Aaron Rodgers has been on a tear this season, proving that his age isn’t getting in the way of his production. Through 12 games, Aaron Rodgers has already thrown more touchdowns (36) than he had in any of the past three seasons (26, 25, 16). He threw for 40 in 2016.
That’s not the only buzz surrounding Rodgers this season. In fact, he joined the history books in a major way on Sunday afternoon.
He entered Week 13 with 397 career touchdown passes — just three away from joining the 400 club, something only six other quarterbacks have done in their careers.
The Green Bay Packers were matched up with the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that has struggled, to say the least. The odds were in Rodgers’ favor to reach the mark, but it wasn’t guaranteed. Nonetheless, Rodgers finished the day 25-of-34 for 295 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.
That’s not all, though. Not only did he join the 400 career passing touchdown club, but he became the fastest quarterback to do so. It took him just 193 games, which is 12 fewer than the next person on the list, New Orleans’ Drew Brees.
Considering the number of elite quarterbacks we’ve seen in the history of the NFL, this is a huge milestone for Rodgers.
Who Were the Other Six Quarterbacks?
While Rodgers isn’t the first to reach 400 passing touchdowns, being the fastest to do so has a nice ring to it and comes with its own set of bragging rights. With that said, who were the other six quarterbacks to reach this mark, and how long did it take them to do it?
Let’s take a quick look at the list thus far:
- Aaron Rodgers – 193 games
- Drew Brees – 205 games
- Peyton Manning – 209 games
- Tom Brady – 212 games
- Dan Marino – 227 games
- Brett Favre – 228 games
- Philip Rivers – 231 games
Talk about some elite company, am I right? Being at the top of that list must be a good feeling for Rodgers, but he still has a lot to prove when being thrown in the ring with those names.
Favre (508), Manning (539), Brees (565), and Brady (569) have all reached the 500-touchdown mark — something Rodgers is destined to achieve as well.
What’s Next for Rodgers?
Reaching the 500-touchdown mark is certainly the next milestone for Rodgers when it comes to passing touchdowns, but that’s not the only thing he wants to accomplish. In fact, he sweetened the challenge on Sunday during his post-game interview.
“Now, I’m going to see if I can get to 500 before I throw 100 picks,” Rodgers said in the interview. It’s crazy to think about, but Rodgers has only thrown 88 interceptions in his career.
None of those other quarterbacks had less than 100 when they reached 400 — Rodgers wants to achieve it with 500.
The Packers are 9-3 and have four games remaining on their schedule. They’ll likely see some playoff action as well, so Rodgers has a solid opportunity to pad his stats between now and the end of the season. With a favorable schedule, he could add another 15 touchdowns to his total.
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