What are the longest football throws in history? We’re talking about in-game throws at both the collegiate and NFL levels. Perhaps, someone tossed the ball over the mountain during skill competitions. Pro Days leading up to the NFL Draft also give quarterbacks an opportunity to show off their arms.
Either way, it’s been a talking point with the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen boasting some of the strongest arms we’ve ever seen within the gridiron world. Let’s look at all of this below.
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Longest NFL pass in the air: Baker Mayfield throws the ball 70.5 yards on Hail Mary in 2020
During a game against the Baltimore Ravens back in December of 2020, Baker Mayfield threw up a hail mary toward the end of the second quarter. According to Pro Football Focus, the ball traveled a resounding 70.5 yards in the air before falling incomplete.
The crazy thing here is that this ball traveled through the goal posts in Cleveland. It also came during a December game in Ohio with the weather at a mere 34 degrees. That’s usually not indicative of a ball traveling a great distance. For what it’s worth, Mayfield is also considered to have one of the three strongest-arms in the NFL today. He’ll now bring that talent with him to the Carolina Panthers.
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Longest football throws in history: Patrick Mahomes Pro Day
An argument can be made that Patrick Mahomes has the strongest arm in NFL history. Here’s a dude who has thrown the ball completely out of Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. That’s not hyperbole. It actually happened.
During his Pro Day with Texas Tech leading up to the 2017 NFL Draft, Mahomes actually threw the ball 80 yards on a dime. It really was something to behold. There’s some who say Mahomes and Allen could actually get the ball 100 yards in the air. Though, we’ve yet to see it.
Longest throw in NFL history? Randall Cunningham during competition (76 yards)
There are reports that Cunningham threw the ball an absurd 76 yards during the 1993 NFL Quarterback Challenge. There’s no video evidence of this happening. But those on the scene recalled measuring the throw at that distance. If so, it would be among the longest football throws in said competition since its inception (and ultimate conclusion).
A second-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles out of UNLV back in 1985, Cunningham is known for having one of the strongest arms in NFL history. He threw for nearly 30,000 yards with 207 touchdowns during his 16-year career.
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Fastest football throw ever: Patrick Mahomes, others during NFL Combine
Officially, the NFL Scouting Combine started to measure the velocity of footballs a decade ago. It’s in this that Patrick Mahomes tied the combine record of 60 miles-per-hour during the annual event in 2017. That mark matched current NFL tight end Logan Thomas and CFL quarterback Bryan Bennett. Yeah, who?
It’s no surprise that Mahomes would make the list. In fact, he already boasts the single longest football throw from his knees — once tossing the rock an absurd 65 yards. That’s insane.
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Strongest arm in the NFL? Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
According to Madden 22, Josh Allen sports a throw power rating of 99 while Patrick Mahomes comes in at 97. While that’s a mere video game, it’s also a continuation of what we’ve seen in this article thus far. It’s Allen and Mahomes above the rest. Others on the list include:
- Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams: 95
- Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns: 95
- Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers: 95
- Zach Wilson, New York Jets: 94
- Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: 93
- Deshaun Watson, Houston texans: 93
We’ll have updates on this once the QB rankings for Madden 23 are released.
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Longest touchdown in NFL history: 99 yards
This feat has been accomplished a total of 13 times in NFL history. Most recently, Eli Manning hit Victor Cruz on a 99-yard score back in 2011. That very same season saw all-time great Tom Brady connect with Wes Welker on a score of the same ilk. Here’s a full list of this rare accomplishement.
- Frank Filchock to Andy Farkas, Washington Redskins (1939)
- George Izo to Bobby Mitchell, Washington Redskins (1963)
- Karl Sweetan to Pat Studstill, Detroit Lions (1966)
- Sonny Jurgensen to Jerry Allen, Washington Redskins (1968)
- Jim Plunkett to Cliff Branch, Los Angeles Raiders (1983)
- Ron Jaworski to Mike Quick, Philadelphia Eagles (1985)
- Stan Humphries to Tony Martin, San Diego Chargers (1994)
- Brett Favre to Robert Brooks, Green Bay Packers (1995)
- Trent Green to Marc Boerigter, Kansas City Chiefs (2002)
- Jeff Garcia to Andre Davis, Cleveland Browns (2004)
- Gus Frerotte to Bernard Berrian, Minnesota Vikings (2008)
- Tom Brady to Wes Welker, New England Patriots (2011)
- Eli Manning to Victor Cruz, New York Giants (2011)