting a 23-7 Super Bowl IV win over the Vikings. His 46-yard clincher to Otis Taylor remains an all-time Chiefs sequence.

Days before selecting Archie Manning in the 1971 draft, the Saints shipped their previous starting quarterback to Washington for linebacker Tom Roussel and fourth- and eighth-round picks. Kilmer soon supplanted future Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen, 37 at the time, as Washington's starter and teamed with MVP Larry Brown to lead George Allen's team to Super Bowl VII a year later. A 1972 Pro Bowler, Kilmer completed 78% of his passes in Washington's NFC championship game romp over Dallas. But after a three-touchdown, no-interception NFC playoff run, Kilmer threw three picks against the Dolphins to allow them to cement their perfect season. 

The Vikings drafted Tarkenton but made the mistake of trading him in 1967. However, the quarterback that once clashed with previous Minnesota coach Norm Van Brocklin returned under Bud Grant in 1972. The Vikings sent the Giants a package headlined by QB Norm Snead and a first-round pick, and Tarkenton led the team to three Super Bowls in his first five years back in the Twin Cities. Minnesota ran into the AFC's three 1970s powers, however. The Dolphins and Raiders routed the Vikings, and the Steelers held them to six points in Super Bowl IX. Tarkenton still retired as the NFL's all-time passing leader by a wide margin. 

One of just two QBs to start a Super Bowl for both NFC and AFC teams, along with Tom Brady, Morton lost a Super Bowl as the Cowboys' starter and lost another to the Cowboys. Roger Staubach usurped Morton, though the latter held off the 1970s icon for a while, for good in the 1972 playoffs to lead Morton to the Giants. The Broncos acquired him in 1977 for previous starter Steve Ramsey and a fifth-round pick. In Morton's first Denver season, the Broncos made their first playoff berth and ventured to Super Bowl XII. Denver's 12-2 season preceded a Super Bowl XII Cowboys reunion, which featured eight Broncos turnovers (four on Morton INTs).

One of the many quarterbacks the Rams tried in the 1970s, Jaworski ended up an Eagle in a 1977 trade that sent Pro Bowl tight end Charle Young to Los Angeles. Jaworski was Philadelphia's starter for most of the next 10 seasons, the fourth of which doubles as the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance. "The Polish Rifle" threw a career-high 27 TD passes in 1980. The Raiders turned Super Bowl XV into a one-sided matchup, running out to a 24-3 lead. An illegal motion penalty nullified a 40-yard Jaworski first-half TD pass, and while the future NFL film analyst threw for 291 yards, he tossed three INTs -- all to Raider linebacker Rod Martin.

Super Bowl XV marked the NFL's first big-stage matchup of QBs not drafted by their respective teams. A former Heisman winner, Plunkett struggled with the Patriots and 49ers and ended up catching on with the Raiders -- via free agency -- as Ken Stabler's backup in 1978. Plunkett backed up Dan Pastorini to start the 1980 season but replaced him and helped the Raiders become the first wild-card Super Bowl champ. Three years after his Super Bowl XV MVP showing, Plunkett fended off first-round pick Marc Wilson to lead the Los Angeles Raiders to a Super Bowl XVIII romp over Washington. 

A messy contract negotiation ended with Williams and the Buccaneers separating after the 1982 season. Williams sat out the 1983 season but resurfaced in the USFL in '84. Washington acquired his rights in a low-level 1986 trade; the deal proved to be an all-time steal for a franchise searching for a post-Joe Theismann answer. Joe Gibbs benched Jay Schroeder late in the 1987 season. Washington's reward: the greatest quarter in Super Bowl history. The first Black QB to start a Super Bowl, Williams threw four second-quarter TD passes and led Washington to 35 points in the stanza -- the most in one quarter in playoff history -- en route to a 42-10 win over the Broncos.

Humphries waited behind two Super Bowl MVPs in Washington. Then-Washington GM Bobby Beathard drafted Humphries in the 1988 sixth round, stashing him behind Williams and Mark Rypien. Running the Chargers by 1992, Beathard traded a third-round pick for Humphries during training camp. The Bolts made the playoffs in three of the next four years and voyaged to their only Super Bowl in this span. Humphries piloted the Chargers past the Dolphins and Steelers in the 1994 playoffs. The Bolts' reward: being 18.5-point underdogs in Super Bowl XXIX. Steve Young enflaming the Chargers for a record six TD passes left Humphries little hope of keeping up.

Young waited four seasons behind Joe Montana, making a few starts and several relief appearances during one of the sports' great apprenticeship programs. But it took Young nearly eight years to play in a Super Bowl. That 1994 season made the 49ers' 1987 trade a signature heist. Preferring a 49ers offer of two non-first-round picks and cash over the Cardinals' offer of a first-rounder, the Buccaneers unloaded Young after only two seasons. After Montana's injuries, Young reeled off a Hall of Fame career that featured two MVPs. That career peaked with his 325-yard, six-touchdown night in Miami -- a 49-26 demolition of the Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX.

Considering Favre's talent and durability, the Packers' 1992 trade ranks as a bigger heist than the 49ers' Young deal. New Green Bay GM Ron Wolf sent his 1992 first-round pick to Atlanta for Favre, a 1991 second-rounder who rode the bench behind Chris Miller as a rookie. From October 1992 to January 2008, Favre started 275 straight Packers games. His mid-1990s stretch included three straight MVPs -- an NFL first -- and two Super Bowl trips, leading the Packers past the Cowboys-49ers duopoly. Favre's 246 yards and three total TDs led the Pack past the Patriots, but Green Bay could not defeat Denver the following year despite being a double-digit favorite.

It took only fourth- and sixth-round picks for the Falcons to acquire Chandler from the Oilers in 1997. The journeyman passer led Atlanta to its first Super Bowl in his second season. Prior to being Steve McNair's Houston bridge, Chandler had already played for the Colts, Buccaneers, Cardinals, and Rams. In 1998, Chandler quarterbacked the Falcons to the best season in team history -- a 14-2 mark that preceded the team taking down the 15-1 Vikings in the biggest upset in NFC championship annals -- en route to Super Bowl XXXIII. Once there, the Falcons could not keep up with the Broncos in a game featuring three Chandler INTs.

The first Super Bowl to pit two free agent QBs against one another represented Dilfer's redemption. The Bucs let their former top-10 pick walk after an unremarkable six-year tenure, but Dilfer won Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa less than a year later. Given a one-year deal worth $1 million, Dilfer took the Ravens' reins from Tony Banks around midseason and went 11-1 as Baltimore's starter. A generational defense powered Baltimore, and Dilfer did not complete more than 50% of his passes in the Ravens' final three games. His 153 yards and touchdown pass to Brandon Stokley proved plenty for Baltimore's fire-breathing defense in the franchise's first Super Bowl.

On the other end of the Ravens' 34-7 rampage, Collins finished a redemption tour of his own. The Panthers cut the former top-five pick due to off-field trouble, and after a brief Saints stay, the Penn State product signed with the Giants for four years and $16.9 million in 1999. The 2000 Giants surprised the NFL by earning the NFC's No. 1 seed. They booked Super Bowl XXXV access behind one of the great QB outings in conference championship history. Collins threw five TD passes and finished with 381 yards in the Giants' 41-0 win over the Vikings. Baltimore's defense: a bit better. The Ravens intercepted Collins four times. 

The early-2000s NFL featured a host of quality free agent QBs. Two more met in Super Bowl XXXVII. Gannon came to Oakland in 1999 and authored a late-career breakthrough under Jon Gruden. At 37, Gannon won MVP honors by leading the NFL with 4,689 passing yards and throwing 26 TD passes. The 2002 Raiders smashed both their AFC playoff opponents -- the Jets and Titans -- and Gannon peppering Jerry Rice and Tim Brown with targets, throwing five TD passes in two games. Facing Gruden, who was quite familiar with the Raiders offense, Gannon threw a Super Bowl-record five INTs (three pick-sixes) in a blowout loss to the Bucs.

Johnson chose the Bucs over the Ravens as a 2001 free agent, and Tampa Bay ended up enjoying the spoils after winning those sweepstakes. Given a five-year, $28 million contract, Johnson came through for the Bucs in his second season. The then-34-year-old QB finished the 2002 season with a 22-6 TD-INT ratio and added five more touchdown tosses in the playoffs. Two of those came in Super Bowl XXXVII -- a 48-21 Bucs coronation. These Bucs are remembered for their playmaking defense, but Johnson's 215 yards and TD tosses to Keenan McCardell ensured Tampa Bay's defensive blueprint would be immortalized. 

Fourteen years before Nick Foles won a Super Bowl shootout against Tom Brady, Delhomme was up to the task. Previously a Saints backup behind Aaron Brooks, Delhomme signed a two-year deal worth $4 million to join the Panthers in 2003. This turned out to be significant, with Delhomme guiding Carolina to upset wins over St. Louis and Philadelphia in the '03 playoffs. Delhomme and Brady traded salvos in an explosive Super Bowl XXXVIII second half, with the former clicking with Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad before finding Ricky Proehl for a game-tying score. John Kasay's ensuing illegal procedure penalty doomed Carolina, but its new QB threw for 323 yards and three TDs in defeat.

Mike Holmgren bringing in one of his former Green Bay backups set up Seattle at quarterback for a decade. The Seahawks acquired Hasselbeck in a pick-swap deal, exchanging first-rounders with the Packers and sending only an additional third. Hasselbeck made three Pro Bowls during his 10-year QB1 run in Seattle, including in 2005 when he finished with a 24-9 TD-INT ratio and guided the Seahawks to home-field advantage and their first Super Bowl. Officiating issues cost Seattle in one of the sloppier Super Bowls. Hasselbeck did more to help his team than Ben Roethlisberger, throwing for 273 yards and a touchdown in Super Bowl XL, but it was not enough.

"American Underdog" does not cover Warner's Cardinals years, but his Arizona comeback should not be overlooked. The Rams cut the two-time MVP in 2004, and the Giants benched him for Eli Manning that year. The Cards signed Warner to a one-year, $4 million accord in 2005 but used a top-10 pick on Matt Leinart the following year. Warner eventually parked the USC star on the bench by 2007 and, at 37, drove a team equipped with a 28th-ranked defense to a Super Bowl. Warner threw a costly goal-line INT to James Harrison but finished with 377 yards and three TD passes, teaming with Larry Fitzgerald to nearly lift a 9-7 team to a title.

The Saints beat out the Dolphins for Brees in 2006, changing the fortunes of a downtrodden franchise. In Brees' fourth season, New Orleans started 13-0 and coasted to home-field advantage. The former Charger finished the 2009 postseason with an 8-0 TD-INT ratio and was surgical in his only Super Bowl opportunity. Brees completed 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards and two TD strikes and authored a comeback victory over the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. Some tough postseason breaks prevented Brees from attempting to replicate this performance in his 30s and beyond.

Not long after the Colts lost to the Saints in Super Bowl XLIV, Manning sustained a career-threatening neck injury. This ailment led to his Indianapolis exit and an extensive free agency tour. The Broncos winning that 2012 race changed the makeup of the AFC. A defensive breakdown likely cost Manning a Super Bowl trip that season, but he started in two of the next three Super Bowls. After the Broncos' offense-geared blueprint stumbled in Super Bowl XLVIII, a defensively recharged team helped Manning to his fourth global stage. Denver's Von Miller-led defense helped Manning to his second Super Bowl win -- a 24-10 conquest of the 15-1 Panthers.

Foles made his way back to the team that drafted him in 2017, returning to Philadelphia after two Missouri years. One-offs with the Rams and Chiefs preceded Foles signing a two-year, $11 million Eagles deal. That backup pact altered the 2017 season, one that required Foles to work after Carson Wentz's December knee tears. After some rocky regular-season starts, Foles morphed into an RPO machine in the NFC championship game. In Super Bowl LII, the underdog Eagles rode their suddenly electric quarterback to a shootout win. Foles' "Philly Special" catch is that game's most memorable play, but he smoked a sound Patriot defense for 373 yards and three TDs.

Garoppolo collected two rings as Tom Brady's backup and nearly added a third as a starter. If nothing else, the 49ers' recent past with and without Garoppolo illustrated the maligned QB's value. Gifted to the 49ers for a second-round pick at the 2017 trade deadline, Garoppolo ended up going 2-for-2 in NFC championship appearances when serving as San Francisco's full-season starter. Garoppolo's 27 TD passes played a major role in the 49ers' No. 1 seed in 2019, but a stacked team did not need much from its QB1 in the NFC playoffs. He could not counter Patrick Mahomes' comeback effort in Super Bowl LIV, missing key throws and finishing with two INTs.

The "Tompa Bay" era ended up lasting just two years; it was certainly worth it for the previously moribund franchise. Brady's two-year, $50 million Bucs pact produced five playoff wins and the legendary passer claiming his seventh Super Bowl title. After a shaky start to the 2020 season, Brady upped his game down the stretch and capitalized on Saints and Packers mistakes to lift the Bucs to their second Super Bowl. Tampa Bay's defense gave Brady more than enough support, but he still threw three touchdown passes to claim MVP honors in a shockingly one-sided Super Bowl LV event. 

Stafford's trade request prompted a flood of offers; the Rams' proposal winning out tilted the odds toward a perennially all-in team. Los Angeles sending Detroit two first-round picks and change gave Sean McVay an upgrade on Jared Goff. Stafford displayed it by outplaying Garoppolo, Brady and Kyler Murray in the NFC playoffs. In 21 games, the cannon-armed passer totaled 6,074 yards and 50 TD passes. Stafford is still 1-for-13 in Pro Bowls and set an NFL QB record by going 185 starts before his first playoff win. This season transformed former No. 1 pick's career. Stafford's 79-yard game-winning drive in the Rams' Super Bowl LVI win lifted him from underachieving 30-something to the (fringe) Hall of Fame radar.