Aaron Rodgers could break undesirable Fran Tarkenton record in 2024

When he retired from the NFL after the 1978 season, former Minnesota Vikings signal-caller Fran Tarkenton was the owner of a number of notable league records, including career passing yards, career passing touchdowns, and career rushing yards by a quarterback.

But there's one NFL record still held by Tarkenton that he probably hopes someone eventually breaks, and that would be the league's all-time record for the number of times he was sacked during his career.

During his NFL career, the Hall of Fame quarterback was sacked 570 times. This record has been Tarkenton's ever since he took his final snap in the league, but in 2024, someone else could potentially take over the title as the most-sacked quarterback in NFL history.

New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers could surpass an NFL record held by former Minnesota Vikings QB Fran Tarkenton in 2024

Right behind Tarkenton in the record books for this category are Tom Brady (565) and Ben Roethlisberger (554), who have both recently retired from the league.

The first active player on the list is New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. In his NFL career, Rodgers has been sacked 531 times. Pittsburgh Steelers passer Russell Wilson is second among active players in the league, as he's been sacked 527 times during his time in the NFL.

So, in order for Rodgers to break Tarkenton's record next season, the Jets quarterback would need to be sacked at least 40 times. Behind a New York offensive line that allowed 64 sacks in 2023, this is definitely a possibility during the 2024 campaign. However, Rodgers hasn't been sacked more than 36 times in a single season since 2018.

As for Wilson, he will need to be sacked 44 times in 2024 in order to surpass Tarkenton's record. Despite the veteran quarterback getting sacked more than 44 times in five of his previous six years in the NFL, this might be a little more difficult for him to accomplish next season as he could potentially be replaced in the starting lineup by Justin Fields if Pittsburgh's offense is struggling.

Now, if Rodgers and Wilson both continue playing in the league in 2025, then the chances of Tarkenton's record being broken will be much higher if it hasn't been broken already.

Will Tarkenton's reign as the most sacked quarterback in NFL history finally come to an end in 2024, or will the unflattering record continue to be held by the former Vikings signal-caller for another handful of seasons?

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