Players That Have Participated in The Most Super Bowls?

The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League between the winners of the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC).

It was established in 1966, replacing the NFL Championship game. The first winners of the Super Bowl were the Green Bay Packers, who defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10, on 15th January 1967.

Victorious teams are now awarded the ‘Vince Lombardi’ trophy, named after who many believe to be the greatest coach in NFL history, and the winner of the first two Super Bowls, both with the Packers.

Last season saw the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles battle it out in Super Bowl LVII in Arizona, with the Chiefs coming out on top 38-35.

In Super Bowl history, 20 different teams have lifted the trophy, with 15 doing it multiple times. Whilst 12 teams have never won, there are four teams who have never reached the big game (Browns, Lions, Jaguars, Texans). The Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots, both in the AFC, have won six each, the Patriots doing so in 11 appearances, the most in the NFL. In the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers have both won five times, with the Cowboys appearing in eight.

Widely regarded as the greatest player and quarterback of all time, Tom Brady tops the list of Super Bowl appearances with ten. Unsurprisingly, he also holds the record of most Super Bowl victories, with seven. His first appearance in a Super Bowl came in February 2002, leading the New England Patriots to their first ever Championship in his second year as a starter. He also won the first of his five Super Bowl MVPs as they defeated the St. Louis Rams 20-17. He received the award again in 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017 and 2021.

Brady went on to feature eight more times for the Patriots in Super Bowls, winning five of them. Following his move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, he led them to victory in Super Bowl LV against the Kansas City Chiefs to secure his seventh title. Incredibly, this means that he has won more Super Bowls than every single NFL franchise.

His three defeats with the Patriots came in 2007, 2011 and 2017, against the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles respectively.

With six Super Bowl appearances, Brady’s longtime teammate and kicker Stephen Gostkowski is second on this list.

Gostkowski was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2006, in the fourth round. He spent 14 of his 15 seasons with the franchise.

However, it wasn’t until his third appearance that he was able to lift the Vince Lombardi trophy. After losing his first two Super Bowl games, both to the New York Giants, it was third time lucky in Super Bowl XLIX as the Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in 2014. He did not attempt any field goals, but did convert four extra points after touchdowns.

His second victory came in the Patriots famous 34-28 overtime comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. He became the first kicker in SB history to start for the winning team and not kick an extra point, though he did successfully kick two field goals.

The kicker’s penultimate season in New England saw his third and final Super Bowl triumph. He converted two out of three field goals, including a game sealing 41-yard attempt to give his side a 10-3 win in Super Bowl LIII against the LA Rams.

Mike Lodish, a nose tackle who played for both the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos, ties Gostkowski with six Super Bowl appearances.

Lodish played in 11 NFL seasons, after being drafted by the Bills in 1990. He spent five seasons with the franchise and made it to four consecutive Super Bowls. Unfortunately, they lost all four, the only team in history to do so.

The Bills’ four defeats came against three different sides, with the first a narrow one-point loss to the New York Giants. The Washington Redskins would then go on to defeat them 37-24 in the following season in 1992, before consecutive defeats to the Dallas Cowboys.

His move to the Denver Broncos in 1995 offered some better luck, however, as he was part of a side who won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1998 and 1999. That elusive first Championship came against the Green Bay Packers after a 31-24 win in San Diego. They successfully defended their trophy the next year with a 34-19 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

John Elway is the second quarterback on this list, spending all 16 years of his NFL career as a member of the Denver Broncos.

Alongside Lodish, Elway was part of the Broncos side who won back-to-back championships in 1998 and 1999, two of his five appearances in the Super Bowl. Similarly to his ex-teammate, he lost multiple Super Bowls before finally winning it.

He led his team to consecutive Super Bowls in 1986 and 1987, however fell short in both to the New York Giants and Washington Redskins. Another trip to the big game in 1989 ended with the most lopsided defeat in Super Bowl history, as the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Broncos 55-10.

Elway eventually got his first Super Bowl success eight years later in 1997, beating the defending champions Green Bay Packers. Further success came the following season, as Elway won Super Bowl XXXIII MVP throwing 336 yards, a touchdown and an interception against the Falcons in what was his final game before retirement.

Another one of Brady’s ex-teammates makes the list with five Super Bowl appearances, Rob Gronkowksi, a tight end and half of one of the best duos of all time. Alongside Brady, Gronkowski won four Super Bowls, three for the New England Patriots and one for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Widely regarded as the best tight end of all time, Gronkowski was crucial for his teams’ successes due to his excellent abilities in the pass and run game.

He won his first Championship in 2014 following a loss in 2011, and played a huge role in the 28-24 victory over the Seahawks, making six catches for 68 yards and one touchdown. Despite winning four rings, Gronkowski actually lost in two of his five Super Bowl appearances. This is because he was on injured reserve for Super Bowl LI and did not play in the game.

After winning once more in New England, he followed Brady to the Bucs via trade. He caught two touchdowns from his quarterback in a victory over the Chiefs in February 2021. This gave the pair sole possession of the record for most postseason touchdowns between a quarterback and receiver, with 14. Gronkowski also became the first player in history to receive a pass in five different Super Bowls.

Other Notable Players With 5 NFL Super Bowl Appearances

• Teddy Bruschi
• Charles Haley
• Matt Light
• Glenn Parker

It remains to be seen if any player will get close to Tom Brady’s record, let alone break it, but there are plenty of players hoping to make it into the top five.

The most notable, and perhaps most likely of any active player to reach five Super Bowl appearances is current Champion and NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes. Super Bowl LVIII is number four for Mahomes and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

His only Super Bowl defeat came in 2021 to Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, sandwiched between two victories in 2020 and 2023. His first appearance in Super Bowl LIV saw the Chiefs score 21 straight points to come back from a 20-10 deficit and win the franchise’s first championship in 50 years. Mahomes threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns on his way to being named Super Bowl MVP. He won the award again in Arizona, where they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 despite the star playing on an injured ankle.

Also looking to break into the top five is his Chiefs teammate and tight end Travis Kelce. The pair are one of the most dominant duos in the game right now and will be hoping to add to their trophy cabinet this season and beyond. Just like Mahomes, he has two Super Bowl rings from three appearances. In the two victories combined, he caught 12 passes and recorded 124 receiving yards, with two touchdowns.

The Chiefs have become only the third team to reach four Super Bowls in a five-year span, which means a handful of others – Chris Jones, James Winchester and Harrison Butker – are all in the same boat as Mahomes and Kelce.

Whilst every player mentioned so far has tasted victory in the Super Bowl, some players have not had the same fortune in their careers. Cornelius Bennett, a linebacker who played in the late 80s and 90s, appeared in five Super Bowls and lost every single one. Like Lodish, he was a part of that infamous Bills team who lost four consecutive Championship games. Unlike his teammate, he would not go on to win elsewhere.

After spending the majority of his career in Buffalo, he moved to the Atlanta Falcons where he had another opportunity to become a champion. Sadly for Bennett, they lost this game to Lodish and the Broncos in 1999.

Bennett shares this record with two more ex-Bills teammates, Glenn Parker and Gale Gilbert, who both failed to win with the New York Giants and San Diego Chargers respectively. Gilbert is the only player in NFL history to lose five consecutive Super Bowls.