Tom Brady Leads NFL History With 649 Touchdown Passes
Tom Brady holds the NFL career record with 649 passing touchdowns. See the top 10, playoff totals and how the record changed hands.
Tom Brady has the most career passing touchdowns in NFL history: 649 in the regular season. He finished his 23-year career with New England and Tampa Bay ahead of Drew Brees, who threw 571. Brady also holds the playoff record with 88 touchdown passes, bringing his regular-season-plus-postseason total to 737. Regular-season and playoff records are separate statistical categories. Sources: Associated Press retirement report and NFL combined career totals.
NFL career passing touchdown leaders
Totals checked October 28, 2026; regular season only. Active players’ totals can change during the season.
| Rank | Quarterback | Passing TDs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Brady | 649 |
| 2 | Drew Brees | 571 |
| 3 | Aaron Rodgers | 540 |
| 4 | Peyton Manning | 539 |
| 5 | Brett Favre | 508 |
| 6 | Matthew Stafford | 437 |
| 7 | Philip Rivers | 425 |
| 8 | Dan Marino | 420 |
| 9 | Ben Roethlisberger | 418 |
| 10 | Matt Ryan | 381 |
Source: Pro Football Reference’s career passing touchdown leaderboard. Rodgers and Stafford are active.
The latest change among the top five came on October 25, 2026, when Rodgers threw his 540th career touchdown pass to Pittsburgh tight end Darnell Washington, moving ahead of Manning into third place. He remained 31 behind Brees and 109 behind Brady. Source: Yahoo Sports’ game report.
A passing touchdown credits the player who throws the scoring pass. It is not a touchdown personally scored by that passer: the receiver gets the receiving touchdown, while a quarterback’s touchdown run belongs in his rushing total. For that distinction, see most touchdowns in NFL history: scored versus thrown.
How the record reached Brady
Brady’s arrival at the top was a running contest with Brees, not a single permanent handover.
On October 19, 2014, Peyton Manning broke Brett Favre’s record with touchdown pass No. 509, an eight-yard throw to Demaryius Thomas against San Francisco. Denver’s receivers marked the moment by playing keep-away with the ball before returning it to Manning. He eventually finished with 539. Sources: Associated Press game report and career leaderboard.
On December 16, 2019, Drew Brees passed Manning with No. 540, a five-yard touchdown to Josh Hill against Indianapolis. Brees threw four touchdowns that night and completed 29 of 30 passes in New Orleans’ 34–7 win. Brady was close behind, sitting on 538 career touchdown passes. Source: USA Today’s contemporary report.
Brady moved ahead on October 25, 2020, when his fourth touchdown pass against Las Vegas—to rookie Tyler Johnson—took him to 559. Source: Associated Press game report. But Brees reclaimed the lead on November 8, reaching 564 with four touchdown passes in a 38–3 victory over Brady’s Buccaneers. Source: Associated Press Saints–Buccaneers report.
Brees’ final season was 2020. Brady continued through 2022 and retired in 2023 with 649 regular-season touchdown passes—a lead of 78 over Brees. Longevity helped turn their close race into a substantial final margin. Sources: career leaderboard and Brady retirement report.
The single-season record is different
Peyton Manning holds the single-season passing touchdown record with 55 for Denver in 2013. Brady’s 50 in 2007 and Patrick Mahomes’ 50 in 2018 share second place. All three seasons used a 16-game regular-season schedule. Source: single-season leaderboard.
Schedule length matters when comparing eras. The NFL expanded from 14 regular-season games to 16 in 1978, then to 17 in 2021. That changes the number of opportunities available each year; career length changes it again. Brady’s 649 answers who threw the most, while comparisons of efficiency or peak performance require more than a career total. Source: NFL schedule expansion announcement.