Who has the most passing yards in NFL history? Aaron Rodgers climbs to 10th on the list

Aaron Rodgers was a busted flush just a week ago as he slumped to the worst loss of his career. Instead of believing that an exception proves the rule, many NFL fans refused to prematurely count out the reigning NFL MVP. Aaron Rodgers returned against the Detroit Lions with a masterful display to silence all his critics.

In the process, he overtook John Elway to climb into the top 10 list of all QBs in terms of passing yards. We look at the other players ahead of him as Aaron Rodgers looks to climb the ladder further.

Where does Aaron Rodgers rank for the most passing yards in NFL history?

The current leaderboard is stacked with some great quarterbacks and Aaron Rodgers now joins an elite list. That is not to say that he is not an elite quarterback himself; rather it is to put into proper context how rarefied the air is up here.

The quarterback with the most passing yards currently is Drew Brees with 80,358 yards. Considering Tom Brady is still playing and is expected to continue playing for eons, he is likely to pass Brees very soon. As of last count, Brady is on 79,859 yards.

Following them on 71,940 yards is Peyton Manning, and Aaron Rodgers' predecessor, Brett Favre, comes up fourth on the list with 71,838 yards.

Then there's Phillip Rivers, Dan Marino, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning and Matt Ryan before Aaron Rodgers comes in at the 10th spot. Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Ryan are still active and therefore provide the toughest direct challenge to Aaron Rodgers.

Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan provides a tougher challenge because he was drafted three years after Aaron Rodgers and is expected to play longer. Ben Roethlisberger, on the other hand, was drafted just a year before Aaron Rodgers, so the competition between them will be fierce till the end.

Who did Aaron Rodgers cross on the way to tenth on the list?

The person that Aaron Rodgers bumped out of the way to find his place in the top 10 is John Elway who had 51,475 passing yards. Aaron Rodgers currently has 51,633 passing yards.

Elway, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Denver Broncos, is also a Hall-of-Famer and considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. That Aaron Rodgers left him behind is a testament to the ability of the incumbent Green Bay Packers quarterback.