Who owns the most Super Bowl rings?

The NFL has been in existence for more than a century. Since its inception as the American Professional Football Association in 1920, the league has gone through many changes. After being renamed to the NFL in 1922, the winner of every season was decided via the NFL Championship Game since 1933. However, a merger with the American Football League saw the end of that system. Instead, the current model took its place with the final game becoming the Super Bowl from the third season onwards.

In the years since then, the Super Bowl itself has taken a life of its own. However, while the spectacle, grandeur, and entertainment are all part of the equation, the main draw remains the sport. Every year, without fail, Super Bowl Sunday sees the finale of yet another epic NFL season with the two best teams facing off for the right to call themselves the best team in the game and be awarded the Vic Lombardi Trophy. Each player on the winning side receives a championship ring, a tradition since time immemorial.

In the nearly 60 years since the tradition began, the Super Bowl has seen a variety of winners. In fact, out of the 32 teams currently a part of the NFL, 20 of them have won at least one Super Bowl with 15 winning multiple. As such, a common question in deciding the best of the best becomes a comparative study of the various Super Bowl winners through the years.

So, today, let’s take a deep dive into the Super Bowl winners and the ones to truly stand out.

The player with the most Super Bowl rings

Tom Brady owns the record for most Super Bowl Rings of all time. While the NFL has seen many dynasties since the Super Bowl came into inception, none were as long-lasting as the one with the New England Patriots. As a result, their run is divided into three clear sectors. As a result, while the Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, and the Dallas Cowboys, all formed formidable dynasties, it was the one in New England that paved the way for Brady’s success.

Even though both the Steelers and the Patriots have 6 rings each, Brady eclipses every player and team in his cumulative total. Quarterback for each of the Patriots’ rings, Tom was successful one more time. Making a switch to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the already 6-time Champion was able to add yet another feather to his cap.

However, a special mention must go out to Brady’s coach on the Patriots. Bill Belichick is the only man to lay a claim to 8 Super Bowl victories. While the mastermind behind historic Patriots defenses that compiled 6 rings, his defensive brilliance was on display as a defensive coordinator for the New York Giants as they won 2 more rings.

On the player's side of things, Tom rests with some reaching distance between himself and second place. Here’s a full list of the players, their positions, and the number of rings they amassed during their careers.

In addition, a whole contingency from the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers dynasty too hold the record for 4 Super Bowl rings. Some notable names among them include the likes of Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, Mike Wilson, and Franco Harris.

But, there was another interesting record that Brady became a part of the first part of the New England dynasty.

Players with the most consecutive championships

With the constant level of competition, injury risk, and the single-game knockout-style playoffs, repeating as winners in the NFL is an extreme rarity. In fact, the last time a team repeated as winners was nearly 17 years ago. And, it involves our favorite New England team. While Brady was a relatively unimportant part of the equation at the time, he was a part of the last team to repeat as Champions.

However, the most consecutive victories are not a record that number 12 gets to hold. Instead, it goes to Ken Norton Jr. A member of the legendary Cowboys dynasty in the early 1990s, Norton would shift teams after two consecutive victories. His destination? Eventual Super Bowl Champions - the San Francisco 49ers. As a result, Norton’s record for consecutive victories reached 3, a mark that still remains uneclipsed. But, coincidentally, a member of that 49ers team would make the opposite journey. After playing a major role for San Francisco, Deion Sanders took his talents to Dallas. There, he would win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year en route to a back-to-back Super Bowl victory.

Like Brady and Sanders, many players are part of the back-to-back Super Bowl victories class. However, only Ken Norton Jr. stands at the top with 3 straight.

Which player-coach duo has won the most Super Bowls?

Even though the NFL saw many dynasties like the Cowboys, Steelers, and 49ers, the most victories for a player-coach duo are pretty unsurprising. As seen before, the duo of Belichick and Brady combined for 6 rings in their tenure for the New England Patriots.

But, it was in two different timeframes that the 6 rings came about. Cleanly distributed at 3 apiece, the eras are clearly distinguishable. While the vaunted Belichick defense was the key factor to the Patriots’ success in the early 2000s with Tom a secondary concern, the roles were reserved the other time around. By the mid-2010s, Brady had firmly established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the league’s history. As a result, he became the driving force to 3 more alternating Super Bowl victories for the New England side.

Even through adversity, the duo showed an unparalleled level of calm and poise, thereby leading game-winning drives in 3 Super Bowls. Further, against the Atlanta Falcons in 2016, Brady was responsible for a historic achievement. It remains one of the most iconic and best Super Bowls of all time. In total, the game saw 30 new records set for players and teams combined. The Falcons started off the game with 3 straight touchdowns. As a result, the score at halftime read 21-3. They would further increase that lead to 28-3 in the third quarter. But then, came the experience and the rally. Tallying 25 unanswered points, Tom and the Patriots' defense woke up, inching out a tied score in the final seconds. From there, with momentum on their side, the team clinched victory in overtime, giving the team and the duo their 5th quarterback.

2 years later, they would once again raise the Vic Lombardi trophy, bringing their total to 6. Here’s a look at the overview of each of their victories.

Of course, speaking of Tom’s greatness, who are the quarterbacks in the vicinity of the GOAT for most Super Bowl victories?

Quarterbacks with the most Super Bowl wins

Tom Brady ranks on top as the quarterback with most superbowl wins. While the NFL has seen some all-time quarterbacks at the position, no one’s ring total comes close to Brady’s monstrous 7 rings total. With the physicality of the sport and its structuring, reaching the pinnacle can be a tough task anyway. As a result, the usual standard for greatness is set at 4 Super Bowls - a feat shared by multiple all-time greats.

Out of the 35 different quarterbacks to ever win a Super Bowl, Brady’s 7 stands like a pillar above the rest. However, multiple names have reached the 4-ring mark. All of them are without question some of the greatest ever in their position.

Here’s a complete list of the 13 quarterbacks with 2 or more Super Bowl victories.

Active Players with the most Super Bowl wins

On the current scale, one team dominates the list. With 2 Super Bowl victories in 4 seasons, and no true dynasty coming to light, the Kansas City Chiefs feature a healthy dose of players on the list. Among them is a former member of the Patriots who shares the record for most Super Bowl victories for an active player with an ex-teammate.

Both Joe Thuney and Matthew Slater stand at 3 rings apiece. However, with their careers winding down, it seems unlikely that they could catch Brady’s total. Instead, that responsibility might fall on the heir apparent.

In just 5 short seasons, Patrick Mahomes has become the undisputed best player in the world. More importantly, he’s already entering conversations for all-time greatest quarterbacks. Blending precision, accuracy, creativity, and a flair for the spectacular into one glorious package, the 2-time MVP has wowed audiences throughout the NFL. With practically his entire career ahead of him, Mahomes seems like the man best suited to come close, or possibly, eclipse Tom’s 7 rings total.

For a complete list of active players with the most Super Bowl victories, look below:

Now, for a bit of a sour note. While we’ve largely focused on the sides taking home the prize money, the ones winning, what about appearances alone?

The player with the most Super Bowl appearances in NFL history

Unsurprisingly, this list is once again topped by Thomas Patrick Edward Brady Jr. But, while his monstrous total stands above the rest, it once again feels insurmountable. Even though he took 7 victories during his outings, in three other instances the GOAT came up short, all during his tenure with the New England Patriots.

Coming in second, at 6 appearances, are Stephen Gostowski and Mike Lodish. Then, comes a long list of people with 5 total appearances. Chief among them are names like Charles Haley and John Elway.

Here’s a complete list of players with the most Super Bowl appearances.