Most NFL Games Played by a Quarterback

These players certainly passed the durability test. If Tom Brady doesn’t already own enough NFL records, his 325 regular-season games played are far and away the most ever played by an NFL quarterback. Tack on his record 48 postseason games played, and his lead gets even bigger.

But for the purposes of this piece, we’ll be sticking to only the regular season.

Brady’s mark is 33 games better than longtime Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, who owns the NFL record for consecutive starts by a QB with 297.

Here is a list of the 10 quarterbacks who’ve played (starts and non-starts) the most games in NFL history.

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1

Tom Brady (335)

There’s no question Tom Brady boasts the greatest NFL resume of all time, and that includes games played

After 20 years and six Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots, Tom Brady still wasn’t finished. Brady bolted from New England via free agency in 2020 and joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with whom he added to the NFL’s all-time greatest resume.

Brady spent three seasons with Tampa Bay, winning his seventh Super Bowl in his first year with the team. After going 2019-64 in New England, Brady went 32-9 as the starting QB for the Bucs. At age 44, he led the NFL in passing yards (5,316) and touchdown passes (43).

Brady led the NFL in many categories among quarterbacks throughout his Hall of Fame career, including longevity. Famously a sixth-round draft pick out of Michigan in 2000, Brady played in 335 NFL games, 23 more than any other quarterback, and started 333 of them.

He appeared in one game as a rookie in relief and then came on in relief again in Week 2 of the 2001 season after Drew Bledsoe was knocked out of the game, which began Brady’s run to greatness.

Brady finished his career with 89,214 passing yards and 649 touchdown passes.

2

Brett Favre (302)

Brett Favre started a record 297 games during his Hall of Fame career

Brett Favre stepped up when Don Majkowski went down.

The Atlanta Falcons selected Favre out of Southern Mississippi in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He appeared in two games as a rookie, going 0-for-4 in his pass attempts. Two of his throws were intercepted.

The Green Bay Packers traded for Favre after the season, and he jumped into action in September 1992 after Majkowski went down with a serious ankle injury against the Cincinnati Bengals, rallying the Packers to victory with a late touchdown pass. Once Favre took the starting job, he never let it go.

Beginning the following week, Favre started an NFL-record 297 straight games. His streak came to an end in 2010 as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. He finished his career with 302 games under his belt.

Favre spent 16 seasons with the Packers, going 160-93 as the starter, and led Green Bay to a Super Bowl title at the conclusion of the 1996 season. Favre was a three-time NFL MVP, an 11-time Pro Bowler, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.

3

Drew Brees (287)

Drew Brees led the NFL in passing yardage seven times with the New Orleans Saints

Drew Brees spent the first five years of his NFL career with the San Diego Chargers, who selected him in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. In his final game with the Chargers before becoming a free agent, Brees suffered a torn labrum, causing concern among several teams interested in signing the Purdue product.

The Miami Dolphins showed initial interest but backed off, instead signing former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper. The New Orleans Saints inked Brees to a six-year deal before the 2006 season, and it paid off.

Brees played 15 years with the Saints and led the NFL in passing seven times. He was named Offensive Player of the year twice, was a 13-time Pro Bowler, and led New Orleans to a Super Bowl victory at the end of the 2009 campaign. Brees played 287 games during his illustrious career.

Brees finished his career with 80,358 passing yards and 571 touchdown passes.

4

Peyton Manning (266)

Peyton Manning won five MVPs and two Super Bowls during his illustrious NFL career

After a tough rookie season, Peyton Manning bounced back to prove he was worthy of being the No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft.

The biggest debate heading into the draft was whether Manning or Ryan Leaf should be the first players selected. The Indianapolis Colts made the right decision to go with Manning, who played 17 total NFL seasons. Leaf barely played 17 games, finishing 4-17 in three ugly seasons.

After going 3-13 as a rookie, Manning had just one losing season in the next 15 years. He won five NFL MVPs and led both the Colts and the Denver Broncos to Super Bowl titles. Manning finished his career with a 186-79 record as a starter.

Manning played 266 games in his Hall of Fame career. The only game in which he appeared but didn’t start was during his final season in Denver in 2015. He was a 14-time Pro Bowler and was named a First-Team All-Pro seven times.

5

Earl Morrall (255)

Earl Morrall might go down as the greatest backup quarterback in NFL history

Earl Morrall played for six different teams during his 21 NFL seasons and is widely considered the greatest backup quarterback in the league’s history. Morrall floated between starter and reserve, but he got most of his attention while playing for the Baltimore Colts and the Miami Dolphins.

Morrall opened his pro career by playing briefly with the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He then spent seven seasons with the Detroit Lions, going 15-10-1 as the starter during that stretch. Morrall joined the New York Giants in 1965 and played three seasons with the team before he was traded to the Colts in August 1968.

In his first year with the Colts, Morrall replaced the injured Johnny Unitas and went 13-1 as the starter. He threw an NFL-best 26 touchdown passes and was named the league’s MVP. The Colts reached Super Bowl 3 but were upset by the New York Jets in the famous Joe Namath “guarantee” game.

Morrall again replaced Unitas in Super Bowl 5 and led them to a victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

Morrall also won a pair of Super Bowls with the Dolphins. With regular starter Bob Griese on the shelf, he went 9-0 as the starter during Miami’s magical undefeated run in 1972. Morrall ultimately played in 255 NFL games and went 63-36-3 in 102 starts.

6

Ben Roethlisberger (249)

Ben Roethlisberger went 13-0 as a rookie quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger was the third quarterback selected in the 2004 NFL Draft, taken behind Eli Manning and Philip Rivers with the 11th overall pick.

Roethlisberger spent all 18 of his NFL seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was named Offensive Rookie of the Year after going 13-0 in his first season as the starter. He won a Super Bowl in his second season after going 9-3 at the helm, and he earned the first of his six Pro Bowl selections in 2007 after going 10-5 and throwing for 32 touchdown passes.

Roethlisberger won two Super Bowls with the Steelers and appeared in 249 regular-season games, starting 247, and finished with a record of 165-81-1. He led the NFL in passing twice and finished his career with 64,088 passing yards. He also threw 418 touchdown passes in his 249 games.

7

Fran Tarkenton (246)

Despite being a scrambling quarterback, Fran Tarkenton managed to play in 246 NFL games

One of the NFL’s best scrambling quarterbacks of the 1960s and 1970s, Fran Tarkenton spent 13 of his 18 pro seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, leading the team to three NFC titles. But he was never able to produce a Super Bowl victory, becoming the first QB with three Big Game losses.

Tarkenton spent the first six years of his NFL career with the Vikings before being traded to the New York Giants, with whom he spent five seasons. The Giants sent Tarkenton back to Minnesota, where he finished his career.

Tarkenton went 124-109-6 as a starting quarterback in the NFL, starting 239 of his 246 appearances. He finished his career with 47,003 passing yards and also racked up 3,674 yards on the ground. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

8

Philip Rivers (244)

Philip Rivers started every game for the San Diego Chargers during a 14-year stretch

Philip Rivers spent 16 seasons with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers despite being taken by the New York Giants with the fourth overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. The Chargers had the No. 1 pick and took Eli Manning, who famously refused to play for them. A deal to trade the rookie QBs was worked out between the two clubs, and the rest is history.

After attempting just 20 passes in his first two seasons while sitting behind Drew Brees, Rivers started every game over the next 14 years. Brees moved on to the New Orleans Saints, and the Chargers became Rivers’ team. In 2006, he made the first of his eight Pro Bowls, guiding the Chargers to a 14-2 mark.

Rivers had 10 winning seasons as a starter in the NFL. He led the league in touchdown passes in 2008 with 34 and was tops in passing yards in 2010 with 4,710.

After 16 years with the Chargers, he capped his career by playing one year with the Indianapolis Colts and going 11-5. For his career, Rivers played in 244 games, starting 240, and went 134-106 as a starter.

9

Dan Marino (242)

Dan Marino took charge from the beginning, leading the NFL in passing in three of his first pro seasons

Dan Marino wasted no time showing the rest of the NFL he could jump right in and make an impact. Marino was the last of six quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft, and he played like he had a chip on his shoulder.

He went 7-2 for the Miami Dolphins as a rookie and then led the NFL in passing yards and touchdown passes for three straight seasons. In his second year, Marino threw for a career-high and then-NFL record 5,084 yards and added a career-best and then-record 48 touchdown passes. He went 14-2, led the Dolphins to a berth in the Super Bowl, and was named NFL MVP.

Marino played all 17 of his NFL seasons in Miami, playing in 242 regular-season games with 240 starts, going 147-93.

He led the league in passing five times and finished his career with 61,361 passing yards and 420 touchdown passes. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

10

Eli Manning (236)

Eli Manning started every game for the New York Giants for 12 straight seasons

Eli Manning might not have the gaudy stats of the rest of the quarterbacks on this list, but his durability kept him around for 16 seasons, and he finished with 236 games under his belt, starting all but two.

The top player selected in the 2004 NFL Draft, Manning was traded to the New York Giants after refusing to play for the San Diego Chargers. With the Giants, Manning started all 16 games for 12 straight seasons and 13 overall. He also led New York to a pair of Super Bowl victories, defeating Brady’s Patriots both times.

Manning never led the league in any positive passing category, although he finished with the most interceptions in a season three times. Manning went 117-117 as an NFL starter and finished his career with 366 touchdown passes.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.

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