Who Has the Strongest Arm in the NFL?
Who has the strongest arm in the NFL? We take a look at the quarterbacks with the strongest arms in the league.
Tom Brady
Tom Brady has the strongest arm in the NFL by far.
This was evident in 2019 when he had the second-highest average completion distance among all quarterbacks, according to Next Gen Stats. His 8.23-yard average completion distance was only behind Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals.
In 2018, Brady led the NFL in average completion distance (8.6 yards).
In 2017, he was second behind only Russell Wilson (8.8 yards).
Even at 41 years old, Brady can still sling it.
Drew Brees
Drew Brees may not have the biggest arm in the NFL, but he may have the strongest.
At 6’0″ and 209 pounds, Brees is shorter and lighter than many of the league’s other top quarterbacks. But what he lacks in size, he makes up for in strength.
Brees can bench press 225 pounds 27 times, which is more than twice his body weight. He also has the strength to toss a football 60 yards with ease.
In comparison, Tom Brady, who is 6’4″ and 225 pounds, can only bench press 225 pounds 15 times. And while Brady can throw a football 60 yards, it takes him a bit more effort than it does for Brees.
Peyton Manning, on the other hand, is 6’5″ and 230 pounds. He can bench press 225 pounds 23 times and throw a football 60 yards with ease.
So, while Manning may be bigger and stronger than Brees, it’s clear that Brees has the stronger arm.
Aaron Rodgers
Since the National Football League began measuring players’ arm strength in 2008, no one has thrown the football harder than Aaron Rodgers. The Green Bay Packers quarterback has averaged 60.7 miles per hour on his deep passes, according to NFL research — about 3 miles per hour harder than the next-closest player. Rodgers’ fastball is so fast that only four of the 1,874 deep passes he has thrown in his career have been intercepted.
Matthew Stafford
Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions has the strongest arm in the NFL, according to a recent poll of NFL quarterbacks. Stafford, who is in his ninth season with the Lions, received 27 percent of the vote. He was followed by Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (15 percent) and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (14 percent).
