List of NFL career passing touchdowns leaders

In American football, passing, along with running (also referred to as rushing), is one of two primary methods to advance the ball, typically executed by the quarterback from behind the line of scrimmage, but any offensive player can attempt a pass provided they are behind the line.^[2] A pass must move forward from the passer's hands to qualify as a passing play, whereas lateral or backward movements classify as running plays.^[3] A player who catches a forward pass is called a receiver. A touchdown pass is a pass thrown from a passer to a receiver that results in a touchdown being scored.^[4] The National Football League (NFL) records the number of touchdown passes made by players, a statistic also noted historically for the American Football League (AFL), which merged into the NFL in 1970 after operating from 1960–1969.^[5]

Tom Brady holds the record for most passing touchdowns with 649, followed by Drew Brees with 571 and Peyton Manning with 539. Aaron Rodgers leads all active players with 475 career passing touchdowns. Brady also is the record holder for the most career playoff passing touchdowns with 88. He is followed by Joe Montana and Rodgers, with both tied at 45. Rodgers leads all active players in career playoff passing touchdowns. The longest career passing touchdown record holder was Fran Tarkenton, who held the record from 1975 to 1994.^[6]