Top 10 quarterbacks with the most touchdowns in American Football

Top 10 quarterbacks with the most touchdowns in American Football

Ciku Njuguna
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:13 PM

Out of the four ways to score in American football, a touchdown is one of the most important methods of scoring the highest number of points for a team. As a result, the quarterbacks with the most touchdowns have earned fame and recognition from their teams and millions of fans.

Which NFL quarterback holds the most records?
Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers yells as he takes the field against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in February 2021 in Tampa, Florida. Photo by Patrick Smith.
Source: Getty Images

Players such as Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning have risen in the league to become some of the quarterbacks with the most touchdowns in NFL history. Read on and discover more about the top 10 NFL passing touchdown leaders in 2022.

The top 10 NFL quarterbacks with the most passing touchdowns

Although all the players in this list are quarterbacks, several non-quarterback players are leading the NFL in touchdowns scored. This includes Chicago Bears' 1975 first-choice running back Walter Payton, who ended his career with 110 touchdowns before the rise of the G.O.A.T, Jerry Lee Rice. Read on to QBs and non-QB players with the highest number of touchdowns in the NFL.

10. Eli Manning - 366

Is Eli a Hall of Famer?
Eli Manning was in action for the New York Giants against the Miami Dolphins at the MetLife Stadium in December 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Photo by Mike Stobe.
Source: Getty Images

Exciting feature: Check out news exactly for YOU ➡️ find "Recommended for you" block and enjoy!

The Mannings, led by Eli, Peyton, and their nephew Archie, have dominated the Gridiron, breaking several records while at it. Alongside his Pro Bowl 2008, 2011, 2012, and 2015 selections, Eli Manning's Super Bowl win in 2007 and 2011 qualify him for a Hall of Fame induction. With 366 touchdowns in his career, Eli retired with a TD rate of 4.5%.

9. Matt Ryan - 372

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan ranks eighth among players with the most passing yards in the National Football League, with 61,111 total passing yards. In addition, according to Statsmuse, Matt Ryan's win-loss record in the NFL currently stands at 122-104-1.

8. Ben Roethlisberger - 418

Who is the youngest QB to win a Super Bowl?
Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers warms up before a game against the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field in January 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Photo by Joe Sargent.
Source: Getty Images

CBCsports has ranked Ben Roethlisberger, 'Big Ben, among the top 5 QBs of all time. Owing to his two Super Bowl wins and a 166-82-1 win and loss record, it is not surprising that he is among the best QBs in 2022, with the highest number of passing touchdowns.

7. Dan Marino - 420

Although Dan Marino never got a Super Bowl ring, he is among the few football players to lead in multiple NFL stats categories and join the Pro Football and College Football Hall of Fame. Long after his retirement in 2000, Marino held several records, including being one of the players with the most wins in NFL history, until 2021, when Lamar Jackson beat his record. However, one of Dan Marino's records that still stands in 2022 is his 196 touchdowns thrown in his first six seasons, the most for any player in the NFL.

6. Philip River - 421

Former Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is known as the pro footballer with 9 kids and as one of the best record-breaking NFL starting quarterbacks. Rivers, who made 63,440 yards in his 17-year-long NFL career, ranks seventh among the 2022 NFL all-time pass completion leaders and has a 137-107 win/loss record. Although he is one of the best quarterbacks, Rivers has never won a Super Bowl and has not yet been named to the NFL Hall of Fame.

5. Aaron Rodgers - 457

Aaron Rodgers' awards, records, and performance make him one of the best QB in the NFL right now. The four-time NFL MVP holds the record for the highest touchdown/ interception ratio (4.83). In addition, by his 200th start in 2014, Rodgers had set records for the highest passing touchdowns, passer rating, and TD/INT ratio.

4. Brett Favre - 508

What was Brett Favre's playoff record?
Brett Favre turns the ball to his teammate in a game between the Packers and the Patriots during Super Bowl XXXI in January 1997 at Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Photo by Focus on Sport.
Source: Getty Images

Since 1992, Brett has been breaking NFL records pushing his teams to victories, such as the Green Bay Packers to their 1996 Super Bowl XXXI and the Minnesota Vikings to the 2009 NFC title. The three-time NFL MVP has posted 71,838 passing yards, 6,300 pass completions, and 508 passing touchdowns in his career.

3. Peyton Manning - 539

For 18 seasons, Peyton Manning played for the Colts and the Denver Broncos, where he played in four Super Bowl games. In addition to holding the record for the most passing touchdowns, Peyton also has one of the most consecutive games started in the NFL (54).

2. Drew Brees - 571

Does Brees hold any NFL records?
New Orlean Saints' quarterback Drew Brees in action against the New York Jets at the MetLife Stadium in August 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Photo by Al Pereira.
Source: Getty Images

After 20 seasons in the NFL, Brees retired with 571 touchdown passes, the second-highest in the NFL. Brees holds the second most NFL quarterback records, including the second-highest passing yards (80,358) and a pass completion of 7,142. In addition, the all-time NFL leading passer is the only quarterback to throw 54 touchdowns consecutively.

1. Tom Brady - 631

Throughout his career, Tom Brady has been considered the greatest male athlete of all time. The seven-time Super Bowl winner is a stats leader in various NFL categories, including passing yardage (85,929), pass completion (7,404), and touchdown passes (631).

In February 2022, the news of Tom Brady's retirement saddened many. Speaking to the People after his unexpected return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers three months later, He said,

"I want to give it a shot and I owed it to my teammates and our great coaches and our whole organization.We built something special here in Tampa the last few years. The competitive fire still burns. I want to get out there and I want to have a great season for everybody because there are a lot of people who have supported me along the way."
What records does Tom Brady hold?
Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrates with the Lombardi Trophy after winning the Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in February 2021 in Tampa, Florida. Photo by Kevin C. Cox.
Source: Getty Images

Top 10 quarterbacks with the most touchdowns thrown in NFL history

Player

Team (s)

Position

Touchdowns

Jerry Rice

San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks

Wide receiver

208

Emmitt Smith

Dallas Cowboys

Running back

175

LaDainian Tomlinson

New York Jets, Los Angeles Chargers

Running back

162

Randy Moss

Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers

Wide receiver

157

Terrell Owens

Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, Knights of Degen

Wide receiver

156

Marcus Allen

Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Raiders

Running back

145

Marshall Faulk

Indianapolis Colts, St. Louis Rams

Running back

136

Cris Carter

Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins

Wide receiver

131

Marvin Harrison

Syracuse Orange, Indianapolis Colts

Wide receiver

128

Adrian Peterson

Tennessee Titans

Running back

126

Notable mentions

Which NFL records does Patrick Mahomes have?
Patrick Mahomes scrambles away from defence during a game against the Washington Commanders at Arrowhead Stadium in August 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. Photo by David Eulitt.
Source: Getty Images

Quarterbacks with the most touchdowns this season

Patrick Mahones, Tom Brady, and Josh Allen led the pack with the most passing touchdowns scored in 2021/22. Although Mahones still leads in the 2022 season, Allen beat Brady by double passing touchdowns.

QB with the most touchdowns in a game

Over the game's history, the most touchdowns thrown in a game stand at seven. As of 2022, eight NFL quarterbacks have thrown seven touchdowns in a single game. Here is a summary of the players according to Statsmuse.

Player

Date of the game

Team

Opposing team

Sid Luckman

14th November 1943

Chicago Bears

New York Giants

Adrian Burk

17th October 1954

Philadelphia Eagles

Washington Redskins

George Blanda

19th November 1961

Houston Oilers

New York Titans

Yelberton Abraham Tittle

28th October 1962

New York Giants

Washington Redskins

Joe Kapp

28th September 1969

Minnesota Vikings

Baltimore Colts

Peyton Manning

5th September 2013

Denver Broncos

Baltimore Colts

Nick Foles

3rd November 2013

Philadelphia Eagles

Oakland Raiders

Drew Brees

1st November 2015

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Throughout the history of American Football, the quarterbacks with the most touchdowns have earned a heroic status among fans and their teams. Although the highest-performing players in the NFL do not get paid per touchdown thrown, they are still among the highest-paid players in the league.

READ ALSO: Top 10 footballers with the most headed goals in the history of the game

Sportsbrief recently published an article about some of the footballers with the greatest number of headers in football history. Beating the defence to score in soccer takes accuracy, speed, ball, and body control, all skills that our top players possess.

Dig in here to find out the stats for the players with the most headed goals in La Liga, Serie A, Premier League, and the UCL.

Authors
Ciku Njuguna photo
Ciku Njuguna
Ciku Njuguna is a journalist with 3 year’s experience in content creation based in Kenya. She currently covers sports personnel as well as team biographies.