Evolution Of The Touchdown Pass Record

During the broadcast of Sunday's Drew Brees-Tom Brady passing duel, it was billed as a duel, there was a graphic that showed the evolution of the touchdown pass record. It's no surprise that the holders of the record includes some of the best quarterbacks in league history. The most interesting aspect of the list is the duration that each quarterback held the coveted record. It starts with Sammy Baugh. While he didn't throw the first touchdown pass in NFL history he was the first to throw touchdown passes in bunches. Well, bunches by 1940 standards. 

Here are the quarterbacks that have held the NFL record for touchdown passes and the duration with which each held it. 

187  Sammy Baugh, 1943-62

196  Bobby Layne, 1962-63

212  Y.A. Tittle, 1963-66

290  John Unitas, 1966-75

342  Fran Tarkenton, 1975-95

420  Dan Marino, 1995-2007

508  Brett Favre, 2007-14

539  Peyton Manning, 2014-19

560  Drew Brees, 2019-20

561  Tom Brady, 2020

564  Drew Brees, 2020

It's fun to see this "in real time" back and forth between Tom Brady and Drew Brees. In Sunday's duel that wasn't a duel, Brees out-dueled Brady in touchdown passes 4-0. Advantage Brees. 

All but one of the record-holders was a playing peer with the quarterback that would eventually take his record away. The exception was Fran Tarkenton. He had been retired for five years by the time Dan Marino entered the league. That's the reason why Tarkenton held the record for twenty years. It's the longest that any quarterback has held the record. 

Sammy Baugh threw touchdown passes at a rate never before seen. He set the record only six years into his playing career and held it for the remainder of his career. He then held it for ten years after his retirement. His 19 years as the record-holder is edged by Tarkenton's 20. 

Speaking of quarterbacking duels, Bobby Layne and Y.A. Tittle started dueling as Texas high school quarterbacks. Tittle at Marshall High School. Layne at Dallas Highland Park. Both were recruited by Texas. Tittle chose LSU. Layne chose Texas. They were quarterback peers and conference rivals in the NFL. Layne's Detroit Lions were great throughout the 1950s. Tittle's San Francisco 49ers were a usually a touch below. The Lions defeated the 49ers in a wild playoff game in 1957 but Layne was injured earlier in the season. 

Speaking of Texas quarterbacks, four of the holders of the record for touchdown passes started throwing touchdowns for Texas High Schools. 

Sammy Baugh

Bobby Layne

Y.A. Tittle

Drew Brees

Pennsylvania claims two.

John Unitas

Dan Marino

Not only were both from Pennsylvania, both were born in Pittsburgh.

As for the origins of the other record-holders:

Fran Tarkenton: Georgia

Brett Favre: Mississippi

Peyton Manning: Louisiana

Tom Brady: California

So, which quarterback will be the next holder of the NFL's touchdown passes record? The winner of the Brady-Brees touchdown passing duel could hold the record for a while. Among active quarterbacks, Philip Rivers (407) is next on the list. He's too close to the end of his career to run down the record. Then there's Aaron Rodgers (388), Ben Roethlisberger (381), and Matt Ryan (336). Rodgers would need to average about 35 touchdown throws over the next five years to reach Brady and Brees. That's doable. The problem is that Brady and Brees keep adding to their totals. Well, Brady usually adds to his totals. Then there's Matthew Stafford (270) and Russell Wilson (255). Both would have to more than double what they've already done. Of those active leaders, Rodgers has the best shot to chase down Brady and Brees. Maybe even a good shot. If Rodgers doesn't do it, even if he does do it, the next one to watch is Patrick Mahomes. The way he's playing, it might only take a couple years for his to hold every passing record in the books.