Quarterback is widely considered the most important and most difficult position to play in professional sports.
And while a few callers have put together great careers, there are always a few who have been able to make what we call “magical seasons.”
FOX Sports Research crunched the numbers and ranked the 10 best seasons ever produced by a quarterback.
While there are obvious choices near the top, there are also surprising names that made our list when we analyzed their performance.
Where do you rate the best season of your favorite quarterback?
Let’s take a look:
1. Tom Brady: Patriots, 2007
Tom Brady’s 2007 season was unprecedented. “TB12” became the first quarterback to ever throw 50 touchdown passes in a season and finished the year with an overall record of 16-0 – an NFL regular season record. He also led the league in completion rate (68.9%), passing yards (4,806) and yards per attempt (8.3).
Brady led New England’s dominance that year, as they outscored opponents by an average of 19.7 points per game— the highest point differential averaged during a Super Bowl (since 1966). The Patriots finished that year with an 18-1 record including the playoffs, losing to the Giants in the Super Bowl.
2. Peyton Manning: Broncos, 2013
Just six years after Brady set the NFL single-season mark for touchdown passes with 50, Peyton Manning topped the mark with 55 in 2013. He also broke the single-season passing yards record with 5,477 – a mark that still stands today. Manning also tied the single-game record for touchdown passes in a game that season, throwing seven in the season opener against the Ravens. He led the Broncos to a 13-3 record and reached the Super Bowl before losing to the Seahawks.
3. Patrick Mahomes: Chiefs, 2018
Patrick Mahomes’ 2018 campaign, his first season as a full-time starter, was unforgettable, as he became the third player in NFL history to throw 50 passes en route to winning his first MVP award. Mahomes joined Manning (2013) as the only players in league history to throw for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns in a season, and eventually led the Chiefs to a 12-4 record and an appearance in the AFC Championship Game. In that game, he was outscored by Tom Brady’s Patriots in overtime 37-31. He was only 23 at the time.
4. Dan Marino: Dolphins, 1984
Simply put, Dan Marino was ahead of his time. In 1984, he became the first player to ever throw for 5,000 yards in a season and remains the only player to do so before the turn of the 21st century. Marino also threw 48 touchdown passes that year, which was also an NFL record until Manning threw 49 in 2004. He led the Dolphins to a 14-2 record and was eventually beaten by Joe Montana’s 49ers in the Super Bowl.
5. Drew Brees: Saints, 2011
Before Manning set the single-season passing yardage record in 2013 with 5,477, Brees did it two seasons ago with 5,476. He led the Saints to a 13-3 record and finished the year with 46 passing touchdowns to go along with his record-setting total yardage. The Purdue product is one of six players ever to record a season with 5,000 passing yards and 40 touchdown passes, joining Brady, Mahomes, Manning, Marino, and Matthew Stafford. This was the second of his NFL record five 5,000-yard seasons. Brees would lead New Orleans to the divisional round of the playoffs, where they would lose to the 49ers.
Brady’s second season with Tampa Bay, which came at the age of 44, was one of the seven-time Super Bowl-champion’s best. Throwing for an NFL-high (and career-high) 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns, Brady led the Buckeyes to a 13-4 record and their first NFC South title in 14 years. Yes, this came one year after Brady & Co. who won Super Bowl LV.
7. Kurt Warner: Rams, 1999
Once released in 1994 out of Northern Iowa, Warner would end up turning the NFL world upside down in the last year of the 20th century, leading the Rams to a Super Bowl victory. Throwing for a then-record 414 yards and two touchdowns, Warner helped the Rams defeat the Tennessee Titans, 23-16. In the regular season, Warner totaled 4,353 passing yards, 41 passing touchdowns, 13 interceptions and a 109.2 grader average, while completing 65.1% of his passes. Warner’s total touchdowns, passer rating and completion percentage led the NFL.
8. Aaron Rodgers: Packers, 2011
Rodgers and the Packers put together a 2011 regular season, as they posted an NFL-best 15-1 record. During that time, Rodgers totaled 4,643 passing yards, 45 passing touchdowns, six interceptions and an NFL-record 122.5 passer rating, all while completing 68.3% of his passes. He put up those numbers despite being rested in Green Bay’s final regular season game. Rodgers won MVP honors.
9. Jalen Hurts: Eagles, 2022
In what was his second full season as their full-time quarterback, Hurts led the Philadelphia Eagles to Super Bowl LVII. In the regular season (15 games), Hurts totaled 3,701 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, six interceptions and a 101.5 passer rating, while completing 66.5% of his passes. He also rushed for 760 yards and 13 touchdowns, finishing as the runner-up for the league’s MVP. While in the losing effort, Hurts compiled 304 passing yards, 70 rushing yards and four combined touchdowns (three rushing, one passing) against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
10. Lamar Jackson: Ravens, 2019
In what was his first season as a full-time quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, Jackson put together an MVP campaign. In 15 games, Jackson totaled 3,127 passing yards, an NFL-best 36 passing touchdowns, six interceptions and a 113.3 passer rating, while completing 66.1% of his passes. He also rushed for 1,206 yards — an NFL record for a quarterback — and seven touchdowns, helping Baltimore to an NFL-best 14-2 finish.
Honorable Mention:
- Patrick Mahomes (2022)
- Peyton Manning (2004)
- Aaron Rodgers (2011)
- Cam Newton (2015)
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