Lamar Jackson has always been an efficient passer, but not necessarily a prolific one. While he continues to break records with his legs—cementing himself as the most dominant rushing quarterback in NFL history—his passing production still leaves room for improvement. Despite being in the league for seven seasons, Jackson surprisingly trails a younger quarterback, Justin Herbert, when it comes to total passing yards.
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Herbert, known for having one of the biggest arms in the NFL, has consistently shouldered the load for the Chargers’ offense with his passing. Since entering the league in 2020, as per Stat Muse, the Oregon alum has thrown for 21,093 yards, ranking 13th among active quarterbacks. He has added 137 touchdowns and 45 interceptions to that résumé, showcasing both volume and efficiency. Under Jim Harbaugh’s system last season, Herbert became even more refined as a passer.
Lamar, meanwhile, entered the league two years earlier in 2018 and has played in 103 games, but still trails Herbert by over 1,000 yards, with 20,059 career passing yards. That said, Jackson does have more touchdown passes—166 to Herbert’s 137, and has only four more interceptions. Remarkably, 2024 was the first season in which Lamar eclipsed the 4,000-yard mark through the air.
Justin Herbert, in contrast, is one of the few quarterbacks in the league to record a 5,000-yard passing season. Last year was the only time he failed to reach 4,000 yards while playing a full season.
While Jackson is arguably the greatest dual-threat quarterback the game has seen and a surefire future Hall of Famer, there’s still room for growth in his passing numbers. That said, neither quarterback has enjoyed much playoff success so far, though Jackson’s postseason record is slightly better than Herbert’s.
Both QBs are yet to crack the top ten passing yards among active QBs. Aaron Rodgers, who will enter his 21st season in the NFL, has the most passing yards, with 62,952, followed by another veteran with a great arm, Matthew Stafford, who has 59,809 yards. Russell Wilson rounds off the top three with his 46, 135 yards.
