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NFL all-time passing yard leaders: Will anyone ever catch Brady? originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Tom Brady continues to push off Father Time.
Despite being 45 years old, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback eclipsed 4,000 yards passing for the sixth consecutive season in 2022. He ranked third in the NFL with 4,694 yards, trailing only Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert.
Brady isn’t chasing anyone on the NFL’s all-time passing list, he’s just continuously increasing the record. After supplanting Drew Brees for the top spot in October 2021, Brady is now nearly 9,000 yards clear of the former New Orleans Saints QB at 89,214.
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Should Brady come back for a 24th season in 2023, he’ll be in line to become the first signal caller to reach the 90,000-yard milestone.
So what does the rest of the all-time passing leaderboard look like?
Who are the NFL’s all-time passing leaders?
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Peyton Manning (71,940 yards), Brett Favre (71,838) and Ben Roethlisberger (64,088) round out the top five behind Brady and Brees.
The first active player other than Brady comes in at No. 7 with Matt Ryan (62,792 yards), followed by Aaron Rodgers at No. 9 (59,055), Matthew Stafford at No. 11 (52,082) and Joe Flacco at No. 19 (42,320). Those four quarterbacks could continue to climb up the list, but none have a realistic shot at catching Brady.
Among notable active players further down the list are Patrick Mahomes in 84th (24,241 yards), Josh Allen in 126th (18,397) and Justin Herbert in 168th (14,089). Suffice to say, it will be a while before we see a name other than Tom Brady at the No. 1 spot.
Here’s a full look at the top 20 all-time passing leaders (active players in bold):
- Tom Brady: 89,214
- Drew Brees: 80,358
- Peyton Manning: 71,940
- Brett Favre: 71,838
- Ben Roethlisberger: 64,088
- Philip Rivers: 63,440
- Matt Ryan: 62,792
- Dan Marino: 61,361
- Aaron Rodgers: 59,055
- Eli Manning: 57,023
- Matthew Stafford: 52,082
- John Elway: 51,475
- Warren Moon: 49,325
- Fran Tarkenton: 47,003
- Carson Palmer: 46,247
- Vinny Testaverde: 46,233
- Drew Bledsoe: 44,611
- Dan Fouts: 43,040
- Joe Flacco: 42,320
- Kerry Collins: 40,922
Who has the most touchdown passes in NFL history?
Surprise, surprise: Brady also owns the record in this category.
And just like passing yards, Brady bested Brees’ previous record mark (571). After throwing 25 TDs in 2022, Brady is up to 649 for his career.
Here’s a look at the top 10 all-time leaders in passing touchdowns (active players in bold):
- Tom Brady: 649
- Drew Brees: 571
- Peyton Manning: 539
- Brett Favre: 508
- Aaron Rodgers: 475
- Philip Rivers: 421
- Dan Marino: 420
- Ben Roethlisberger: 418
- Matt Ryan: 381
- Eli Manning: 366
What QB has the most 5,000-yard seasons?
Brees still owns this record over Brady.
No quarterback has put together more seasons with 5,000-plus passing yards than Brees with five. Brady and Patrick Mahomes are the only other QBs to achieve the rare feat multiple times, each doing so twice. Mahomes just had his second 5,000-yard season, throwing for 5,250 in 2022.
Dan Marino, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Jameis Winston, Matthew Stafford and Justin Herbert reached the 5,000-yard mark once.
