Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa became the second Alabama alumnus to lead the NFL in passing yards in 2023.

New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath led the NFL with 2,816 passing yards in 1972. Tagovailoa led the league with 4,624 passing yards in 2023.

Namath also led the AFL in passing yards in 1966 and 1967, and his 27,663 career passing yards rank second to Ken Stabler among former Alabama players.

In 2023, Tagovailoa and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts became the fifth and sixth former Alabama players to reach 10,000 career passing yards in the NFL.

Mac Jones probably would have hit that milestone this season, too, but he lost his spot as the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback with six games left in 2023 and 1,082 passing yards short of 10,000.

Tagovailoa, Hurts and Jones occupy the same spots among Alabama’s NFL passers – fifth through seventh, respectively – as they did at the end of the 2022 season.

But change appears likely to the Crimson Tide’s top 10 NFL passers in 2024. Bryce Young, the No. 1 choice in the 2023 NFL Draft, threw for 2,877 yards as a rookie for the Carolina Panthers. After one season, he ranks 11th among all of Alabama’s NFL passers and 751 yards behind No. 10 Jeff Rutledge.

Two other former Alabama players threw passes in the NFL during the 2023 season. AJ McCarron had five passes as a backup QB for the Cincinnati Bengals. Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry threw three passes, and both his completions went for touchdowns.

The top 10 NFL passers among Alabama alumni (as measured by passing yards):

1. Ken Stabler: 27,938 passing yards

Oakland Raiders 1970-79, Houston Oilers 1980-81, New Orleans Saints 1982-84: The former Foley High School standout completed 2,270-of-3,793 passes with 194 touchdowns and 222 interceptions for a 75.3 passer rating. The Super Bowl-winning quarterback for the 1976 season, Stabler was the 1974 NFL MVP and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.

2. Joe Namath: 27,663 passing yards

New York Jets 1965-76, Los Angeles Rams 1977: Namath completed 1,886-of-3,762 passes with 173 touchdowns and 220 interceptions for a 65.5 passer rating. Namath was the AFL Player of the Year in 1968 and the MVP of the Jets’ Super Bowl III victory. He led the AFL in passing yards in 1966 and 1967 and the NFL in 1972. Namath joined the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

3. Bart Starr: 24,718 passing yards

Green Bay Packers 1956-71: The former Sidney Lanier High School standout completed 1,808-of-3,149 passes with 152 touchdowns and 138 interceptions for an 80.5 passer rating. Starr played quarterback for five NFL championship teams, including the winners of the first two Super Bowls, and he won the MVP honor in both those games. The NFL MVP for the 1966 season, Starr entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977 in his first year of eligibility.

4. Richard Todd: 20,610 passing yards

New York Jets 1976-83, New Orleans Saints 1984-85: The former Davidson High School standout completed 1,610-of-2,967 passes with 124 touchdowns and 161 interceptions for a 67.6 passer rating. In addition to being Stabler’s teammate in the Snake’s final NFL season, Todd was a teammate of Namath’s in Broadway Joe’s final season with the Jets, and he followed Namath’s run as New York’s starting QB with eight seasons of his own under center.

5. Tua Tagovailoa: 12,639 passing yards

Miami Dolphins 2020-23: The fifth player picked in the 2020 NFL Draft has completed 1,096-of-1,638 passes with 81 touchdowns and 37 interceptions for a 97.1 passer rating. Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards in 2023.

6. Jalen Hurts: 11,764 passing yards

Philadelphia Eagles 2020-23: The 53rd player picked in the 2020 NFL Draft has completed 1,000-of-1,578 passes with 67 touchdowns and 34 interceptions for a 91.1 passer rating.

7. Mac Jones: 8,918 passing yards

New England Patriots 2021-23: The 15th player picked in the 2021 NFL Draft has completed 864-of-1,308 passes with 46 touchdowns and 36 interceptions for an 85.8 passer rating.

8. Scott Hunter: 4,756 passing yards

Green Bay Packers 1971-73, Buffalo Bills 1974, Atlanta Falcons 1976-77, Detroit Lions 1979: The former Vigor High School standout completed 335-of-748 passes with 23 touchdowns and 38 interceptions for a 55.0 passer rating. Hunter’s rookie NFL season in Green Bay was Starr’s final one as quarterback of the Packers.

9. Harry Gilmer: 3,786 passing yards

Washington Redskins 1948-54, Detroit Lions 1955-56: The former Woodlawn High School standout completed 263-of-579 passes with 23 touchdowns and 45 interceptions for a 48.0 passer rating. Gilmer was the first player picked in the 1948 NFL Draft.

10. Jeff Rutledge: 3,628 passing yards

Los Angeles Rams 1979-81, New York Giants 1983-89, Washington Redskins 1990-92: The former Banks High School standout completed 274-of-526 passes with 16 touchdowns and 29 interceptions for a 61.4 passer rating. Rutledge spent 14 seasons as the backup QB on some of the NFL’s best teams. He finished off two Super Bowl victories — with New York to cap the 1986 season and with Washington in the final game of the 1991 season.

Stabler has held the top spot on the Alabama passing list since he completed a 16-yard pass to wide receiver Eugene Goodlow on Sept. 16, 1984, for the Saints in an NFC West game against the San Francisco 49ers.

The Saints’ starting quarterback in the game was Todd. But Todd threw three interceptions in his first seven passes, and with New Orleans trailing 17-0 in the second quarter, Stabler took the field.

On his first pass of the second half, Stabler passed Namath for Alabama’s NFL record. Stabler played in only two more NFL games.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.