List of gridiron football quarterbacks passing statistics

Last updated

A banner hangs in the Rogers Centre to commemorate Damon Allen's record-breaking pass in 2006. Damon Allen banner.jpg
A banner hangs in the Rogers Centre to commemorate Damon Allen's record-breaking pass in 2006.
Russell Wilson is the most recent player added. Russell Wilson 2020.jpg
Russell Wilson is the most recent player added.

This is a list of gridiron football quarterbacks passing statistics for quarterbacks that have played outdoor professional football in North America. Below is a listing of the combined professional football league leaders for passing yards, passing touchdowns, passing completions, and passing attempts. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Contents

Because indoor football is played on a much shorter field and heavily favors offensive scoring, its records are not included in the main list, but are noted in a separate addendum below; likewise, as is standard for statistical record-keeping, exhibition games, all-star games (such as the Pro Bowl) and preseason contests are not counted.

During the 2021 NFL season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady passed Drew Brees to become the all-time passing yards leader in professional football league history. [10] Brees had surpassed Anthony Calvillo for the record in the previous season, while Calvillo had surpassed Damon Allen for the record in the 2011 CFL season. [11] Allen broke the previous record held by Warren Moon in 2006. [12] Moon had held the record since 1992 when he surpassed the record set by Ron Lancaster, who had surpassed Johnny Unitas during the 1975 CFL season. Unitas established the record set forth in this listing, while Aaron Rodgers is the leading active QB chasing Brady.

In the 2020 NFL season, Brady surpassed Brees for the all-time passing touchdowns record; Brees had surpassed Peyton Manning for the record the season before. [13] Manning had held the record since the 2014 NFL season when he surpassed Brett Favre's record. [14] Prior to that, Brett Favre held the record since the 2007 NFL season when he surpassed Warren Moon's record. [15] Moon had held the record since 1994 when he surpassed the record set by Fran Tarkenton. Tarkenton had surpassed Johnny Unitas during the 1975 NFL season. Ron Lancaster overtook Tarkenton's lead in the touchdown pass category during the 1977 CFL season. However, Tarkenton retook the lead during the 1978 NFL season. Unitas established the record set forth in this listing.

Brady has held the record for pass completions since passing Brees during the 2021 NFL season; Brees surpassed Brett Favre during the 2018 season. [16] Favre had held the previous record since the 2007 season when he surpassed Warren Moon's record. [15] Moon had held the record since 1992 when he surpassed the record set by Fran Tarkenton. Tarkenton had surpassed Johnny Unitas during the 1975 NFL season. Unitas established the record set forth in this listing.

Brady has held the record for pass attempts since the 2020 NFL season when he surpassed Brees, who had surpassed Favre earlier in the same season. Prior to being surpassed by both Brady and Brees during the 2020 NFL season, Favre had held the record since 2008, when he surpassed Warren Moon. [17] [15] Moon had held the record since 1993 when he surpassed the record set by Fran Tarkenton. Tarkenton had surpassed Johnny Unitas during the 1975 NFL season. Unitas established the record set forth in this listing.

Brady, Moon and Unitas are the only gridiron quarterbacks to have held the record in all four of the major passing categories (passing yards, passing touchdowns, pass completions, and pass attempts) at the same time. Brees held each of the four records at one point during his career, but never held all four of them at the same time.

Other categories from this listing that provides all-time leaders include Rodgers, who is pro football's all-time passer rating leader, Ricky Ray, who is the all-time pass completion percentage leader, and Ron Lancaster, who is pro football's all-time interceptions leader.

When considering regular season and post season combined, Brady is the all-time leader in gridiron passing yards with 102,614, which surpassed Calvillo's mark of 82,365 yards in 2019. Brady is also the leader in all the other three major categories when considering post season performances (737 touchdown passes; 8,953 pass completions; 13,971 pass attempts). [18] [19] [20]

All-time outdoor professional quarterback passing statistics

Updated through current season; minimum 40,000 passing yards.
Bold and highlight denotes an active player.
RankNameTenureLeaguesAttemptsCompletionsComp %TDsINTsYardage Passer rating References
1 Tom Brady 2000–2022NFL12,050 * 7,753 * 64.34649 * 21289,214 * 97.17 [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
2 Drew Brees 2001–202010,551 ~ 7,142 ~ 67.69571 ~ 24380,358 ~ 98.67
3 Anthony Calvillo 1994–2013CFL9,4375,89262.4445522479,816 ~ 95.53 [18] [21]
4 Damon Allen 1985–2007CFL9,1385,15856.4539427872,381 ~ 83.82 [22]
5 Peyton Manning 1998–2015NFL9,3806,12565.30539 ~ 25171,94096.46 [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
6 Brett Favre 1991–201010,169 ~ 6,300 ~ 61.95508 ~ 33671,83886.03
7 Warren Moon 1977–2000NFL/CFL9,205 ~ 5,357 ~ 58.20435 ~ 31070,553 ~ 84.24 [23] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
8 Ben Roethlisberger 2004–2021NFL8,4335,44064.5141821164,08893.49
9 Henry Burris 1997–2016CFL/NFL/NFLE7,5764,71162.1838223764,02392.89 [2] [24] [25]
10 Philip Rivers 2004–2020NFL8,1345,27764.8842120963,44095.18 [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
11 Matt Ryan 2008-20228,4645,55165.5838118362,79293.59
12 Dan Marino 1983–19998,3584,96759.4342025261,36186.38
13 Ricky Ray 2002–2018CFL7,3014,97668.16 * 32417760,73698.23 ~ [26]
14 Aaron Rodgers Since 2005NFL7,6615,00165.2847510559,055103.60 *
15 Doug Flutie 1985–2005CFL/NFL/USFL7,2764,28658.9136923758,17987.82 [27] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
16 Eli Manning 2004–2019NFL8,1194,89460.2936624457,02384.08 [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
17 Matthew Stafford Since 20097,6494,83463.2035718056,04790.99
18 Danny McManus 1988–2006CFL/NFL6,6893,64054.4225928153,25576.01 [28]
19 Kevin Glenn 2001–2018CFL6,4344,06863.2329420752,86790.84 [29]
20 John Elway 1983–1999NFL7,2504,12356.8730022651,47579.86
21 Ron Lancaster 1960–1978CFL6,2333,38454.29333 ~ 396 * 50,535 ~ 72.44 [30]
22 Fran Tarkenton 1961–1978NFL6,467 ~ 3,686 ~ 57.00342 ~ 26647,00380.35 [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
23 Carson Palmer 2003–20176,3073,94162.4929418746,24787.89
24 Vinny Testaverde 1987–20076,7013,78756.5127526746,23375.00
25 Jim Kelly 1984–1996NFL/USFL5,9333,60460.7432019545,30988.81 [31] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
26 Drew Bledsoe 1993–2006NFL6,7173,83957.1525720644,61177.06 [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
27 Joe Flacco Since 20086,5034,00461.5724515543,93684.22
28 Matt Dunigan 1983–1996CFL5,4763,05755.8330621143,85784.55 [32]
29 Russell Wilson Since 2012NFL5,6653,66864.7533410643,653100.01 [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
30 Jeff Garcia 1994–2011CFL/NFL/UFL5,9553,64561.2128114643,30088.90 [33] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
31 Dan Fouts 1973-1987NFL5,6043,29758.8325424243,04080.23 [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
32 Kerry Collins 1995–20116,2613,48755.6920819640,92273.76
33 Joe Montana 1979–19945,3913,40963.2427313940,55192.26
34 Tracy Ham 1987–1999CFL4,9452,67053.9928416440,53486.56 [34]
35 Johnny Unitas 1956–1973NFL5,186 ~ 2,830 ~ 54.57290 ~ 25340,23978.20 [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

^* = Leader in category for outdoor gridiron football. ^~ = Former leader in category for outdoor gridiron football.

North American outdoor gridiron football leagues

The following leagues are eligible for inclusion for statistical purposes:
The following former leagues include statistics for players who attained the minimum 40,000 passing yards:

Notes:

Addendum

For the purpose of this list, indoor American football statistics have been excluded. While overall passing yards are not substantially greater in a given indoor football game compared to a CFL or NFL contest, the number of touchdowns in that form of the sport is far higher, and a list including them would invariably favor indoor football quarterbacks in the number of touchdowns thrown. Quarterbacks who would qualify for this list in yardage statistics if indoor football statistics are included are listed here separately:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Unitas</span> American football player (1933–2002)

John Constantine Unitas was an American football quarterback who played 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Baltimore Colts. Following a career that spanned from 1956 to 1973, he has been listed as one of the greatest NFL players of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren Moon</span> American gridiron football player (born 1956)

Harold Warren Moon is an American former football quarterback who played professionally for 23 seasons. He spent the majority of his career with the Houston Oilers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Moon also played for the NFL's Minnesota Vikings, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Kansas City Chiefs. He is considered one of the greatest undrafted players in NFL history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Elway</span> American football player and executive (born 1960)

John Albert Elway Jr. is an American former professional football quarterback who spent his entire 16-year career with the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). Following his playing career, he then spent 11 years with the Broncos in various front office positions, eventually being promoted to general manager. Elway, along with former backup quarterback and head coach Gary Kubiak, are the only individuals to be associated with all three of the Broncos' Super Bowl wins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Brady</span> American football player (born 1977)

Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots and was a central contributor to the franchise's dynasty from 2001 to 2019. In his final three seasons, he was a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady is widely regarded as the greatest quarterback of all time.

Passer rating is a measure of the performance of passers, primarily quarterbacks, in gridiron football. There are two formulas currently in use: one used by both the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL), and the other used in NCAA football. Passer rating is calculated using a player's passing attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns, and interceptions. Passer rating in the NFL is on a scale from 0 to 158.3. Passing efficiency in college football is on a scale from −731.6 to 1261.6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drew Brees</span> American football player and television analyst (born 1979)

Drew Christopher Brees is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is second all-time in career passing yards, career touchdown passes, career pass completions, and career completion percentage. Brees also holds the record of consecutive games with a touchdown pass, breaking the record held by Johnny Unitas for 52 years. He is regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Calvillo</span> Canadian-American football player and instructor

Anthony Calvillo is an American coach and retired player of Canadian football. He is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and a former professional Canadian football quarterback. He was professional football's all-time passing yards leader from 2011 to 2020, and is first in all-time CFL passing yards. In his career, he passed for 79,816 yards and is one of ten professional quarterbacks to have completed over 400 touchdown passes. His passing-yards reign ended in 2020 when Brees surpassed his record.

Joseph Carlton Ferguson Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was selected by the Bills in the third round of the 1973 NFL draft

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny McManus</span> American gridiron football player (born 1965)

Danny McManus is a former professional American football and Canadian football quarterback who passed for over 53,000 yards in seventeen seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He currently serves as the assistant general manager and director for U.S. scouting for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He played every season in the league from 1990 to 2006, as a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, BC Lions, Edmonton Eskimos, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and finally with the Calgary Stampeders. As of 2007, his all-time CFL passing yardage is third most next to Damon Allen and Anthony Calvillo. He worked as a color commentator for TSN's CFL broadcasts, having previously appeared as a guest analyst on the CFL on CBC late in his playing career. On December 2, 2013, he was named the assistant general manager and director of U.S. scouting for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Previous to that, he served as the director of scouting for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cecil Isbell</span> American football player and coach (1915–1985)

Cecil Frank Isbell was an American football quarterback and coach. He played 5 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Green Bay Packers, leading them to the NFL Championship in 1939. He retired after the 1942 season to become an assistant coach at his alma mater, Purdue University, and the following year became its head coach for three seasons.

Theron Joseph Rubley, is a former American professional gridiron football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL), World League of American Football (WLAF), and the Canadian Football League (CFL) during the 1990s. He played for the Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, and Denver Broncos of the NFL, the Rhein Fire of the WLAF, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Marino</span> American football player (born 1961)

Daniel Constantine Marino Jr. is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins and currently works for the same team since 2014 as a special advisor. He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers, earning first-team All-American honors in 1981. Marino was the last quarterback taken in the first round of the famed quarterback class of 1983. He held or currently holds dozens of NFL records associated with the quarterback position, and despite never being on a Super Bowl-winning team, he is recognized among the greatest quarterbacks in American football history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Tampa Bay Buccaneers–New England Patriots game</span> 2021 professional American football game

On October 3, 2021, during week 4 of the 2021 NFL season, the defending Super Bowl LV champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the hosting New England Patriots by a score of 19–17 on NBC Sunday Night Football. The game was highly anticipated as Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady played his first game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts against his former team, his long-time former coach Bill Belichick, and Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Brady had previously spent 20 seasons with the Patriots between 2000 and 2019, leading New England to a league-tying record of six championships. NBC Sports marketed the game with the tagline "The Return" in promotional material.

References

  1. ↑ "Who is pro football's all-time passing leader? Try Anthony Calvillo". USA Today. 2011-10-11. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Quarterbacks Who Played in the NFL and CFL". Rutgers.edu. Retrieved 2009-09-02.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "PFR Stats Attempts". ProFootballReference.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "PFR Stats Completions". ProFootballReference.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "PFR Stats Comp %". ProFootballReference.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "PFR Stats Touchdowns". ProFootballReference.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "PFR Stats Interceptions". ProFootballReference.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "PFR Stats Yardage". ProFootballReference.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "PFR Stats Rating". ProFootballReference.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  10. ↑ Drew Brees breaks Anthony Calvillo record
  11. ↑ Alouettes’ Calvillo breaks pro football's passing record
  12. ↑ "Argos' Allen is football's top passer". CBC Sports.ca. 2006-09-04. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
  13. ↑ Saints’ Drew Brees breaks Peyton Manning’s career touchdown pass record
  14. ↑ Peyton Manning breaks TD record
  15. 1 2 3 If Warren Moon was to combine his CFL and NFL stats he would rank second in the NFL
  16. ↑ Drew Brees passes Brett Favre for most career completions
  17. ↑ CALVILLO WILL NOT RETURN TO ALOUETTES THIS SEASON
  18. 1 2 "Anthony Calvillo CFL Statistics thru 2012". TotalFootballStats.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  19. ↑ By the numbers: playoff performers
  20. ↑ Pass Yards Reg+Post
  21. ↑ "Anthony Calvillo CFL Statistics Summary". CFLStats.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  22. ↑ "Damon Allen CFL Statistics". TotalFootballStats.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  23. ↑ "Jim Kelly CFL/NFL Statistics". ProFootballHoF.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  24. ↑ "Henry Burris CFL/NFL/NFLE Statistics thru 2012". TotalFootballStats.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  25. ↑ "Henry Burris CFL Statistics". CFL.ca. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  26. ↑ "Ricky Ray Stats". CFL.ca. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  27. ↑ "Doug Flutie CFL/NFL/USFL Statistics". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 2012-11-02. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  28. ↑ "Danny McManus CFL Stats". TotalFootballStatscom. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  29. ↑ "Kevin Glenn CFL stats". CFL.ca. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  30. ↑ "Ron Lancaster CFL Statistics". JustSportsStats.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  31. ↑ "Jim Kelly NFL/USFL Statistics". ProFootballHoF.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  32. ↑ "Matt Dunigan CFL Ststistics". TotalFootballStats.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  33. ↑ "Jeff García CFL/NFL/UFL Statistics". TotalFootballStats.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-20. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  34. ↑ "Tracy Ham CFL Statistics". TotalFootballStats.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  35. ↑ Highlights
  36. ↑ Kurt Warner – Profile
  37. 1 2 Kurt Warner jersey and football added to Hall's collection
  38. ↑ AFL Passing Records
  39. ↑ Claymores 1998 Statistics
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.