Throwaway rate
A throwaway is a pass a quarterback deliberately throws where no one can catch it — out of bounds or into the ground — to avoid a sack or an interception when nothing is open. Throwaway rate is the share of a quarterback's dropbacks that FTN's charters marked as a throwaway.
When a play breaks down, a quarterback can take the sack, force a throw, run, or give up on the play by throwing the ball away. FTN's charters mark each deliberate throwaway. The rate divides those by all of a passer's charted dropbacks. A throwaway counts as an incomplete pass attempt in the box score, which is why it drags down completion percentage.
Throwaway Rate — 2026 leaders
| # | Player | TA% | TA | DB | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bryce Young | 14.2% | 18 | 127 | |
| 2 | Jalen Hurts | 8.4% | 8 | 95 | |
| 3 | Caleb Williams | 8.3% | 5 | 60 | |
| 4 | Cam Ward | 7.5% | 7 | 93 | |
| 5 | Josh Allen | 7.4% | 7 | 94 | |
| 6 | Bo Nix | 7.1% | 7 | 98 | |
| 7 | Trevor Lawrence | 6.0% | 5 | 84 | |
| 8 | Patrick Mahomes | 5.9% | 6 | 102 | |
| 9 | Aaron Rodgers | 5.0% | 6 | 120 | |
| 10 | Tyler Shough | 5.0% | 7 | 141 |
Why it matters
A throwaway trades a likely loss for a certain incompletion, so it is usually the safe decision. Knowing how often a passer throws the ball away explains part of the gap between his completion percentage and his accuracy, and it sits next to sack and interception-worthy rates as one of the ways a quarterback handles a play that has gone wrong.
The counter
The rate cannot say why. A high one can be a disciplined passer avoiding sacks or a passer whose receivers rarely get open, and the number is the same either way.
More football stats explained
- EPA (expected points added)
- EPA per dropback
- Success rate
- CPOE (completion percentage over expected)
- ANY/A (adjusted net yards per attempt)
- RYOE (rushing yards over expected)
- Target share
- Air yards share
- WOPR (weighted opportunity rating)
- aDOT (average depth of target)
- YAC over expected
- Separation
- Pressure rate
- Blitz rate
- Man and zone coverage splits
- PROE (pass rate over expected)
- Stacked box rate
- Half-PPR (and how it differs from full PPR)
- The usage gap (snaps versus production)
- Pythagorean wins
- Stickiness (what repeats and what does not)
- Snap share
- Pass-snap share
- YPRR (yards per route run)
- Availability (the “stayed” rate)
- Handcuff
- Play-action rate
- Pre-snap motion rate
- Drop rate
- Contested catch rate
- Interception-worthy throws
- Quarterback-fault sacks
- Intended air yards (IAY)
- Deep ball rate
- QB Composite Rating
- Screen pass rate
- No-huddle rate
- RPO rate
- Light box rate
- Catchable throw rate
- Out-of-pocket rate
- Time to throw
- Aggressiveness
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