Guides › Era matters: how 14-, 16- and 17-game seasons change career totals

Era matters: how 14-, 16- and 17-game seasons change career totals

Last updated October 19, 2026 · 2 min read

Career totals do not come from a level playing field. The number of games in a season, how often teams throw, and how long a player lasts all change between eras. Pigskin Ladder compares players from the 1960s through the 2020s, so era is one of the most useful things to check before you answer.

Season length changed twice

The NFL played 14-game regular seasons from 1961 through 1977, moved to 16 games in 1978, and added a 17th game in 2021. A quarterback who played from 1961 to 1978, like Fran Tarkenton, simply had fewer chances per year than one who played entirely under a 16-game schedule. The same is true of Johnny Unitas, whose career began in 1956.

The passing numbers follow the calendar

Eight of the 16 quarterbacks on the ladder passed for more than 60,000 yards: Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan and Dan Marino. Every one of them began his career in 1983 or later. The three oldest quarterbacks on the ladder, Unitas (40,239), Dan Fouts (43,040) and Tarkenton (47,003), are all below 48,000. They are not in the lower half of the ladder because they were worse. They played when teams threw less and games were fewer.

Rushing is less simple

Passing totals have climbed with time, but rushing totals do not follow a neat curve. Walter Payton (16,726 yards in 13 seasons) is second on the ladder, and Barry Sanders reached 15,269 in 10. Career length still matters: a long career usually beats a shorter, brilliant one, which is how Emmitt Smith’s 18,355 yards over 15 seasons finished well ahead of Sanders.

Sacks have a start date

Sacks became an official statistic in 1982, so any pass rusher whose career began earlier has an incomplete official record. All eleven on the ladder began in 1983 or later, which keeps their numbers comparable. See our sacks guide for more.

A checklist before you answer

1. When did each player start and finish?
2. How many seasons did each play as a starter?
3. Did the position’s workload change during his career?
4. Is the category affected by rules that changed over time, such as passing yards or interceptions?

If two players are close, the longer career usually wins a counting stat. The quarterback table lets you look at each total side by side, and the estimation guide shows how to turn career length into a quick estimate. Then test yourself.