- Many NFL greats fell short of winning the sport’s greatest achievement: a Super Bowl.
- The Buffalo Bills’ Jim Kelly led the team to four consecutive Super Bowls in the ’90s but never won.
- Meanwhile, others like Cris Carter and Warren Moon never made it to the big game.
Winning the Super Bowl is what every professional football player strives to achieve.
But while many players have made their mark on the sport by winning a Super Bowl or two (or seven), there are plenty of great players who fell short of winning on football’s biggest stage but still achieved legendary success.
Take Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton: He went to the Super Bowl three times in four years during the ’70s with the Minnesota Vikings but was never able to secure a ring. Buffalo Bills Hall of Famer Jim Kelly faced a similar fate in the ’90s, losing four consecutive Super Bowls.
On the other hand, the Kansas City Chiefs have had no problem securing Super Bowl rings — they’re after their third consecutive win at Super Bowl LIX — and it’s up to the Philadelphia Eagles to disrupt their legacy on February 9 at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
With the big game quickly approaching, we put together a (subjective) list of the greatest NFL players who never won a Super Bowl but definitely should have.