Tom Brady holds nearly every meaningful quarterback record in NFL history—most passing yards, completions, touchdowns, wins, playoff wins, and, of course, Super Bowl victories. Yet, there’s one major statistical category where he doesn’t crack the top 10: passer rating.
Advertisement
The passer rating, a measure of quarterback efficiency ranging from 0 to 158.3, is one of the league’s go-to metrics for assessing performance. Brady’s career passer rating of 97.2 is impressive, but it only ranks 12th all-time.
This became a talking point after a Reddit post shared a graphic highlighting the top five quarterbacks in NFL history by passer rating, conspicuously missing Brady. Some fans expressed confusion, while others jumped to defend the GOAT.
Redditors defend Tom Brady’s 97.2 passer rating in NFL’s all time list topped by Aaron Rodgers. pic.twitter.com/esQFmfKZ2C
— NFL Tweets 2024 (@nfltweets2024) June 11, 2025
A key reason Brady falls outside the top tier in passer rating? Longevity. He played 23 seasons—longer than virtually any other quarterback—which naturally includes years beyond his physical prime. Additionally, Brady’s early years came during a more run-heavy era, before the league evolved into today’s pass-first landscape.
Still, Brady’s late-career performance challenges logic. In his 40s, he put together back-to-back seasons with a passer rating over 100 (in 2020 and 2021). At age 45, in his final NFL season, he led the league in both passing attempts (733) and completions (490)—setting single-season records in both categories.
So while Brady isn’t in the top 10 for passing rating, it’s hardly a blemish on his resume. His seven Super Bowl titles, five Super Bowl MVPs, and three league MVP awards outweigh any statistical gap in efficiency.
As for the current kings of passer rating? The top five is made up entirely of active quarterbacks.
At No. 5 is Russell Wilson at a 99.8 rating. No. 4 is Joe Burrow with a 101.2 passer rating. Lamar Jackson ranks third at 102.0, and Patrick Mahomes just edged Jackson at 102.1. The all-time leader may be a bit surprising due to his age. Aaron Rodgers’ 102.6 passer rating is better than anyone else’s in NFL history.
Rodgers’ status atop the all-time passer rating list may not last forever. With Mahomes and Jackson hot on his heels—and both still in their primes—it’s very possible someone surpasses him in the coming seasons.
So while Brady’s passer rating tells part of the story, it doesn’t define his legacy. Efficiency is great, but nothing trumps longevity, postseason dominance, and championships—all areas where Tom Brady still reigns supreme.
