George Blanda attempted four passes in 1974 when he was 47. The only one he completed was a 28-yard touchdown to Cliff Branch.
That was the 243rd and final TD pass of Blanda’s career, 23 of which came after he turned 40 and was serving as a backup while tending to his kicking chores.
Blanda is the oldest player in NFL history to throw a touchdown pass. Tom Brady would need to throw at least one TD pass in 2025, his age 48 season, to break that mark.
A graphic that ran during last Sunday night’s Buccaneers game against the Saints revealed Brady has thrown 181 touchdown passes, regular season, and playoffs since he turned 40. As you might imagine, nobody is even close to Brady, who turned 44 in August.
Here is a look at the top five – Blanda is sixth — when it comes to touchdown passes after turning 40.
Tom Brady 181
Brees turned 40 on January 15, 2019. The next day he threw two touchdown passes in an overtime loss to the Rams in the NFC championship game. He threw for 55 more scores over the final two seasons of his career before hanging up his helmet following a loss to Brady and the Bucs in last season’s playoffs.
Should he maintain the lead, it would be the second time since turning 40 that Brady would lead the league in passing yards. That would match his total from prior to turning 40.
Drew Brees 57
Brees turned 40 on January 15, 2019. The next day he threw two touchdown passes in an overtime loss to the Rams in the NFC championship game. He threw for 55 more scores over the final two seasons of his career before hanging up his helmet following a loss to Brady and the Bucs in last season’s playoffs.
The last TD pass of his career was to Tre’Quan Smith in that game against Tampa Bay. Brees’ 608 touchdown passes, regular season and playoffs, are second to Brady’s 700.
Brett Favre 41
Favre turned 40 a day before facing the Rams in Week 5 of the 2009 campaign, his first of two seasons with the Vikings. That season, he threw 25 of his 33 touchdown passes, plus five more in the playoffs, after turning 40. Things went downhill fast. Favre threw only 11 touchdown passes with 19 interceptions in 13 games in 2010.
His final TD pass was to Percy Harvin early in the first quarter of a Week 14 loss at Chicago. Favre suffered a concussion in the second quarter, left the game and his career was over.
Warren Moon 37
After an injury forced him to miss half of the 1996 season with the Vikings, a season in which he turned 40, Moon returned healthy in 1997 and as a member of the Seahawks. He threw 25 touchdown passes that year and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl despite starting the season as a backup to John Friesz.
Injuries took a bite out of him again in 1998 (10 games, 11 TDs) before playing his final two seasons with Kansas City. He appeared in only three games with the Chiefs and threw one touchdown pass, his last. That was in 2000 and it occurred while mopping up in a rout of the Rams and with Troy Drayton on the receiving end.
Vinny Testaverde 24
Testaverde turned 40 during the 2003 season with the Jets, though neither of his post-40 TD passes were with Gang Green that year. He threw 17 touchdown passes the following season as the Cowboys’ No. 1 quarterback, then threw seven more touchdowns the next three years with three different teams, the Jets (1), Patriots (1), and Panthers (5).
His touchdown pass with the Pats was against the Titans in the 2006 regular-season finale, and in relief of Brady, who coach Bill Belichick pulled to give him a breather prior to the playoffs.
Testaverde, who was signed in mid-November, connected with Troy Brown with less than two minutes remaining in a 40-23 win that gave him at least one TD pass in 20 consecutive seasons.
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