NFL Passing Yards Futures

Our look at NFL futures moves on to the passing game to look at a race that wasn’t even close last season. Does that mean it’s an easy choice for NFL betting fans wagering on the passing yards future this season?

Last season Drew Brees easily surpassed every other quarterback in the league in passing yards. By passing for 5,069 yards Brees threw for nearly 500 more yards than Kurt Warner, who was second in the league with 4,583 yards. Brees’ amazing season almost got him into the record books, as he finished only 15 yards behind Dan Marino’s all-time record for passing yards in a single season. Numbers like that will be nearly impossible to duplicate, even in New Orleans’ pass-happy offense. However, since he completely obliterated the rest of the league, it’s unlikely Brees would need to match those numbers to lead the league in passing once again. Even a 300-yard drop would still have left him on top last season. Because of that, Brees is heavily favored to lead the league again at BetOnline at +220.

Don’t hand Brees the passing yards title just yet though. Leading the league in passing yards in back-to-back seasons isn’t an easy feat. In fact, it’s quite a rare feat which hasn’t been done since Warren Moon did it in 1990-1991. Brees had a chance to do it a few years ago after leading the league in 2006, but he finished second to Tom Brady a year later in 2007. That has been a common occurrence the last four seasons, with Brees and Brady trading the title back and forth; Brady won it in 2005 and 2007, while Brees won in 2006 and 2008.

Will that trend continue with the passing yards title going back to Brady? The signs definitely point to that being a possibility, with Brady returning to his starting job after missing almost all of last year with a knee injury. On the NFL odds Brady follows Brees at +600, and if he’s healthy he should be able to challenge Brees for the title while passing to Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Joey Galloway.

Other than Brees and Brady the only other QBs the oddsmakers are giving a chance to on the NFL betting odds are Kurt Warner and Peyton Manning. Both have led the league in passing yards before, and both are currently listed at +700. Warner led the league in 2001, and after finishing second in passing yards last season he could challenge for the top spot again if he can remain healthy. Manning, who led the league in 2000 and 2003, has seen his yardage numbers drop the last three seasons, so he’ll need to reverse that trend to pick up a third passing-yards title.