Tom Brady holds the record for most passing touchdowns with 649, followed by Drew Brees with 571 and Peyton Manning with 539. Aaron Rodgers leads all active players with 475 career passing touchdowns. Brady also is the record holder for the most career playoff passing touchdowns with 88. He is followed by Joe Montana and Rodgers, with both tied at 45. Rodgers leads all active players in career playoff passing touchdowns. The longest career passing touchdown record holder was Fran Tarkenton, who held the record from 1975 to 1994.[2]
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.[3] 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.[4] A player who catches a forward pass is called a receiver. A touchdown pass is a pass thrown from a passer to a receiver that results in a touchdown being scored. To be counted as a touchdown pass, the ball can be caught within the field of play and advanced by the receiver into the end zone, or caught by a receiver within the boundaries of the end zone.[5] The number of passing touchdowns a player makes is a recorded statistic in football games. In addition to the overall National Football League (NFL) passing touchdown leaders, league record books recognize the passing touchdown leaders of the American Football League (AFL), which operated from 1960 to 1969 before being absorbed into the NFL in 1970.[6]
Symbol | Meaning |
---|---|
TDs | Total passing touchdowns |
GP | Games played |
† | Pro Football Hall of Fame member |
^ | Active player |
Bolded player(s) indicate making their debut on list. Through 2023 season.
Based on 15 TD passes minimum. Through 2023 playoffs.
Symbol | Meaning |
---|---|
TDs | Total passing touchdowns |
GP | Games played |
† | Pro Football Hall of Fame member |
^ | Active player |
Sixteen players are recognized as having held outright or tied the record as the NFL's career passing touchdowns leader.[69]