The current signal-caller for the Green Bay Packers has surpassed a legendary figure from the annals of Pittsburgh Steelers history. This individual, Aaron Rodgers, now occupies the fifth spot in the all-time career passing yards leaderboard in the NFL, having overtaken Ben Roethlisberger during the recent Thursday night contest versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
Mr. Rodgers, who recently moved ahead of his former teammate, Brett Favre, securing the fourth position in career touchdown passes, is now only behind Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Mr. Favre in terms of total passing yardage achieved over the course of a career. This represents a noteworthy accomplishment, especially when considering that Mr. Rodgers dedicated his initial three seasons in the NFL as Mr. Favre’s understudy with the Green Bay Packers. Further, he encountered a setback, missing almost all of the 2023 season after sustaining an Achilles injury early in Week 1.
Mr. Rodgers is the first quarterback to advance beyond Mr. Roethlisberger in passing yards since the latter retired at the conclusion of the 2021 season. The decisive play occurred when Mr. Rodgers connected with Jaylen Warren for a 15-yard gain shortly before the two-minute warning on Thursday evening.
NFL’s all-time career passing leaders
|
1. |
Tom Brady |
89,214 |
|
2. |
Drew Brees |
80,358 |
|
3. |
Peyton Manning |
71,940 |
|
4. |
Brett Favre |
71,838 |
|
5. |
Aaron Rodgers |
64,222 |
|
6. |
Ben Roethlisberger |
64,088 |
|
7. |
Philip Rivers |
63,440 |
|
8. |
Matt Ryan |
62,792 |
|
9. |
Dan Marino |
61,361 |
|
10. |
Matthew Stafford |
61,312 |
Mr. Roethlisberger, who earned Pro Bowl honors six times, holds the eighth position in career passing touchdowns. In 2004, he received the Offensive Rookie of the Year distinction, leading Pittsburgh to a 12-0 record as their starting quarterback during the regular season. In the subsequent season, Mr. Roethlisberger achieved the milestone of becoming the youngest quarterback to secure a Super Bowl victory, while also being the first to accomplish this feat as a sixth-seeded team.
In 2008, Mr. Roethlisberger obtained his second Super Bowl ring after delivering the game-winning touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes during Super Bowl XLIII. Later, two years after that, he and the Steelers fell short against Mr. Rodgers’ Packers in what became Pittsburgh’s most recent Super Bowl appearance with Mr. Roethlisberger at the helm.
Even though he didn’t secure another title, Mr. Roethlisberger experienced some unforgettable moments during the latter part of his career, demonstrating more significant prowess compared to his earlier years.
In 2014, he achieved his first passing title and also earned distinction as the inaugural quarterback to throw for six touchdowns in two consecutive games. In the following season, he topped the NFL in average passing yards per game for the second consecutive year and nearly guided Pittsburgh to a stunning victory over the eventual champion Broncos in the divisional round of the playoffs.
In 2017, Mr. Roethlisberger distinguished himself as the first quarterback to register three career games with at least 500 passing yards, after amassing 506 yards in a victory over the Ravens. After a year, he achieved his second passing title and aligned with Brady, Manning, Brees, Stafford, Dan Marino, and Patrick Mahomes as the only quarterbacks at that point to surpass 5,000 passing yards in a season.
Since Mr. Roethlisberger’s retirement in January of 2022, Pittsburgh has been making diligent efforts to identify his long-term successor. Even if Mr. Rodgers may not be the ultimate solution for Pittsburgh’s future, the 41-year-old is performing at a level not witnessed by the Steelers at the quarterback position since Mr. Roethlisberger decided to conclude his time on the gridiron.
The Steelers harbor aspirations that Mr. Rodgers can translate his achievements into the team’s initial playoff appearance since Mr. Roethlisberger assisted Pittsburgh in defeating the Chiefs in the 2016 divisional round.
