NFL passing yardage record: Tom Brady set to write poetic QB history at Patriots reunion

Tom Brady only needs 68 yards to pass Drew Brees for the most regular-season yards of all time by an NFL quarterback.

When he steps onto the field at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, this time wearing the Buccaneers uniform, he is almost certain to clinch the record. It will be just the latest in a long list of records held by the future Hall of Fame quarterback, who, among other things, claims the most Super Bowl rings, the most assists of touchdown and the most wins of any quarterback in NFL history.

Brady has regularly climbed to the top of the passing yard list. While three other active quarterbacks are in the top 10, none appear to be within striking distance of the mark.

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With Brady likely to take the record on « Sunday Night Football, » Sporting News takes a look at other names at the top of the passing yard list, records held by Brady which, if any, may reach Brady soon. . -being record.

NFL Passing Yard Record

The regular season passing yardage record has been in the hands of several different players over the years.

Johnny Unitas retired as leader in 1973 at 40,239, the first QB to reach 40,000. Fran Tarkenton held the record when he called it a career in 1978 at 47,003. Dan Marino held the record at 61,361 until Brett Favre overtook him in 2007, his final year with the Packers. Peyton Manning broke Favre’s record of 71,838 in 2015 and retired with 71,940, a number that held until Brees set the new record in 2018. Brees retired at the end of the season 2020 with 80,358.

Only 11 quarterbacks have reached 50,000 passing yards in the regular season in their careers. Here are the players ranked by most career passing yards.

Had the standings included playoff numbers, Brady would have taken the lead over Brees some time ago. Brady has 12,449 passing yards in the playoffs compared to Brees’ 5,366.

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What records does Tom Brady hold?

In addition to the passing yards in the aforementioned playoffs, Brady holds a number of other records.

We won’t even start breaking into all the records he holds because there are so many. But here are some of the highlights.

• 591 regular season pass touchdowns
• 83 pass touchdowns in the playoffs
• 266 quarterback wins
• 63 winning records
• 215 games with multiple touchdown passes
• 10 straight playoff wins to start an NFL career
• 11 consecutive seasons of 11 wins as a QB

This is just the beginning. He is also the only quarterback with 40 TD seasons in the AFC and NFC.

In addition to these recordings, Brady has a number of recognitions where the simple addition of the « oldest » prefix in front is true. Brady is the oldest quarterback in NFL history to achieve the following goals:

• Be named MVP (40)
• Be named Super Bowl MVP (43)
• Win a Super Bowl (43)
• Win the AFC (41)
• Earn the NFC (43)
• Throwing a touchdown pass in the playoffs (43)

How many passing yards could Brady end his career with?

There is no precedent for what Brady was able to do.

Before Brady, only Favre had collected more than 4,000 passing yards in a season at 40 or older. Brady has done it four times, and with one of the league’s most talented receiving groups and a 17th Game this season, he’s likely to do it again, health permitting.

Last year, he had 4,633 passing yards in the regular season. It’s the most of all the seasons he’s had in his forties. He’s gone at an unreal pace to start this year because he already has 1,087 yards under his belt. If he maintains that pace of 362.3 yards per game, he will end the season with 6,160 yards, which would put him at 85,364 for his career. Give him another season, and he might hit 90,000. Another three or four seasons, and he might hit 100,000.

George Blanda is the oldest quarterback to ever pass in the NFL, having finished at 48 in 1975. But no QB over 42 has even started 10 games apart from Brady, according to Stathead . He said earlier this season that he believed he could play until he was 50. Can he really continue to post 4,000-yard passing seasons? Do we have any reason to doubt him?

Sport is in uncharted waters with Brady.

QBs most likely to catch Brady

It’s going to be a long time before someone catches Brady in yards or passing touchdowns, especially since it looks like he could stay in the NFL a bit longer.

But league players will have an advantage to help catch up with Brady: 17 game seasons. Brady has spent his entire career at this point with just 16 seasons of games, giving the next generation of players one extra game a year to add to their career totals.

So who can catch Brady?

Starting with the obvious: Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs QB star already has 15,092 passing yards and he’s only 26, the longest quarterback in NFL history in his first 50 starts (he’s 49). He’s thrown at least 4,000 yards every season he’s been a starter. Mahomes is signed with the Chiefs until 2031, and although it would take him much more than 10 years to catch up with Brady, he would only be 36 when the deal expires; there are currently four quarterbacks in league 36 or more.

There are a few young QBs who have a promising start. Justin Herbert had the second-most passing yards by a QB 22 and under last season at 4,336, and he also opened the 2021 campaign on a strong footing. Josh Allen has up to 10,514 passing yards and is only 25 years old with two seasons already with over 3,000 passing yards. Kyler Murray started his NFL career with two seasons of at least 3,700 passing yards and he is only 24 years old.

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Then there are a few with external chances. Trevor Lawrence is only 21 and entered the NFL with as much acclaim and hype as any QB in recent memory, but his rookie season has not started well. Jameis Winston had more passing yards than any quarterback before he was 26, is currently 20,199 yards and passed for 5,109 yards in 2019, but throwing 30 interceptions in a season won’t l ‘will not help to keep a starting job. Jared Goff is about to turn 27 and has 18,972 yards, so he too has at least racked up some big yards early on. Yeah, it’s so hard to see someone catch Brady right now that we’re looking at guys like Winston and Goff.

It’s not easy to see who could be the next all-time point guard for passing yards. It’s not just about hot starts, it’s about staying consistent over the years. Brady has thrown over 4,000 yards each season since he was 40. There is no precedent for this level of success, and even with 17 games per season, it would take that level of production to hit the record.