Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford joined elite company in the first game of his 17th NFL season.
Stafford surpassed 60,000 passing yards in his career with a 6-yard completion to Puka Nacua in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 14-9 win over the Houston Texans, becoming the 10th player in NFL history to accomplish the feat.
Entering Sunday, Stafford stood at 59,809 career passing yards, needing 191 to hit 60K. Stafford is now at 60,054, having finished the game with 245 yards -- the final 24 going to Nacua to clinch the win in the closing moments.
Reaching 60K in his 223rd career game, Stafford ties Matt Ryan as the second-fastest player to reach the milestone, according to NFL Research. Hall of Famer Drew Brees holds the record (215 games).
Sitting directly ahead of Stafford on the all-time passing yards list is Hall of Famer Dan Marino (61,361), and the 37-year-old QB could also eclipse Ryan (62,792) for eighth all time this season.
Sunday's accomplishment figures to become a key point in assessing Stafford's career when it's all said and done.
Stafford could also become just the ninth player in NFL history with 400 career touchdowns, having entered 2025 with 377 and recording TD No. 378 with a strike to Davis Allen on Sunday.
The No. 1 overall pick of the 2009 NFL Draft, Stafford spent his first 11 seasons in Detroit, where he became the Lions' all-time leader in passing yards (45,109) and TDs (282) before finding his greatest success in Los Angeles, where he led the Rams to a Super Bowl LVI win in 2021 during his first season in Southern California.
Although he's never led the league in passing yards or TDs in a single season, Stafford's accurate arm, pocket presence and toughness over the past 16 seasons have led him into an elite passing club that could further his argument for a bust in Canton.
