Baker Mayfield and Jared Goff joined some elite company

Mackenzie Meaney|published: Thu Jan 18 2024 22:46
Baker Mayfield (l.) and Jared Goff source: Getty Images

After the Wild Card Round of the NFL playoffs, Baker Mayfield and Jared Goff have etched their names in history, joining a short list of quarterbacks to win a postseason game with two different teams.

They’ll square off this weekend, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to Motown to take on the Detroit Lions. With that, let’s look back at the other signal-callers to have picked up playoff dubs with two franchises in the Super Bowl era.

Honorable mention: Tobin Rote (Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers)

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In the pre-Super Bowl era, Rote guided both the Lions and the Chargers to championships in 1957 and 1963, respectively.

That was Detroit’s last title — which of course, came before the merger — and the Bolts’ only championship (AFL) in franchise history.

Tom Brady (New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

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We know enough about the guy. Brady won 35 playoff games and seven rings before retiring.

Even if he ends up in the broadcast booth, that’s too close to football for us.

Alex Smith (San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs)

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Alex Smith only won two career playoff games — one with San Fran, and one with KC.

He was the first QB to lead the Chiefs to three straight postseason appearances since some guy named Joe Montana.

Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos)

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Manning and the aforementioned Brady are the only quarterbacks to win Super Bowls with two different teams.

Brett Favre (Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings)

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The gunslinger (we’ll refrain from any other name-calling) could have been the first QB to guide three teams to the postseason, but the Jets collapsed during Favre’s lone season in the Meadowlands. He was traded to Minnesota and went 1-1 in the playoffs for the Vikings, throwing a pick to cost his team the 2009 NFC Championship Game.

Kurt Warner (St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals)

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Warner famously led the “Greatest Show on Earth” Rams team to a Super Bowl win in his first year as a starting QB. He made it back to the Big Game with the Cards but... Santonio Holmes.

Mark Brunell (Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington)

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Brunell was the winning QB in four of his eight playoff games for the Jags.

Like the next signal-caller on our list, he also guided Washington to a postseason victory.

Brunell won a ring as Drew Brees’ backup in New Orleans.

Brad Johnson (Washington, Tampa Bay)

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Johnson also had a shot at leading three teams —Minnesota being the other to postseason wins.

While he didn’t have the same type of success as the other QBs on this list, he did win a ring with Tampa Bay as the starter. It was the franchise’s first title until TB12 took his talents to Florida.

Jeff Garcia (San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles)

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Garcia won two playoff games — both in the NFC Wild Card Round, and both against the New York Giants. His teams never advanced past the Divisional Round.

Vinny Testaverde (Cleveland Browns, New York Jets)

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Testaverde was the last Cleveland QB to win a playoff game before Mayfield.

And Vinny and the Jets were one game away from the Super Bowl, losing to the eventual champs, the Denver Broncos.

The only other postseason victories he was a part of came as a backup.

Randall Cunningham (Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota)

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The same year Testaverde had Gang Green in the AFC title game, Cunningham and the Vikes lost a heartbreaker to the Falcons in the NFC Championship game.

Joe Montana (49ers, Chiefs)

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Tom Brady’s choice as the GOAT, Montana couldn’t replicate his Bay Area success, but he was the last Kansas City QB to lead the Chiefs to the AFCCG until Patrick Mahomes came along.

Doug Williams (Tampa Bay, Washington)

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Williams is one of three Washington QBs — Joe Theismann and Mark Rypien are the others — to win a Super Bowl for the once-proud franchise. He was the first Black signal-caller taken in the first round of the NFL Draft and the first Black quarterback to start in and win the Big Game.

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