It will be a long time before a quarterback from an Alabama high school or college has more NFL passing yards than Philip Rivers – if one ever does. But there are young quarterbacks in line to make the attempt.
During their third NFL seasons, the Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa and Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts passed the 10th player in NFL passing yards among quarterbacks with Alabama football roots.
Of the Crimson Tide pair, Tagovailoa took over the No. 10 spot from Tarvaris Jackson (Sidney Lanier, Alabama State) and became the second active quarterback on the list, joining the New Orleans Saints’ Jameis Winston.
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With 63,440, Rivers ranks sixth in NFL history in passing yards, and he has almost twice as many as any other quarterback with Alabama football roots.
Tagovailoa and Hurts aren’t the only quarterbacks who have joined the chase. Mac Jones is expected to be the New England Patriots’ starting QB again this season, and Bryce Young could hold that spot for the Carolina Panthers after entering the NFL as the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, putting another Crimson Tide pair under center.
Hurts had the most passing yards among players with Alabama football roots in the 2022 season with 3,701.
Winston holds the Alabama roots single-season record for NFL passing yards with 5,109 in 2019.
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The top 10 NFL passers with Alabama roots (ranked by passing yards):
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers passes during an NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018, at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)Getty Images
1. Philip Rivers, Athens High School: 63,440 passing yards
San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers 2004-2019, Indianapolis Colts 2020: Completed 5,277-of-8,134 passes with 421 touchdowns, 209 interceptions and a 95.2 passing-efficiency rating. Eight-time Pro Bowler.
2. Cam Newton, Auburn: 32,382 passing yards
Carolina Panthers 2011-2019, 2021, New England Patriots 2020: Completed 2,682-of-4,474 passes with 194 touchdowns, 123 interceptions and an 85.2 passing-efficiency rating. One-time All-Pro, three-time Pro Bowler and 2015 NFL MVP.
3. Ken Stabler, Foley High School, Alabama: 27,938 passing yards
Oakland Raiders 1970-1979, Houston Oilers 1980-1981, New Orleans Saints 1982-1984: Completed 2,270-of-3,793 passes with 194 touchdowns, 222 interceptions and a 75.3 passing-efficiency rating. One-time All-Pro, four-time Pro Bowler, 1974 NFL MVP, one-time Super Bowl champion and Pro Football Hall of Fame member.
4. Joe Namath, Alabama: 27,663 passing yards
New York Jets 1965-1976, Los Angeles Rams 1977: Completed 1,866-of-3,762 passes with 173 touchdowns, 220 interceptions and a 65.5 passing-efficiency rating. One-time All-Pro, five-time Pro Bowler, 1968 and 1969 AFL Player of the Year, one-time Super Bowl champion and Pro Football Hall of Fame member.
5. Bart Starr, Sidney Lanier High School, Alabama: 24,718 passing yards
Green Bay Packers 1956-1971: Completed 1,808-of-3,149 passes with 152 touchdowns, 138 interceptions and 80.5 passing-efficiency rating. One-time All-Pro, four-time Pro Bowler, 1966 NFL MVP, five-time NFL champion, two-time Super Bowl champion and Pro Football Hall of Fame member.
6. Jameis Winston, Hueytown High School: 21,840 passing yards
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2015-2019, New Orleans Saints 2020-2022: Has completed 1,738-of-2,835 passes with 139 touchdowns, 96 interceptions and an 87.5 passing-efficiency rating. One-time Pro Bowler.
7. Richard Todd, Davidson High School, Alabama: 20,610 passing yards
New York Jets 1976-1983, New Orleans Saints 1984-1985: Completed 1,610-of-2,967 passes with 124 touchdowns, 161 interceptions and a 67.6 passing-efficiency rating.
8. Jason Campbell, Auburn: 16,771 passing yards
Washington Redskins 2005-2009, Oakland Raiders 2010-2011, Chicago Bears 2012, Cleveland Browns 2013, Cincinnati Bengals 2014: Completed 1,519-of-2,518 passes with 87 touchdowns, 60 interceptions and an 81.7 passing-efficiency rating.
9. Bobby Thomason, Leeds High School: 9,480 passing yards
Los Angeles Rams 1949, Green Bay Packers 1951, Philadelphia Eagles 1952-1957: Completed 687-of-1,346 passes with 68 touchdowns, 90 interceptions and a 62.9 passing-efficiency rating. Three-time Pro Bowler.
10. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama: 8,015 passing yards
Miami Dolphins 2020-2021: Has completed 708-of-1,078 passes with 52 touchdowns, 23 interceptions and a 95.0 passing-efficiency rating.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.