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NFL all-time passing yard leaders: Will anyone ever catch Brady?

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.

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?

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.