List of NFL annual passing yards leaders

Peyton Manning holding his helmet
Peyton Manning holds the single-season passing yards record, passing for 5,477 yards in 2013.[1]

In American football, passing, along with running (also referred to as rushing), is one of the two main methods of advancing the ball down the field. Passes are typically attempted by the quarterback, but any offensive player can attempt a pass provided they are behind the line of scrimmage.[2] To qualify as a passing play, the ball must have initially moved forward after leaving the hands of the passer; if the ball initially moved laterally or backwards, the play would instead be considered a running play.[3] A player who catches a forward pass is a receiver. Passing yards are measured in flat yards along one direction of the field, always starting from the line of scrimmage and ending at the point that the receiver is ruled down. If the receiver reaches the end zone and scores a touchdown, then the yardage measurement ends at the opposing team's goal line (the zero-yard line). Passing yards do not include incomplete throws.[4]

The National Football League (NFL) did not begin keeping official records until the 1932 season.[5] In addition to the overall NFL passing yards leaders, league record books recognize the passing yards leaders of the American Football League (AFL), which operated from 1960 to 1969 before being absorbed into the NFL in 1970.[6]

The record for passing yards in a season is held by Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos who passed for 5,477 yards in 2013.[1] Drew Brees has led the NFL in passing yards in seven seasons, more than any other quarterback in NFL history.[7] Brees has also passed for over 5,000 yards in a season five times, whereas no other player has done so more than twice.[8] Patrick Mahomes led the league in passing yards in 2022 and became the first player in the Super Bowl era to do so and win a league championship in the same season.[9][10]

  1. ^ a b "NFL Passing Yards Single-Season Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  2. ^ "Beginner's Guide to Football". National Football League. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  3. ^ Brinson, Will (December 31, 2013). "NFL, Elias reviewing Daniel Clark passing record: lateral or pass?". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  4. ^ "2022 NFL Rulebook". National Football League. Archived from the original on April 23, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  5. ^ "NFL's Passer Rating". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  6. ^ NFL Communications (2022). "2022 NFL Fact and Record Book" (PDF). National Football League. p. 550. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 21, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  7. ^ Reineking, Jim (March 15, 2021). "Drew Brees retires from NFL after 20 seasons: Here are his most impressive feats". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  8. ^ Williams, Charean (January 1, 2023). "Patrick Mahomes is third quarterback with multiple 5,000-yard seasons". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on July 17, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  9. ^ Fabiano, Michael (February 10, 2023). "Super Bowl Betting Trends: NFL Passing Yard Leaders Are 0–6". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  10. ^ Alper, Josh (February 13, 2023). "Patrick Mahomes is first regular season passing yards leader to win Super Bowl". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved August 31, 2023.