Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers immortalised his name when he snatched the Super Bowl XLV this year, prompting sports pundits to line him up with elite quarterbacks that are mostly owners of Super Bowl rings.

However, football experts argue that winning the Super Bowl alone does assure entry into the circle of elite quarterbacks. It's more of the overall impact that a quarterback makes when he barged into the sport and the legacy he leaves when the time for his exit came knocking.

This list enumerates the ten best quarterbacks who failed to make the cut on Super Bowl yet maintained their presence as dominant figures of the games.

Jim Hart on 10

Hart quarterbacked for the Cardinals for almost two decades and his slow start back in 1966 began to pick up when Don Coryell joined the team and spurred the quarterback to deliver the goods that saw the Cardinals capturing two consecutive division titles in 1974 and 1975, cementing the player's niche in the halls of greatness.

John Brodie on 9

Best know for winning the NFL MVP plum in 1970, Brodie started his professional football career in 1957 and stayed on with the 49ers to the day he retired in 1973, in the process leading his team to three successive playoff appearances that were always thwarted by the Dallas Cowboys.

Phillip Rivers on 8

This quarterback's career is still underway but the sports easily regarded him as one of the best ever, which is a reputation he so far proves by pushing the Chargers to four playoff entry since he assumed the starting position in 2006.

Dave Krieg on 7

As a sub for his team's original starter, Krieg immediately made impression by lifting the Seahawks to a playoff berth on his first year in a starting position, which is the kind of performance that he sustained when jumped to other teams and until his retirement, earning him the distinction of one of the best in his generation.

Mark Brunell on 6

As a journeyman, Brunell started for the Jaguars and the Redskins, a team he led to the playoffs before he was relegated to back up roles in a number of NFL teams. He also appeared in the 2009 Super Bowl, joining the champ Saints but again in a back up capacity.

Bernie Kosar on 5

Kosar almost made it to the Super Bowl twice but the Broncos always turned back his close attempts, with his Browns throwing away two chances. Despite that, Kosar made a name as a dependable quarterback during the late 1980s.

Randall Cunningham on 4

Regarded by the games as one the most watchable player in the field, Cunningham defined a career largely characterised by colourful antics, exciting plays and lamentable injuries that eventually sidelined him. An exhilarating comeback was marred by a disappointment as his Vikings lost to the Falcons in 1998, which robbed him the chance to appear in a Super Bowl.

Sonny Jurgensen on 3

During his watch, Jurgensen never led a team to playoffs despite his incredible talent but as a back up quarterback, he saw his teams win championships and even appeared in the 1972 Super Bowl, willingly mentoring a younger player who earlier replaced him as Washington's starter.

Warren Moon on 2

Throughout his career, Moon chalked up impressive statistics and a solid reputation as of the best thrower in the game, marred only by failures to advance his numerous playoff appearances.

Dan Fouts on 1

The best of the best yet outside of the Super Bowl circuit, dominated the games during the most part of the 1970s and the early seasons of the 1980s and won for him two AFC championships. He was best known for enhancing the games of his teammates in the Chargers.