# Who threw the best deep ball in NFL history?

> Strong arms, soft touch, high arcs and frozen ropes all show up here, across six decades of throwing it long. Pick the spiral you would most want dropping into a receiver's hands.

*By YPB Team · Published October 25, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/who-threw-the-best-deep-ball-in-nfl-history*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Dan Marino** — score 1000/1000
   Dolphins Hall of Famer with one of the quickest releases ever and 48 touchdown passes in 1984.
2. **Terry Bradshaw** — score 682/1000
   Steelers Hall of Famer whose long throws to Lynn Swann and John Stallworth won four Super Bowls.
3. **Aaron Rodgers** — score 645/1000
   Packers quarterback famed for pinpoint long throws and Hail Mary completions.
4. **Peyton Manning** — score 574/1000
   Colts and Broncos Hall of Famer who threw a record 55 touchdown passes in 2013.
5. **Russell Wilson** — score 506/1000
   Seahawks quarterback whose high-arcing moonball made him one of the most accurate deep passers of the 2010s.
6. **Ben Roethlisberger** — score 506/1000
   Steelers quarterback who won two Super Bowls and often hit Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace deep.
7. **Matthew Stafford** — score 447/1000
   Lions and Rams quarterback with a big arm who won Super Bowl LVI.
8. **Brett Favre** — score 446/1000
   Packers Hall of Famer famous for a gunslinger arm and three straight MVP awards in the 1990s.
9. **John Elway** — score 446/1000
   Broncos Hall of Famer with a cannon arm who won back-to-back Super Bowls late in his career.
10. **Sonny Jurgensen** — score 446/1000
   Eagles and Washington Hall of Famer regarded as one of the purest downfield passers of the 1960s.
11. **Joe Namath** — score 378/1000
   Jets Hall of Famer who threw for 4,007 yards in 1967 and guaranteed the Super Bowl III win.
12. **Jeff Blake** — score 378/1000
   Bengals quarterback of the 1990s whose high, arcing deep throws to Carl Pickens and Darnay Scott earned him a 1995 Pro Bowl.
13. **Dan Fouts** — score 378/1000
   Chargers Hall of Famer who ran the Air Coryell offense and led the league in passing yards four times.
14. **Warren Moon** — score 203/1000
   Oilers Hall of Famer who threw for more than 4,600 yards in both 1990 and 1991 in the run-and-shoot.
15. **Josh Allen** — score 203/1000
   Bills quarterback with one of the strongest arms in league history.
16. **Tom Brady** — score 203/1000
   Seven-time Super Bowl champion whose 2007 deep connection with Randy Moss produced 50 touchdown passes.
17. **Daryle Lamonica** — score 203/1000
   Raiders quarterback nicknamed the Mad Bomber for his vertical passing game in the late 1960s.
18. **Kurt Warner** — score 203/1000
   Hall of Famer who led the Greatest Show on Turf Rams to a Super Bowl title with deep strikes to Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt.
19. **Patrick Mahomes** — score 0/1000
   Chiefs quarterback and multiple Super Bowl champion known for off-platform deep throws to Tyreek Hill.
20. **Joe Flacco** — score 0/1000
   Ravens Super Bowl MVP known for a huge arm and long playoff completions in the 2012 title run.

Tags: sports, american-football, nfl, quarterbacks