Tom Brady wasn’t particularly known for his arm strength during his professional playing career, instead becoming the most decorated quarterback in NFL history by defeating his opponents with accuracy and precision from the pocket.
That doesn’t mean he doesn’t know what a great arm looks like, though.
Brady revealed which passers he thought had the most talented arms in NFL history in a recent YouTube video. Two instantly came to mind: Dan Marino and Aaron Rodgers.
“I think most people would certainly say those two,” Brady said.
Marino’s arm made him an anomaly in an era of football before the passing game took off. He threw for 5,084 yards in his second season in the league in 1984 and was the only quarterback to throw for 5,000 yards in a single season for 25 years. Rodgers, meanwhile, used his arm to win four NFL MVPs. He has made several highlight throws over the years, dropping dimes while on the run and seemingly earning the title as the best Hail Mary passer of all time.
Beyond those two, Brady was a bit unsure how to fill out the rest of the top five, but he listed a handful of other signal-callers who deserve consideration for the most talented arms of all time.
“I’d say Brett Favre,” Brady continued. “This is harder than I think, but Matt Stafford’s up there. I’m missing a lot of people. I’m thinking Jeff George, Randall Cunningham, Michael Vick, Josh Allen. Those guys are a step above — people who have great arms and then you have the elite, elite arms.”
Favre is widely believed to have one of the most powerful arms in NFL history. The Green Bay Packers legend was able to make hard throws in winter conditions at Lambeau Field on numerous instances throughout his career, with some of his throws being estimated to travel well over 60 mph.
Stafford has become one of the top quarterback prospects since the turn of the century thanks to his arm strength. The Detroit Lions-turned-Los Angeles Rams quarterback was actually a pitcher in high school, having the ability to throw the ball in the low 90s as a 15-year-old. On top of his velocity, Stafford’s been able to make passes by contorting his arm at unique angles to throw sidearm passes.
Of the quarterbacks Brady mentioned, George was the least accomplished. That doesn’t mean he didn’t have a strong arm, though. Take this touchdown pass he threw to Randy Moss as an example, throwing the ball nearly 50 yards in the air without much of an arc.
Cunningham and Vick might be two of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in NFL history, and they also showed moments of tremendous arm strength. Cunningham had several throws in his career where the ball traveled for at least 45 yards through the air.
Vick’s arm strength helped him become the first overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft. His 88-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson in 2010 might be the most impressive example of arm strength in NFL history, throwing the ball roughly 60 yards in the air.
Finally, Allen has also been touted for his arm strength ever since he was a prospect. The Buffalo Bills star holds the record for the fastest ball thrown in the history of the NFL Scouting Combine, throwing it 62 mph at the 2018 event.
As for Brady, he seemed aware that he wasn’t the greatest, either. In a blind scouting report review, Brady assessed himself as an undrafted free agent while reading his own traits.
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