If you’ve ever sat in a bar during an NFL Sunday, you’ve heard the argument. "Wins aren't a quarterback stat!" someone usually yells, while slamming a coaster on the table. Then, someone else immediately brings up Tom Brady. It’s the ultimate football paradox. We say wins belong to the team, yet we judge every single signal-caller by the W-L column on their Wikipedia page.
Honestly, the hunt for the most wins for a qb is less about a single number and more about who survived the longest in a league designed to break you. As of early 2026, the landscape has shifted. We have legends entering the Hall of Fame—like Drew Brees and Eli Manning, who are both finalists for the Class of 2026—and we have a new guard trying to chase down ghosts.
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Let's be real: the gap between number one and everyone else is kind of terrifying.
The Untouchable: Why Tom Brady’s 251 Regular Season Wins Are Safe
When we talk about the most wins for a qb, the conversation starts and ends with Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. He didn't just break the record; he moved the goalposts into a different zip code. Brady finished his career with 251 regular-season wins. To put that in perspective, if a quarterback enters the league today and wins 12 games every single year without fail, they would still need to play for 21 seasons just to tie him.
It's not just the regular season, though. If you add in the playoffs, the number jumps to 286 total wins.
Think about that.
He has more playoff wins (35) than many "franchise" quarterbacks have total career wins. Most people forget that for a long time, the record was a tie between Peyton Manning and Brett Favre at 186. At the time, we thought 186 was the absolute ceiling. Then Brady just... kept going. He won 32 games in Tampa Bay alone after turning 43. That’s basically an entire career's worth of success for a middle-of-the-road starter, squeezed into three years of "retirement" age.
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The Active Leaders: Rodgers, Mahomes, and the 2026 Reality
So, who is actually left standing? As we move through the 2025-26 season, the "active" list looks a lot different than it did even two years ago.
Aaron Rodgers is the elder statesman now. Currently slinging it for the Pittsburgh Steelers after his stint with the Jets, Rodgers sits at 163 regular-season wins. He’s 42 years old. While he’s playing mistake-free football and just helped Pittsburgh clinch the AFC North in Week 18 of the 2025 season, he’d need roughly seven more perfect seasons to catch Brady. That's not happening.
Then there’s Patrick Mahomes. This is where it gets interesting. Mahomes is currently sitting on 17 postseason wins, which officially moved him past Joe Montana (16) for second all-time in playoff history. He’s only trailing Brady’s 35.
In the regular season? Mahomes has around 95 wins as of early 2026. He’s 30. He’s on a torrid pace, winning roughly 76% of his games, but the sheer volume of Brady’s longevity is a massive mountain to climb.
Current Active Regular Season Win Leaders (Approximate as of Jan 2026)
- Aaron Rodgers: 163 wins (Green Bay, NY Jets, Pittsburgh)
- Russell Wilson: 121 wins (Seattle, Denver, Pittsburgh, NY Giants)
- Matthew Stafford: 120 wins (Detroit, LA Rams)
- Patrick Mahomes: ~95 wins (Kansas City)
Stafford is actually having a massive late-career surge. He’s 37, turning 38 soon, and just put up a 13-win season with the Rams. He’s currently the front-runner for the 2025 NFL MVP. He might actually pass Russell Wilson soon, especially since Wilson has struggled with a 0-3 start during his recent stint with the Giants.
The "Wins Aren't a QB Stat" Delusion
We need to talk about why we care about the most wins for a qb in the first place. If you look at the stats, Drew Brees (172 wins) and Ben Roethlisberger (165 wins) are high on the list, but they aren't always in the "GOAT" conversation in the same way.
Why? Because context matters.
Take a look at Otto Graham. He played in the 1940s and 50s. He has the highest winning percentage in NFL history at .814 (minimum 50 starts). He went 57-13-1. In the modern era, only Mahomes really touches that kind of efficiency.
Winning is a reflection of the ecosystem. Brady had Belichick and top-10 defenses for two decades. Mahomes has Andy Reid. Meanwhile, guys like Matthew Stafford spent a decade in Detroit winning 74 games while losing 90. Is Stafford a worse "winner" than Jimmy Garoppolo, who has a much higher win percentage? Of course not. But when we look at the history books, we don't see the "why," we only see the "W."
Surprising Names You'll Find on the All-Time List
If you dig into the top 20, you find names that might surprise you if you didn't watch football in the 70s or 90s.
- Fran Tarkenton: 124 wins. People remember him for losing Super Bowls, but the dude was a winning machine for the Vikings and Giants.
- John Elway: 148 wins. He was the gold standard for "clutch" before the 2000s took over.
- Dan Marino: 147 wins. The "best quarterback to never win a Super Bowl" actually won a lot of games. He just couldn't get the big one.
- Joe Flacco: 107 wins. Honestly, Flacco’s longevity is wild. He’s been on six different teams—Ravens, Broncos, Jets, Eagles, Browns, and now the Bengals. He’s still picking up wins in 2026 at age 41.
What it Takes to Break the Record Today
The 17-game season helps. Theoretically, a quarterback can now rack up wins faster than they could in the 14-game era of the 1970s or the 16-game era that ended in 2020.
But there’s a catch.
The salary cap makes it almost impossible to keep a winning roster together for 20 years. Mahomes is the only one with a realistic shot, and even he would need to play until he’s 45. The "middle class" of winning quarterbacks is disappearing. You either have the elite guys like Josh Allen (who has about 75 regular season wins at age 29) or you have a revolving door of rookies.
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Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Bettors
If you're tracking the most wins for a qb for your own knowledge or for sports debates, keep these things in mind:
- Look at Win Percentage, not just Totals: Total wins is a longevity stat. Win percentage tells you who is actually dominant. Mahomes and Brady are the only modern QBs to consistently hover above .750.
- Watch the "Teams Beaten" stat: This is the secret "completionist" trophy. Only four quarterbacks have beaten all 32 NFL teams: Favre, Brady, Brees, and Manning. Mahomes has beaten 31—he just needs to beat the Chiefs (which would require him leaving Kansas City, so don't hold your breath).
- Postseason weight: Always separate regular season from playoffs. A "winning" quarterback who goes one-and-done in the playoffs (looking at you, Dak Prescott) isn't viewed the same by history.
The quest for the most wins for a qb isn't just about a record. It's about the rare intersection of elite talent, incredible coaching, and the kind of luck that keeps you healthy for 300 games. Brady didn't just have the talent; he had the time. Until someone else manages to play at an All-Pro level while their peers are collecting pensions, that 251-win record is the safest bet in sports.
To stay ahead of the curve, keep a close eye on the 2026 playoff bracket. With veterans like Stafford and Rodgers still active in the postseason, the "Active Wins" leaderboard is going to shift significantly by the time the Super Bowl in February rolls around. Watch for how many "Game-Winning Drives" these vets stack up; currently, Stafford leads all active players with 50, a stat that often predicts who will add another "W" to their career total when the pressure is highest.