Steve Young
Steve Young had quite a long career in the NFL before becoming a star player, finally becoming a starter in the league at age 30. He spent 2 years playing for a horrible Buccaneers team before he was traded to the 49ers to back up Joe Montana in 1987.
When Joe Montana went down with an elbow injury at the end of the 1990 season, Young took over at the helm of a team that had just narrowly missed a third straight Super Bowl win. He ended up missing 5 games that season due to a knee injury, and the result was a 10-6 record without a playoff berth.
In his second season as a starter for San Francisco, he threw 3465 yards, #2 in the league, while leading the league in completion percentage at 66.7% and touchdowns with 25, while tossing only 7 picks all year. The 49ers finished at 14-2, best in the league, and Young was awarded the MVP, but the season ended with a loss to Dallas in the NFC Championship Game.
He was even better in 1993, increasing his passing yardage to 4023, touchdowns to 29, and completion percentage to 68.0%. The 49ers won the division again, but once again they lost to Dallas in the NFC title game.
The next season was the best of his career in many ways. He led the league in touchdowns and completion percentage, both new career highs, led the 49ers to a 13-3 record, and won another MVP award. The playoffs were different this time, with Young leading them past Dallas in the NFC title game to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time as a starter. His performance in the Super Bowl was one of the best of all time, with 325 yards and 6 touchdowns, which set a Super Bowl record, as the 49ers destroyed the Chargers 49-26. He is the only player in Super Bowl history to lead all players in both passing and rushing yards in the championship game.
Over the next three seasons a series of minor injuries hampered him, causing him to miss several games, but he still led the league in completion percentage each season, but lost to Green Bay each season in the playoffs. He had a renaissance season in 1998, when he set new career highs in passing yards and touchdowns, although the season still ended with a playoff loss.
Young and Rodgers have had very similar careers. Each began as a backup to a legend for several seasons, then had immediate success as a starter. Each has won 2 MVP's and a Super Bowl MVP, and each was always among the league leaders in every passing category. Young is ahead of Rodgers right now for one reason, and that is that he had one more full season as an elite quarterback, although that should change by the end of next season.
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