List of NFL annual pass completion percentage leaders

This is a list of National Football League (NFL) quarterbacks who have led the regular season in pass completion percentage each year.

Sammy Baugh led the NFL in completion percentage a record eight times.[1]

The National Football League (NFL) did not begin keeping official records until the 1932 season.[2] In addition to the overall NFL pass completion percentage leaders, league record books recognize the pass completion percentage leaders of the American Football League (AFL), which operated from 1960 to 1969 before being absorbed into the NFL in 1970.[3]

The record for completion percentage in a season is held by Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints who completed 74.4% of his passes in 2018. Sammy Baugh led the league in pass completion percentage eight times, a record that was later tied by Len Dawson, who led the AFL seven times and the NFL once.[1][4]

NFL annual completion percentage leaders

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Drew Brees set the single-season completion percentage a record five times.[5][6]
 
During the 1960s, Bart Starr completed over 60% of his passes in four seasons. Start led led the league in completion percentage during each of those seasons.[7]
Key
Symbol Meaning
Leader The player who recorded the highest pass completion percentage in the NFL
Cmp% The player's pass completion percentage for the season
Pro Football Hall of Fame member
^ The player is an active player
* Player set the single-season pass completion percentage
(#) Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list
NFL annual pass completion percentage leaders by season
Season Leader Cmp%[A] Team Ref.
1933 Arnie Herber 40.3%* Green Bay Packers [9][10]
1934 Arnie Herber† (2) 36.5% Green Bay Packers [9][10]
1935 No player met the minimum threshold[A] [11]
1936 Ed Matesic 46.4%* Pittsburgh Pirates [9][12]
1937 Ed Danowski 49.3%* New York Giants [9][13]
1938 Ed Danowski (2) 54.3%* New York Giants [9][13]
1939 Parker Hall 51.0% Cleveland Rams [9][14]
1940 Sammy Baugh 62.7%* Washington Redskins [9][15]
1941 Sid Luckman 57.1% Chicago Bears [9][16]
1942 Sammy Baugh† (2) 58.7% Washington Redskins [9][15]
1943 Sammy Baugh† (3) 55.6% Washington Redskins [9][15]
1944 Frank Filchock 57.1% Washington Redskins [9][17]
1945 Sammy Baugh† (4) 70.3%* Washington Redskins [9][15]
1946 Sammy Baugh† (5) 54.0% Washington Redskins [9][15]
1947 Sammy Baugh† (6) 59.3% Washington Redskins [9][15]
1948 Sammy Baugh† (7) 58.7% Washington Redskins [9][15]
1949 Sammy Baugh† (8) 56.9% Washington Redskins [9][15]
1950 Bob Waterfield 57.3% Los Angeles Rams [9][18]
1951 Bobby Thomason 56.6% Green Bay Packers [9][19]
1952 Norm Van Brocklin 55.1% Los Angeles Rams [9][20]
1953 Otto Graham 64.7% Cleveland Browns [9][21]
1954 Otto Graham† (2) 59.2% Cleveland Browns [9][21]
1955 Otto Graham† (3) 53.0% Cleveland Browns [9][21]
Bobby Layne Detroit Lions [9][22]
1956 Ed Brown 57.1% Chicago Bears [9][23]
1957 Y. A. Tittle 63.1% San Francisco 49ers [9][24]
1958 John Brodie 59.9% San Francisco 49ers [9][25]
1959 Milt Plum 58.6% Cleveland Browns [9][26]
Bill Wade Los Angeles Rams [9][27]
1960 Milt Plum (2) 60.4% Cleveland Browns [9][26]
1961 Milt Plum (3) 58.6% Cleveland Browns [9][26]
1962 Bart Starr 62.5% Green Bay Packers [9][28]
1963 Y. A. Tittle† (2) 60.2% New York Giants [9][24]
1964 Rudy Bukich 61.9% Chicago Bears [9][29]
1965 John Brodie (2) 61.9% San Francisco 49ers [9][25]
1966 Bart Starr† (2) 62.2% Green Bay Packers [9][28]
1967 Johnny Unitas 58.5% Baltimore Colts [9][30]
1968 Bart Starr† (3) 63.7% Green Bay Packers [9][28]
1969 Bart Starr† (4) 62.2% Green Bay Packers [9][28]
1970 Sonny Jurgensen 59.9% Washington Redskins [9][31]
1971 Virgil Carter 62.2% Cincinnati Bengals [9][32]
1972 Norm Snead 60.3% New York Giants [9][33]
1973 Ken Stabler 62.7% Oakland Raiders [9][34]
1974 Ken Anderson 64.9% Cincinnati Bengals [9][35]
1975 Len Dawson 66.4% Kansas City Chiefs [9][36]
1976 Ken Stabler† (2) 66.7% Oakland Raiders [9][34]
1977 Fran Tarkenton 60.1% Minnesota Vikings [9][37]
1978 Bob Griese 63.0% Miami Dolphins [9][38]
1979 Dan Fouts 62.6% San Diego Chargers [9][39]
1980 Joe Montana 64.5% San Francisco 49ers [9][40]
1981 Joe Montana† (2) 63.7% San Francisco 49ers [9][40]
1982 Ken Anderson (2) 70.6%*[B] Cincinnati Bengals [9][35]
1983 Ken Anderson (3) 66.7% Cincinnati Bengals [9][35]
1984 Steve Bartkowski 67.3% Atlanta Falcons [9][41]
1985 Joe Montana† (3) 61.3% San Francisco 49ers [9][40]
1986 Eric Hipple 63.0% Detroit Lions [9][42]
1987 Joe Montana† (4) 66.8% San Francisco 49ers [9][40]
1988 Wade Wilson 61.4% Minnesota Vikings [9][43]
1989 Joe Montana† (5) 70.2% San Francisco 49ers [9][40]
1990 Jim Kelly 63.3% Buffalo Bills [9][44]
1991 Dave Krieg 65.6% Seattle Seahawks [9][45]
1992 Steve Young 66.7% San Francisco 49ers [9][46]
1993 Troy Aikman 69.1% Dallas Cowboys [9][47]
1994 Steve Young† (2) 70.3% San Francisco 49ers [9][46]
1995 Steve Young† (3) 66.9% San Francisco 49ers [9][46]
1996 Steve Young† (4) 67.7% San Francisco 49ers [9][46]
1997 Steve Young† (5) 67.7% San Francisco 49ers [9][46]
1998 Brett Favre 63.0% Green Bay Packers [9][48]
Steve Beuerlein Carolina Panthers [9][49]
1999 Kurt Warner 65.1% St. Louis Rams [9][50]
2000 Kurt Warner† (2) 67.7% St. Louis Rams [9][50]
2001 Kurt Warner† (3) 68.7% St. Louis Rams [9][50]
2002 Chad Pennington 68.9% New York Jets [9][51]
2003 Peyton Manning 67.0% Indianapolis Colts [9][52]
2004 Brian Griese 69.3% Tampa Bay Buccaneers [9][53]
2005 Carson Palmer 67.8% Cincinnati Bengals [9][54]
2006 David Carr 68.3% Houston Texans [9][55]
2007 Tom Brady 68.9% New England Patriots [9][56]
2008 Chad Pennington (2) 67.4% Miami Dolphins [9][51]
2009 Drew Brees 70.6%*[B] New Orleans Saints [9][58]
2010 Drew Brees (2) 68.1% New Orleans Saints [9][58]
2011 Drew Brees (3) 71.2%* New Orleans Saints [9][58]
2012 Peyton Manning† (2) 68.6% Denver Broncos [9][52]
Matt Ryan Atlanta Falcons [9][61]
2013 Philip Rivers 69.5% San Diego Chargers [9][62]
2014 Tony Romo 69.9% Dallas Cowboys [9][63]
2015 Kirk Cousins^ 69.8% Washington Redskins [9][64]
2016 Sam Bradford 71.6%* Minnesota Vikings [9][65]
2017 Drew Brees (4) 72.0%* New Orleans Saints [9][58]
2018 Drew Brees (5) 74.4%* New Orleans Saints [9][58]
2019 Drew Brees (6) 74.3% New Orleans Saints [9][58]
2020 Aaron Rodgers^ 70.7% Green Bay Packers [9][66]
2021 Joe Burrow^ 70.4% Cincinnati Bengals [9][67]
2022 Geno Smith^ 69.8% Seattle Seahawks [9][68]
2023 Jake Browning^ 70.4% Cincinnati Bengals [9][69]

AFL annual completion percentage leaders

edit
 
Len Dawson led the AFL in pass completion percentage seven times.[70] He also led the NFL in 1975.[71]
Key
Symbol Meaning
Leader The player who recorded the highest pass completion percentage in the AFL
Cmp% The player's completion percentage for the season
GP The number of games played by a player during the season
Pro Football Hall of Fame member
* Player set the single-season pass completion percentage
(#) Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list
AFL annual pass completion percentage leaders by season
Season Leader Cmp% Team Ref.
1960 Tom Flores 54.0%* Oakland Raiders [9][72]
1961 Babe Parilli 52.5% Boston Patriots [9][73]
1962 Len Dawson 61.0%* Dallas Texans [9][36]
1963 Tobin Rote 59.4% San Diego Chargers [9][74]
1964 Len Dawson† (2) 56.2% Kansas City Chiefs [9][36]
1965 Len Dawson† (3) 53.4% Kansas City Chiefs [9][36]
1966 Len Dawson† (4) 56.0% Kansas City Chiefs [9][36]
1967 Len Dawson† (5) 57.7% Kansas City Chiefs [9][36]
1968 Len Dawson† (6) 58.5% Kansas City Chiefs [9][36]
1969 Len Dawson† (7) 59.0% Kansas City Chiefs [9][36]

Most seasons leading a league

edit
Count Player Seasons Team(s) Ref.
8 Sammy Baugh 1940, 1942, 1943, 19451949 Washington Redskins [9][15]
Len Dawson 1962, 19641969, 1975 Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs [9][36]
6 Drew Brees 20092011, 20172019 New Orleans Saints [9][58]
5 Joe Montana 1980, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1989 San Francisco 49ers [9][40]
Steve Young 1992, 19941997 San Francisco 49ers [9][46]
4 Bart Starr 1962, 1966, 1968, 1969 Green Bay Packers [9][28]
3 Ken Anderson 1974, 1982, 1983 Cincinnati Bengals [9][35]
Otto Graham 19531955 Cleveland Browns [9][21]
Milt Plum 19591961 Cleveland Browns [9][26]
Kurt Warner 19992001 St. Louis Rams [9][50]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b To qualify, a player must meet a minimum number of pass attempts per team game. 10 attempts per team game for seasons prior to 1975, 12 attempts per team game for the 1976 and 1977 seasons, and 14 attempts per team game from the 1978 season onwards.[8]
  2. ^ a b Ken Anderson completed 218 of 309 passes in the 1982 season,[35] which represents a completion percentage of 70.55% and was an NFL record at the time.[57] In 2009, Drew Brees broke this record by completing 363 of 514 passes,[58] which represents a completion percentage of 70.62%.[59] Both numbers are rounded to one decimal point in the table, and may appear to be a tie, but Brees actually broke Anderson's record.[59][60]

References

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