Aaron Rodgers is edging closer to another major milestone, as he finds himself with the prospect of being just 489 passing yards away from surpassing Philip Rivers on the all-time passing yards leaderboard.
The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ man would ascend to fifth in the history of the league when he eventually passes for the required yardage in the upcoming 2025/26 NFL campaign at the Acrisure Stadium.
Over his two decades in the league, the 41-year-old has built a reputation as one of the game’s most efficient and talented quarterbacks and boasts four NFL MVP awards and five All-Pro selections, as well as a ring from Super Bowl XLV.
He also has two passing touchdown crowns, and ten Pro Bowl appearances, as well as the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in NFL history, showcasing his immense talent on the field.
Currently ranked seventh in career passing yards, Rodgers has accumulated 62,952 yards across 248 games with 5369 completions and surpassing Rivers’ total of 63,440 yards could take around two games.
It’s theoretically possible to be done in one, however, with Norm Van Brocklin having passed for 554 yards in a single game for the Los Angeles Rams back in 1951, although the record hasn’t been matched for 74 years.
Beyond Rivers, the next target on the list is the former Steelers star, Ben Roethlisberger, who retired with 64,088 yards, so to move ahead of him and claim the fifth spot, Rodgers needs 1136 more yards.
Despite a statistical dip last season, his least productive in recent years, the NFL veteran still threw for 3897 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions showing that he still has what it takes.
While he has never reached the 5000-yard threshold in a season, he has been a reliable 4000-yard passer throughout most of his career, though he has not hit that mark in the past three campaigns.
Can Rodgers make it to top the list?
The top four all-time leaders remain out of Rodgers‘ reach this season. That elite group features Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Brett Favre. Brady and Brees each surpassed 80,000 yards, while Manning and Favre passed the 70,000-yard mark.
Favre, in fourth place, stands at 71,838 yards, which means Rodgers would need to accumulate roughly 9000 more yards, an unrealistic feat without extending his career significantly – something he seems unwilling to do.
However, ultimately yardage milestones matter less to the QB than securing another Super Bowl title and he will set about putting the team onto the right path with a Week 1 victory over his old team, the New York Jets, on September 7.
Rodgers will look to leave the MetLife Stadium with a win in the bag and a smug smile on his face after an unceremonious run with the franchise across the 2023/24 and 2024/25 NFL seasons.
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