Tom Brady retired this week, again. Last year's didn't take, but this one probably will. If you want to try to argue that Brady isn't the GOAT among NFL quarterbacks, you probably won't get very far. But what about among fantasy quarterbacks?
That one is more debatable; right now, there are multiple quality candidates. But a strong case can be made for another veteran. And there's a really good chance at least one quarterback will rocket by both of them in the next few years.
I went to our files and pulled out the top 50 fantasy seasons all-time by an NFL quarterback (1 point for every 20 passing and 10 rushing yards, 4-point touchdown passes, 6-point touchdown runs). Today's quarterbacks have the advantage, just as in the actual NFL -- there's 17 games (back in the 70s there were only 14), and rules are a a lot more passer-friendly than they used to be. In any case, nearly half of the top quarterback seasons are from the last six years. It's not a level playing field for the old-timey guys.
Brady measures up pretty well, though, with 5 of the top 50 fantasy seasons all-time. Only one quarterback currently has more than that: Aaron Rodgers. He has 6 of the top 50 fantasy seasons all-time. Rodgers hasn't retired yet, so maybe he'll get one more chance for seven (unlikely). Either way, he's the leader right now.
But that will probably change soon, because one of the guys who has four such seasons is not only still playing, but a spring chicken. Patrick Mahomes has 4 of the top 50 fantasy seasons all-time; two of the top 3, in fact. He's also 27 years old. The future is unknowable, but it will be surprising if Mahomes doesn't make a couple more appearances on this list over the next decade, probably pushing off a couple of Rodgers and Brady seasons.
If another young quarterback is going to make a run at the top, it will likely be Josh Allen. He's got 3 of the top 7 fantasy seasons right now. Debuting on the list is Jalen Hurts; maybe he can string a few such seasons together. But reasonable to call Mahomes the favorite at this point.
| TOP 50 QUARTERBACK FANTASY SEASONS, ALL-TIME | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Pos | Pass | TD | Run | TD | PPR | Rk |
| 2013 | Peyton Manning, Den. | 5477 | 55 | -31 | 1 | 498.8 | 1 |
| 2018 | Patrick Mahomes, K.C. | 5097 | 50 | 272 | 2 | 496.1 | 1 |
| 2022 | Patrick Mahomes, K.C. | 5250 | 41 | 358 | 4 | 493.9 | 1 |
| 2021 | Josh Allen, Buff. | 4407 | 36 | 763 | 6 | 482.7 | 1 |
| 2011 | Drew Brees, N.O. | 5476 | 46 | 86 | 1 | 478.4 | 1 |
| 2022 | Josh Allen, Buff. | 4283 | 35 | 762 | 7 | 476.4 | 2 |
| 2020 | Josh Allen, Buff. | 4544 | 37 | 421 | 8 | 473.5 | 1 |
| 2019 | Lamar Jackson, Balt. | 3127 | 36 | 1206 | 7 | 463.0 | 1 |
| 2021 | Justin Herbert, LAC | 5014 | 38 | 302 | 3 | 462.9 | 2 |
| 2007 | Tom Brady, T.B. | 4806 | 50 | 98 | 2 | 462.1 | 1 |
| 2021 | Tom Brady, T.B. | 5316 | 43 | 81 | 2 | 457.9 | 3 |
| 2011 | Aaron Rodgers, G.B. | 4643 | 45 | 257 | 3 | 455.9 | 2 |
| 2015 | Cam Newton, Car. | 3837 | 35 | 636 | 10 | 455.5 | 1 |
| 2020 | Kyler Murray, Ariz. | 3971 | 26 | 819 | 11 | 450.5 | 2 |
| 2004 | Daunte Culpepper, Min. | 4717 | 39 | 406 | 2 | 450.5 | 1 |
| 2011 | Cam Newton, Car. | 4051 | 21 | 706 | 14 | 448.9 | 3 |
| 2011 | Tom Brady, T.B. | 5235 | 39 | 109 | 3 | 446.7 | 4 |
| 2016 | Aaron Rodgers, G.B. | 4428 | 40 | 369 | 4 | 446.3 | 1 |
| 1984 | Dan Marino, Mia. | 5084 | 48 | -7 | 0 | 445.5 | 1 |
| 2021 | Patrick Mahomes, K.C. | 4839 | 37 | 381 | 2 | 444.1 | 4 |
| 2014 | Andrew Luck, Ind. | 4761 | 40 | 273 | 3 | 443.4 | 1 |
| 1998 | Steve Young, S.F. | 4170 | 36 | 454 | 6 | 441.9 | 1 |
| 2020 | Aaron Rodgers, G.B. | 4299 | 48 | 149 | 3 | 440.3 | 3 |
| 2020 | Patrick Mahomes, K.C. | 4740 | 38 | 308 | 2 | 437.8 | 4 |
| 2020 | Deshaun Watson, Hou. | 4823 | 33 | 444 | 3 | 437.6 | 5 |
| 2012 | Drew Brees, N.O. | 5177 | 43 | 5 | 1 | 437.4 | 1 |
| 2013 | Drew Brees, N.O. | 5162 | 39 | 52 | 3 | 437.3 | 2 |
| 2020 | Russell Wilson, Sea. | 4212 | 40 | 513 | 2 | 435.9 | 6 |
| 2022 | Jalen Hurts, Phil. | 3701 | 22 | 760 | 13 | 431.1 | 3 |
| 2018 | Ben Roethlisberger, Pitt. | 5129 | 34 | 98 | 3 | 429.2 | 2 |
| 2018 | Matt Ryan, Atl. | 4924 | 35 | 125 | 3 | 428.2 | 3 |
| 2011 | Matthew Stafford, Det. | 5038 | 41 | 78 | 0 | 427.7 | 5 |
| 2004 | Peyton Manning, Ind. | 4557 | 49 | 38 | 0 | 427.7 | 2 |
| 2019 | Jameis Winston, T.B. | 5109 | 33 | 250 | 1 | 426.5 | 2 |
| 2022 | Joe Burrow, Cin. | 4475 | 35 | 257 | 5 | 425.5 | 4 |
| 2016 | Drew Brees, N.O. | 5208 | 37 | 20 | 2 | 422.4 | 2 |
| 2000 | Daunte Culpepper, Min. | 3937 | 33 | 470 | 7 | 421.9 | 1 |
| 1990 | Randall Cunningham, Phil. | 3466 | 30 | 942 | 5 | 417.5 | 1 |
| 2021 | Matthew Stafford, LAR | 4886 | 41 | 43 | 0 | 416.6 | 5 |
| 2017 | Russell Wilson, Sea. | 3983 | 34 | 586 | 3 | 415.8 | 1 |
| 2016 | Matt Ryan, Atl. | 4944 | 38 | 117 | 0 | 414.9 | 3 |
| 1994 | Steve Young, S.F. | 3969 | 35 | 293 | 7 | 413.8 | 1 |
| 1986 | Dan Marino, Mia. | 4746 | 44 | -3 | 0 | 413.0 | 1 |
| 2019 | Dak Prescott, Dall. | 4902 | 30 | 277 | 3 | 412.8 | 3 |
| 2014 | Aaron Rodgers, G.B. | 4381 | 38 | 269 | 2 | 412.0 | 2 |
| 2012 | Aaron Rodgers, G.B. | 4295 | 39 | 259 | 2 | 411.6 | 2 |
| 2015 | Tom Brady, T.B. | 4770 | 36 | 53 | 3 | 410.4 | 2 |
| 2020 | Tom Brady, T.B. | 4633 | 40 | 6 | 3 | 410.3 | 7 |
| 2009 | Aaron Rodgers, G.B. | 4434 | 30 | 316 | 5 | 409.3 | 1 |
| 1995 | Brett Favre, G.B. | 4413 | 38 | 181 | 3 | 408.8 | 1 |
--Andy Richardson