5 most surprising NFL passing leaders in history

For most of recent history, we've seen the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning lead the NFL in passing years. However, there are always years like 2019, when Jameis Winston led the league. Who are the strangest passing leaders in NFL history?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) / Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

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2. Matt Schaub, 2009 Houston Texans

So many quarterbacks were going to finally take the NFL's expansion Houston Texans to the next level. It started with David Carr. When his offensive line basically put him in the hospital, the Texans moved on and signed Michael Vick's backup. Matt Schaub was traded to the Texans in 2007 for a pair of second-round picks. After two injury-plagued seasons, Schaub finally found some magic in 2009.

Schaub quickly showed that this season was not going to waste. He threw for 357 yards and four touchdowns in Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans. The next week against the Jaguars, he put up another 300-yard performance with three touchdowns. He stayed incredibly consistent for the entire season. He never threw for over 400 yards, and after Week 1, he never threw for under 200 yards. He stayed in a nice middle ground.

That accumulated into 4,770 yards on the season. It was a wild year where every star quarterback had a pretty great season. Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady rounded out the top five, all throwing for over 4,300 yards. Schaub was still at the top of the list, and he was selected to his first Pro Bowl. He even led the Texans to their first winning record in team history.

Things never came close to those highs again. Schaub still had decent stats in 2010, but he went 6-10. In 2011, a great start was ended by a Lisfranc injury. By 2013, he was benched and eventually traded to the Raiders. There were glimpses, but nobody expected him to be the league leader in a league with some of the best quarterbacks of all time.

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