NFL Passing Leaders: All-Time Yards
With Tom Brady officially calling it a career on Feb. 1, the NFL's all-time passing yardage leader will no longer be adding to his enormous number. Brady took the mantle from Drew Brees on Oct. 3, 2021, and leaves the game after setting an extremely high bar in this and numerous other categories.
Related: NFL's All-Time Touchdown Pass Leaders
Here is who Brady literally passed or stayed ahead of on his way to the top.
Note: This list covers regular-season games only. Stats for active players (marked by *) are through the 2022 regular season.
NFL All-Time Passing Yards Leaders List
10. Eli Manning (57,023 yards)
While it doesn’t add to his career totals, Manning holds the record for most passing yards in a postseason with 1,219.
9. Aaron Rodgers* (59,055 yards)
A four-time MVP, Rodgers' career high in passing yards came in 2011 when he threw for 4,643.
8. Dan Marino (61,361 yards)
Marino was the first to pass for more than 5,000 yards in a single season, a feat only achieved by four other quarterbacks.
7. Matt Ryan* (62,792 yards)
"Matty Ice" cracked this list in just a little over 12 seasons, thanks in part to his career average of 268.3 passing yards per game.
6. Philip Rivers (63,440 yards)
Rivers' 63,440 career passing yards are the most for any quarterback who never played in a Super Bowl.
5. Ben Roethlisberger (64,088 yards)
"Big Ben" holds the record for most games with more than 500 passing yards, having reached that milestone four times.
4. Brett Favre (71,838 yards)
As with the two ahead of him, Favre retired from pro football holding the top spot on this list.
3. Peyton Manning (71,940 yards)
Manning’s 5,477 passing yards in 2013 is still an NFL record.
2. Drew Brees (80,358 yards)
Brees threw for more than 5,000 yards in a season four times in his career.
1. Tom Brady (89,214 yards)
Now that Brady appears to be done "for good" after 23 seasons, the question becomes will anyone ever pass him? He also finishes with 13,400 yards in 48 career playoff games. That brings his overall total to 102,614 yards. And don't forget that in 2021, he led the league with 5,316 passing yards, the third-highest total in NFL history. Yes, he did this in 17 games as the schedule expanded, but he also was 44 years old that season.