NFL QBs with 100 TD passes and 4000 rushing yards: Lamar Jackson joins exclusive list
Lamar Jackson made it to an exclusive list this week, which is a testament to his versatility as a quarterback.
He became just the sixth quarterback to achieve the feat of rushing for more than 4000 yards while simultaneously also having 100 touchdown passes.
It shows his dual-threat versatility and he joins an elite list of other such quarterbacks who changed the game. Here is a list of all the players who make up the clique.
Lamar Jackson the newest quarterback among elite dual-threat quarterbacks
#6 - Lamar Jackson, 4226+ yards, 100 touchdowns
Lamar Jackson came into this week's game against the New Orleans Saints on 99 touchdown passes and over 4000 yards. When he connected on the first passing touchdown of the game to tight end Isaiah Likely, that was his 100th touchdown.
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He has reached 4226 yards in just 66 games, the fewest of anyone else on this list. He certainly did not let up during the game either as he pulled off some rushing plays that will make the highlight reel for sure. So, the rushing yards will only keep growing along with the touchdown passes.
The sky is the limit for Lamar Jackson at the moment and he is certainly reaching for it. That the Baltimore Ravens are competitive this season, despite their lack of depth in receiver position and other injuries, is solely down to Lamar Jackson.
By the time he is done with this game, he will have leapfrogged the next Hall-of-Famer on this list.
#5 - Steve Young, 4239 yards, 232 touchdowns
Steve Young joined the NFL from the USFL in 1985 and played a couple of years for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he was deemed a bust. He was traded to the San Francisco 49ers, where he was the backup to Joe Montana, arguably the greatest quarterback of that generation.
When Montana left, Steve Young had the unenviable job of following in his footsteps.
He passed the test with flying colors, being named the NFL MVP in 1992 and 1994. In the latter season, he won the Super Bowl as well with a record of 6 passing touchdowns. But beyond his natural passing ability, it was his ability to rush that made him such a threat to opposing defenses.
He has scored 43 rushing touchdowns in his career, the second-highest on this list. He took 169 games to reach these heights.
#4 - Russell Wilson, 4802 yards, 298 touchdowns
Russell Wilson's ability with his feet is well known. The future Hall-of-Famer was a nightmare for opposing defenses with his ability to escape out of the pocket and make plays.
We have not seen much of this in his current avatar with the Denver Broncos, but anyone who saw him with the Seattle Seahawks will remember his greatness.
He won the Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seahawks and had they trusted his legs a bit more next year, he would have won back-to-back Super Bowls.
In his ten seasons, he has made it to nine Pro Bowls, missing out only in 2016. Much of his success has been due to his mobility. He has achieved this in 165 games.
#3 - Randall Cunningham, 4928 yards, 207 touchdowns
Randall Cunningham is in the top three on this list, having rushed for nearly 5000 yards in his 161 games. He passed far fewer than Russell Wilson in terms of touchdowns scored, but he has rushed for more yards in fewer games. He has 35 rushing touchdowns in his career.
3x MVP seasonsRandall Cunningham belongs in Canton. Why?
🏈 3x MVP seasons
🏈 Among best QBs year after year (stats + 👁)
🏈 Asked to do it all — and did
🏈 No losing seasons with 10+ starts
🏈 No years with INT > TD
🏈 1998: One of the GOAT QB years
🏈 Forever changed the sacred position https://t.co/yjLvukrn46
Much of his success came with the Philadelphia Eagles making it to three Pro Bowls with them. He also made it to the Pro Bowl once while playing with the Minnesota Vikings in 1998, when he was also the NFL passer rating leader. A multi-faceted player who changed the NFL with his dual-threat ability.
#2 - Cam Newton, 5628 yards, 194 touchdowns
Cam Newton was the ultimate dual-threat quarterback when he was at his peak. He was almost unplayable, especially in 2015. He was named NFL MVP that year and took the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl, which unfortunately they lost.
While his count of passing touchdowns might be lower than WIlson, Cunningham, and Young, he has had an astonishing 75 rushing touchdowns in his career.
No player in the NFL has more rushing touchdowns than @CameronNewton since he entered the league in 2011.
That includes running backs. https://t.co/elIZMS1eoC
He has set the benchmark for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in the NFL that will be very hard to meet. He achieved all of that in just 148 games.
He made three Pro Bowls from 2011 to 2015 and one can almost argue that his star burned too bright and too fast. At the age of 33, he is currently out of the NFL. But when he played, he was a phenomenon few couls stop.
#1 - Michael Vick, 6109 yards, 133 touchdowns
Michael Vick is at the top of this list and rightly so because he was the one that really changed the quarterback position. The rushing was primarily left to the running backs before he came along. He was the one who made it fashionable for quarterbacks to rush. In the process, he rushed for more than 6000 yards in just 143 games. He reaped 36 rushing touchdowns as a result.
He was the first overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2001 NFL Draft and he made three Pro Bowls with them. His career was derailed due to his arrest for his involvement in a dog-fighting ring. He lost a couple of years of his career and the Falcons released him after his release from prison. He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and made one more Pro Bowl with them, achieving some redemption. He could never reach the heights from earlier in his career.