Early this century, the NFL began to institute a series of rule changes that favored the offense, especially passing. It triggered an era of great players whose careers now define what a quarterback is supposed to be. Here are the top 10 QBs in passing yards in NFL history, courtesy of Pro Football Reference:
Except for Dan Marino, all the passing leaders played their entire career or at least half of it in the 21st Century. And they generally fit the mold of what we think of as the quarterback ideal: The prolific passer throwing bombs downfield, dominating the game and running up the score against weak opponents.