HOME HALL OF FAMERS PLAN YOUR VISIT SHOP

History Story

Home Football History History News Archive   4,000-yard passers
email page email print page print

4,000-yard passers

Peyton Manning holds the NFL record of 12 seasons with 4,000 yards passing.

A record 11 different quarterbacks passed for more than 4,000 yards in 2012. Leading the way was New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees who became the first quarterback in NFL history to eclipse the 5,000-yard mark in consecutive seasons. Brees passed for a league-leading 5,177 yards this season as he recorded his third 5,000-yard season of his career.  It also marked the seventh straight year that Brees has thrown for 4,000 yards.

The only passer with more 4,000-yard seasons in a career than Brees is Peyton Manning. The veteran QB, playing his first season with the Denver Broncos, reached 4,000 yards passing for the 12th time of his career as he threw for 4,659 yards while leading the Broncos to a division title in 2012.

Two newcomers to the “4k club” included Josh Freeman of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts rookie Andrew Luck who set a rookie record with 4,374 yards.

Most 4,000-yard passers
in a season
11 - 2012
10 - 2009, 2011
7 - 2007
All of the other 4,000-yard passers in 2012 have previously hit the mark. Tom Brady of the New England Patriots chalked up his fifth 4,000-yard season with an AFC-leading 4,827 yards. Meanwhile Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers and Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys reached the milestone for the fourth time.

Carson Palmer, who threw for 4,000 yards twice as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, eclipsed the plateau this season with the Oakland Raiders. The Houston Texans Matt Schaub also threw for 4,000 yards for the third time of his career. The other passers reaching the 4,000-yard mark for the second time in their careers include the Atlanta Falcons Matt Ryan and the Detroit Lions Matthew Stafford.

Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath of the New York Jets was the first quarterback in pro football history to throw for 4,000 yards in a season when he accumulated 4,007 yards in 1967. See video>>>

Overall, there have been 48 different quarterbacks who've passed for 4,000 yards in a season. The group has combined to do so 110 times.

 
Namath, Joe, New York Jets
Recent Comments
    First time posting? A confirmation email will be sent to you after submitting.

    Your Comments



    Your email address is required to confirm your comments. Email addresses are never displayed to other users and they are not used for any other purposes other than story comments.

    Once you enter your email address, name, and comment, you will be emailed a link to confirm your comment. Additionally, you will be sent a password. In the future, if you wish to leave other comments, use the password that is provided in the email.