NFL All-Time Passing Yards Leaders, 1970 to 2025

Tom Brady holds the NFL career passing yards record with 89,214. Drew Brees is second with 80,358, and Peyton Manning is third with 71,940.

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What the data shows

In 2025, Tom Brady ranks #1 with 89,214, ahead of Drew Brees (80,358) and Peyton Manning (71,940).
Back in 1970, Johnny Unitas was #1 with 37,715.
The top spot changed hands 6 times, first to Fran Tarkenton in 1976, most recently to Tom Brady in 2021.
Biggest climber: Matthew Stafford, from #12 in 2009 to #6 in 2025.

About this chart

Tom Brady finished with 89,214 career passing yards, nearly 9,000 more than second-place Drew Brees (80,358). Brady passed Brees for the all-time lead in 2021, when he reached 84,520. The chain before him was Brees over Manning in 2018, Manning over Favre in 2015, Favre over Dan Marino in 2007 and Marino over Fran Tarkenton in 1995.

Peyton Manning (71,940) and Brett Favre (71,838) are third and fourth. Aaron Rodgers has 66,274 through the 2025 season, fifth, ahead of Matthew Stafford (64,516), Ben Roethlisberger (64,088) and Philip Rivers (63,984). Matt Ryan (62,792) is ninth, ahead of Marino. The series starts in 1970 with Johnny Unitas as leader, and Tarkenton led by the end of 1976. Regular season only.

The data

Source: Wikipedia player career-statistics tables (regular season; parsed from raw wikitext), summed per season into cumulative career totals at each season's end; career totals cross-checked against Wikipedia's career-leaders list for the same stat. Retrieved November 4, 2026. Column = NFL season (e.g. 2025 = 2025 season, played Sep 2025-Jan 2026). Regular season only. Seasons after 2025 are excluded (2026 season in progress on 2026-11-04). Players keep their final total after retiring. The series starts in 1970 (Unitas, already the record holder, is 37,715 yards at that point); earlier record holders Sammy Baugh, Bobby Layne and Y.A. Tittle are not shown.

NFL All-Time Passing Yards Leaders, Career regular-season passing yards, cumulative, 1970-2025, 1970–2025
Date	🇺🇸 Tom Brady	🇺🇸 Drew Brees	🇺🇸 Peyton Manning	🇺🇸 Brett Favre	🇺🇸 Aaron Rodgers	🇺🇸 Matthew Stafford	🇺🇸 Ben Roethlisberger	🇺🇸 Philip Rivers	🇺🇸 Matt Ryan	🇺🇸 Dan Marino	🇺🇸 Fran Tarkenton	🇺🇸 Johnny Unitas
1970	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	25,917	37,715
1971	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	28,484	38,657
1972	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	31,135	39,768
1973	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	33,248	40,239
1974	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	35,846	40,239
1975	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	38,840	40,239
1976	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	41,801	40,239
1977	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	43,535	40,239
1978	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	47,003	40,239
1979	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	47,003	40,239
1980	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	47,003	40,239
1981	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	47,003	40,239
1982	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	47,003	40,239
1983	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2,210	47,003	40,239
1984	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7,294	47,003	40,239
1985	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	11,431	47,003	40,239
1986	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	16,177	47,003	40,239
1987	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	19,422	47,003	40,239
1988	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	23,856	47,003	40,239
1989	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27,853	47,003	40,239
1990	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	31,416	47,003	40,239
1991	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	35,386	47,003	40,239
1992	0	0	0	3,227	0	0	0	0	0	39,502	47,003	40,239
1993	0	0	0	6,530	0	0	0	0	0	40,720	47,003	40,239
1994	0	0	0	10,412	0	0	0	0	0	45,173	47,003	40,239
1995	0	0	0	14,825	0	0	0	0	0	48,841	47,003	40,239
1996	0	0	0	18,724	0	0	0	0	0	51,636	47,003	40,239
1997	0	0	0	22,591	0	0	0	0	0	55,416	47,003	40,239
1998	0	0	3,739	26,803	0	0	0	0	0	58,913	47,003	40,239
1999	0	0	7,874	30,894	0	0	0	0	0	61,361	47,003	40,239
2000	6	0	12,287	34,706	0	0	0	0	0	61,361	47,003	40,239
2001	2,849	221	16,418	38,627	0	0	0	0	0	61,361	47,003	40,239
2002	6,613	3,505	20,618	42,285	0	0	0	0	0	61,361	47,003	40,239
2003	10,233	5,613	24,885	45,646	0	0	0	0	0	61,361	47,003	40,239
2004	13,925	8,772	29,442	49,734	0	0	2,621	33	0	61,361	47,003	40,239
2005	18,035	12,348	33,189	53,615	65	0	5,006	148	0	61,361	47,003	40,239
2006	21,564	16,766	37,586	57,500	111	0	8,519	3,536	0	61,361	47,003	40,239
2007	26,370	21,189	41,626	61,655	329	0	11,673	6,688	0	61,361	47,003	40,239
2008	26,446	26,258	45,628	65,127	4,367	0	14,974	10,697	3,440	61,361	47,003	40,239
2009	30,844	30,646	50,128	69,329	8,801	2,267	19,302	14,951	6,356	61,361	47,003	40,239
2010	34,744	35,266	54,828	71,838	12,723	2,802	22,502	19,661	10,061	61,361	47,003	40,239
2011	39,979	40,742	54,828	71,838	17,366	7,840	26,579	24,285	14,238	61,361	47,003	40,239
2012	44,806	45,919	59,487	71,838	21,661	12,807	29,844	27,891	18,957	61,361	47,003	40,239
2013	49,149	51,081	64,964	71,838	24,197	17,457	34,105	32,369	23,472	61,361	47,003	40,239
2014	53,258	56,033	69,691	71,838	28,578	21,714	39,057	36,655	28,166	61,361	47,003	40,239
2015	58,028	60,903	71,940	71,838	32,399	25,976	42,995	41,447	32,757	61,361	47,003	40,239
2016	61,582	66,111	71,940	71,838	36,827	30,303	46,814	45,833	37,701	61,361	47,003	40,239
2017	66,159	70,445	71,940	71,838	38,502	34,749	51,065	50,348	41,796	61,361	47,003	40,239
2018	70,514	74,437	71,940	71,838	42,944	38,526	56,194	54,656	46,720	61,361	47,003	40,239
2019	74,571	77,416	71,940	71,838	46,946	41,025	56,545	59,271	51,186	61,361	47,003	40,239
2020	79,204	80,358	71,940	71,838	51,245	45,109	60,348	63,440	55,767	61,361	47,003	40,239
2021	84,520	80,358	71,940	71,838	55,360	49,995	64,088	63,440	59,735	61,361	47,003	40,239
2022	89,214	80,358	71,940	71,838	59,055	52,082	64,088	63,440	62,792	61,361	47,003	40,239
2023	89,214	80,358	71,940	71,838	59,055	56,047	64,088	63,440	62,792	61,361	47,003	40,239
2024	89,214	80,358	71,940	71,838	62,952	59,809	64,088	63,440	62,792	61,361	47,003	40,239
2025	89,214	80,358	71,940	71,838	66,274	64,516	64,088	63,984	62,792	61,361	47,003	40,239

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Frequently asked questions

Who has the most passing yards in NFL history?

Tom Brady has the most, with 89,214 regular-season passing yards. Drew Brees is second with 80,358 and Peyton Manning third with 71,940.

When did Tom Brady pass Drew Brees for the passing yards record?

Brady passed Brees during the 2021 season, finishing that year with 84,520 yards. Brees had passed Peyton Manning for the lead in 2018.

Where does Aaron Rodgers rank in career passing yards?

Aaron Rodgers ranks fifth, with 66,274 passing yards through the 2025 season. Matthew Stafford (64,516) is next, ahead of Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers.

Where does this data come from?

Wikipedia player career-statistics tables (regular season; parsed from raw wikitext), summed per season into cumulative career totals at each season's end; career totals cross-checked against Wikipedia's career-leaders list for the same stat. Retrieved November 4, 2026. Column = NFL season (e.g. 2025 = 2025 season, played Sep 2025-Jan 2026). Regular season only. Seasons after 2025 are excluded (2026 season in progress on 2026-11-04). Players keep their final total after retiring. The series starts in 1970 (Unitas, already the record holder, is 37,715 yards at that point); earlier record holders Sammy Baugh, Bobby Layne and Y.A. Tittle are not shown. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.

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