While Tom Brady didn’t win a Super Bowl last season, he still has a title to defend in 2022.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback was the NFL’s 2021 passing champion after racking up a career-best 5,316 yards. It was Brady’s first passing title since 2017 and his fourth overall.
Now, the 44-year-old will try to accomplish something he’s never done in his legendary career: repeat as passing champ. Since 2000, Drew Brees is the only signal caller to lead the league in passing in consecutive seasons, doing so from 2011-12 and from 2014-16. Even if you go all the way back to 1970, Ken Anderson (1974-75), Dan Fouts (1979-82), Dan Marino (1984-86) and Warren Moon (1990-91) are the only other quarterbacks to pull off the feat.
So who are the biggest threats to prevent Brady from joining that rare company this season?
Who is the betting favorite to lead the NFL in passing in 2022?
Brady is not the betting favorite to be crowned the 2022 passing champion, with that title belonging to Justin Herbert. The Los Angeles Chargers quarterback has +650 odds to lead the NFL in passing yards this season, according to our partner, PointsBet. Herbert was the only other QB to reach the 5,000-yard mark in 2021, finishing second behind Brady with 5,014 yards.
But Brady isn’t far behind Herbert, as he’s tied with Patrick Mahomes for the second-best odds at +800. Mahomes, who tallied the fourth-most passing yards in 2021 with 4,839, has surprisingly never won a passing title. The closest he came to one was in 2018 when Ben Roethlisberger beat him out by only 32 yards.
Matthew Stafford, whose 4,886 passing yards were third-most last season, is the only other QB with shorter than +1000 odds at +900. Joe Burrow (+1000), Derek Carr (+1000), Josh Allen (+1100), Dak Prescott (+1200), Aaron Rodgers (+1400) and Russell Wilson (+1800) round out the top 10.
Deshaun Watson (+2500) and Jameis Winston (+3000) are the only other active former passing champions, along with Brady.
Washington Commanders QB Carson Wentz is tied with four other signal callers for the 20th-best odds at +5000. That group includes two San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks in Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, along with Jalen Hurts and former MVP Lamar Jackson.
Wentz put up 3,563 yards in his lone season with the Indianapolis Colts in 2021, which was good for 18th in the league. The former No. 2 overall pick's career high in passing yards is 4,039, and he'll need to top that in 2022 to have a shot at the passing title.
Here’s a full look at the betting favorites to win the 2022 passing title:
Justin Herbert: +650
Tom Brady: +800
Patrick Mahomes: +800
Matthew Stafford: +900
Joe Burrow: +1000
Derek Carr: +1000
Josh Allen: +1100
Dak Prescott: +1200
Aaron Rodgers: +1400
Russell Wilson: +1800
Kirk Cousins: +2000
Matt Ryan: +2200
Kyler Murray: +2500
Deshaun Watson: +2500
Trevor Lawrence: +2800
Tua Tagovailoa: +2800
Jameis Winston: +3000
Mac Jones: +3300
Ryan Tannehill: +4000
Jimmy Garoppolo: +5000
Jalen Hurts: +5000
Lamar Jackson: +5000
Trey Lance: +5000
Carson Wentz: +5000
Jared Goff: +6600
Davis Mills: +6600
Zach Wilson: +6600
Daniel Jones: +8000
Baker Mayfield: +8000
Sam Darnold: +10000
Justin Fields: +10000
Marcus Mariota: +10000
Kenny Pickett: +10000
Mitchell Trubisky: +10000
Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.