In American football, passing, along with running (also referred to as rushing), is one of the two main methods of advancing the ball down the field. Passes are typically attempted by the quarterback, but any offensive player can attempt a pass provided they are behind the line of scrimmage. [2] To qualify as a passing play, the ball must have initially moved forward after leaving the hands of the passer; if the ball initially moved laterally or backwards, the play would instead be considered a running play. [3] A player who catches a forward pass is a receiver. Passing yards are measured in flat yards along one direction of the field, always starting from the line of scrimmage and ending at the point that the receiver is ruled down. If the receiver reaches the end zone and scores a touchdown, then the yardage measurement ends at the opposing team's goal line (the zero-yard line). Passing yards do not include incomplete throws. [4]
The National Football League (NFL) did not begin keeping official records until the 1932 season. [5] In addition to the overall NFL passing yards leaders, league record books recognize the passing yards leaders of the American Football League (AFL), which operated from 1960 to 1969 before being absorbed into the NFL in 1970. [6]
The record for passing yards in a season is held by Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos who passed for 5,477 yards in 2013. [1] Drew Brees has led the NFL in passing yards in seven seasons, more than any other quarterback in NFL history. [7] Brees has also passed for over 5,000 yards in a season five times, whereas no other player has done so more than twice. [8] Patrick Mahomes led the league in passing yards in 2022 and became the first player in the Super Bowl era to do so and win a league championship in the same season. [9] [10]
Symbol | Meaning |
---|---|
Leader | The player who recorded the most passing yards in the NFL |
Yds | The total number of passing yards the player had |
GP | The number of games played by a player during the season [upper-alpha 1] |
† | Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame |
^ | Active player |
* | Set the single-season passing yards record |
(#) | Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list |
Symbol | Meaning |
---|---|
Leader | The player who recorded the most passing yards in the AFL |
Yds | The total number of passing yards the player had |
GP | The number of games played by a player during the season |
† | Pro Football Hall of Fame member |
* | Player set the single-season passing yards record |
(#) | Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list |
Season | Leader | Yds | GP | Team | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1960 | Frank Tripucka | 3,038* | 14 | Denver Broncos | [16] [69] |
1961 | George Blanda † | 3,330* | 14 | Houston Oilers | [16] [70] |
1962 | Frank Tripucka (2) | 2,917 | 14 | Denver Broncos | [16] [69] |
1963 | George Blanda † (2) | 3,003 | 14 | Houston Oilers | [16] [70] |
1964 | Babe Parilli | 3,465* | 14 | Boston Patriots | [16] [71] |
1965 | John Hadl | 2,798 | 14 | San Diego Chargers | [16] [37] |
1966 | Joe Namath † | 3,379 | 14 | New York Jets | [16] [38] |
1967 | Joe Namath † (2) | 4,007* | 14 | New York Jets | [16] [38] |
1968 | John Hadl (2) | 3,473 | 14 | San Diego Chargers | [16] [37] |
1969 | Daryle Lamonica | 3,302 | 14 | Oakland Raiders | [16] [72] |
Count | Player | Seasons | Team(s) | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|
7 | Drew Brees | 2006, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014 – 2016 | New Orleans Saints | [16] [61] |
5 | Sonny Jurgensen | 1961, 1962, 1966, 1967, 1969 | Philadelphia Eagles (2), Washington Redskins (3) | [16] [34] |
Dan Marino | 1984 – 1986, 1988, 1992 | Miami Dolphins | [16] [46] | |
4 | Sammy Baugh | 1937, 1940, 1947, 1948 | Washington Redskins | [16] [20] |
Tom Brady | 2005, 2007, 2017, 2021 | New England Patriots (3), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1) | [16] [60] | |
Dan Fouts | 1979 – 1982 | San Diego Chargers | [16] [44] | |
Johnny Unitas | 1957, 1959, 1960, 1963 | Baltimore Colts | [16] [32] | |
3 | John Brodie | 1965, 1968, 1970 | San Francisco 49ers | [16] [36] |
John Hadl | 1965, 1968, 1971 | San Diego Chargers | [16] [37] | |
Arnie Herber | 1932, 1934, 1936 | Green Bay Packers | [16] [17] | |
Peyton Manning | 2000, 2003, 2013 | Indianapolis Colts (2), Denver Broncos (1) | [16] [56] |
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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 has worked with them 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.
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