Quarterback Deep Ball Leaders
Quarterback Deep Ball — 2021 NFL leaders, updated Aug 13, 2026. Tua Tagovailoa (MIA) led the league in deep-ball expected points added per attempt at 1.09, ahead of 32 other qualifying players. Based on verified 2021 play-by-play data (nflverse); Half-PPR scoring. Through the 2021 season.
A deep ball is defined by where it was aimed, not by where it ended up: 20 or more air yards past the line of scrimmage, caught, dropped or overthrown. That is why the split is worth its own page. A completion rate near 50 percent down here is excellent where the same number on a full passing line would be alarming, and the expected-points column is the one that settles arguments, because a deep incompletion costs an offense almost nothing while a deep completion is often the whole drive. Read the rate column last: how often a quarterback goes deep is mostly his coordinator's decision, and it belongs next to how well it went rather than inside it.
| # | Player | Deep Att | Deep Cmp% | EPA/Att | Deep Yds | Deep Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tua Tagovailoa | 29 | 48.3% | 1.09 | 526 | 7.4% |
| 2 | Joe Burrow | 62 | 43.5% | 0.87 | 1,061 | 11.9% |
| 3 | Kyler Murray | 74 | 47.3% | 0.82 | 1,152 | 15.3% |
| 4 | Matt Ryan | 46 | 47.8% | 0.79 | 762 | 8.2% |
| 5 | Patrick Mahomes | 76 | 38.2% | 0.77 | 1,008 | 11.5% |
| 6 | Matthew Stafford | 73 | 42.5% | 0.74 | 1,265 | 12.1% |
| 7 | Justin Herbert | 70 | 40.0% | 0.71 | 993 | 10.3% |
| 8 | Carson Wentz | 56 | 42.9% | 0.70 | 828 | 10.8% |
| 9 | Josh Allen | 74 | 44.6% | 0.67 | 1,071 | 11.4% |
| 10 | Aaron Rodgers | 72 | 40.3% | 0.65 | 987 | 13.5% |
| 11 | Russell Wilson | 74 | 37.8% | 0.62 | 1,065 | 18.4% |
| 12 | Derek Carr | 81 | 40.7% | 0.53 | 1,128 | 12.9% |
| 13 | Kirk Cousins | 78 | 41.0% | 0.52 | 1,034 | 13.8% |
| 14 | Dak Prescott | 72 | 43.1% | 0.52 | 940 | 12.0% |
| 15 | Tom Brady | 91 | 40.7% | 0.49 | 1,121 | 12.6% |
| 16 | Daniel Jones | 27 | 29.6% | 0.42 | 337 | 7.5% |
| 17 | Jacoby Brissett | 22 | 36.4% | 0.41 | 235 | 9.7% |
| 18 | Davis Mills | 41 | 41.5% | 0.40 | 559 | 10.4% |
| 19 | Baker Mayfield | 60 | 38.3% | 0.39 | 729 | 14.3% |
| 20 | Jalen Hurts | 63 | 34.9% | 0.32 | 736 | 14.5% |
| 21 | Justin Fields | 42 | 42.9% | 0.31 | 514 | 15.6% |
| 22 | Jared Goff | 45 | 31.1% | 0.30 | 383 | 9.0% |
| 23 | Ryan Tannehill | 45 | 31.1% | 0.21 | 482 | 8.5% |
| 24 | Teddy Bridgewater | 53 | 30.2% | 0.20 | 489 | 12.4% |
| 25 | Mac Jones | 63 | 33.3% | 0.20 | 665 | 12.0% |
| 26 | Lamar Jackson | 54 | 31.5% | 0.16 | 578 | 14.0% |
| 27 | Taylor Heinicke | 64 | 32.8% | 0.15 | 654 | 12.9% |
| 28 | Zach Wilson | 43 | 39.5% | 0.14 | 506 | 11.1% |
| 29 | Trevor Lawrence | 67 | 29.9% | 0.09 | 577 | 11.0% |
| 30 | Ben Roethlisberger | 63 | 30.2% | 0.09 | 655 | 10.3% |
| 31 | Jimmy Garoppolo | 37 | 29.7% | -0.04 | 392 | 8.4% |
| 32 | Sam Darnold | 43 | 25.6% | -0.14 | 368 | 10.6% |
| 33 | Andy Dalton | 17 | 17.6% | -0.36 | 124 | 7.1% |
Other seasons
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- Rushing Yards Over Expected
- Target Share
- Running Back Receiving Efficiency
- Completion Percentage Over Expected
- Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt
- Quarterback Pressure Rate
- Defensive Blitz Rate
- Quarterbacks vs Man and Zone Coverage
- Pass Rate Over Expected
- Clean-Core Rating
- Usage vs Production
- Team Expected Points Added
- Quarterback EPA per Dropback
- Air Yards Share
- Stacked Box Rate
- Regression Flags
- Weighted Opportunity Rating
- Snap Share
- Pass-Snap Share
- Receiving Yards per Pass Snap
- Availability
- Tight End Receiving Efficiency
- Tight End Average Depth of Target
- Stat Stickiness
- Play-Action Rate
- Pre-Snap Motion Rate
- Drop Rate
- Contested Catch Rate
- Interception-Worthy Throw Rate
- Quarterback-Fault Sack Rate
- Quarterback Intended Air Yards
- Team Air Yards and Passing Volume
- Receiver Separation and Cushion
- Wide Receiver Receiving Efficiency
- Team Success Rate and Explosive Play Rate
- Goal-Line Usage
- Team Pace
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