Best Deep Ball Quarterbacks Entering 2025

The NFL has become a more condensed game, with 2024 bringing the league's highest completion percentage on record -- at the cost of the lowest yards per completion in NFL history.

That doesn't mean it's all dink-and-dunk, however. There are still a handful of quarterbacks who can (and will) sling it deep.

Those are the guys we'll look at here, breaking down the best NFL deep ball quarterbacks entering 2025.

Best Deep Ball Quarterbacks Entering 2025

To do this, I pulled deep ball passing statistics from nflfastR for every quarterback who attempted at least 25 deep passes in the 2024 regular season. Here, a deep pass is one at least 20 yards downfield.

The table below lists the top 10 quarterbacks by passing EPA on throws 20+ yards downfield, along with a few other key statistics on deep passes.

EPA: EPA per deep pass attempt.
Y/A: Yards per deep pass attempt.
NFL: NFL Passer Rating on deep pass attempts.

Let's run through the best NFL deep ball quarterbacks entering 2025.

1. Jared Goff (DET)

Though Jared Goff didn't throw deep often -- he was bottom-three in deep pass rate -- he certainly made the most of his attempts. Goff led the league EPA per attempt on passes of 20+ yards, recording the highest touchdown rate (18.6%) on such throws.

He did toss 3 interceptions on deep attempts but still ranked second in NFL Passer Rating (134.8). Goff was top-10 in deep completion percentage (41.9%) and finished second in yards per deep pass attempt (15.6).

2. Russell Wilson (PIT -> NYG)

Russell Wilson's long been one of the NFL's premier deep ball quarterbacks, and 2024 was no different. While his average depth of target was down from his career average, he remained uber-efficient on throws of 20+ yards downfield.

Wilson finished top three in EPA per dropback, completion percentage (46,7%), yards per attempt (15.1, and NFL Passer Rating (124.4) on deep pass attempts.

3. Sam Darnold (MIN -> SEA)

In his breakout season with the Minnesota Vikings, Sam Darnold finished a close third in EPA per dropback. But there's an argument to be made that he was the top deep passer in 2024.

Sam Darnold led the league in passing yards (1,182), touchdowns (9), completion percentage (49.3%), and NFL Passer Rating (139.8) on throws of 20+ yards downfield. Minnesota's star-studded receiving corps did play a role in those totals; Darnold had the second-highest completion percentage over expectation (+11.5) on deep throws.

4. Jalen Hurts (PHI)

Jalen Hurts' deep passing proficiency can go unnoticed at times due to his goal-line prowess, but he was one of the best deep throwers in the NFL last season. He ranked third in EPA per dropback and registered the third-highest passing touchdown rate (15.2%) in 2024.

While his volume was lacking in comparison to some of the other top gunslingers, Hurts was super-efficient on deep throws. He recorded the fourth-highest NFL Passer Rating (122.6) on throws.

5. Geno Smith (SEA -> LV)

Even with five interceptions on deep passing attempts, Geno Smith remained one of the premier deep ball quarterbacks during his final Seattle Seahawks campaign.

Geno was solid across the board on throws of 20+ yards downfield, and the counting stats speak for themselves. Smith's 8 deep passing touchdowns were tied for the second-most in the NFL, and he was a solo second behind Sam Darnold with 29 first downs on such throws.

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