18 QBs With The Most Single-Season Interceptions In NFL History

Some of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history still struggled throughout their careers at various times. While they often get credited for wins and losses, NFL quarterbacks can truly be judged on their touchdown and interception ratio over a substantial period of time, enough time to account for natural variability.

These are the 18 quarterbacks, some of them in the Pro Football Hall of Fame already, who threw the most single-season interceptions in NFL history.

As a born-and-raised Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan it brings me no joy to see two of my team’s quarterbacks on this list of the 18 QBs with the most single-season interceptions in NFL history. One of them happened just a few years ago and INTs or not, it was an electric season.

It is hard to imagine any quarterback will ever break George Blanda’s record below for the most interceptions in a single NFL season. Blanda actually appears on this list twice. But as we look ahead to the 2025-26 NFL season let’s first take a look back at the most single-season interceptions thrown in NFL history.

1. George Blanda: 42 Interceptions

Coming in at #1 with the most interceptions thrown in a single NFL season is former Houston Oilers quarterback George Blanda. In the 1962 season he threw an unthinkable 42 interceptions in what was his 15th season of professional football.

With an NFL record 42 interceptions thrown you surely would think the Houston Oilers were a dumpster fire that season, right? You would think wrong. Blanda was 11-3-0 with the Oilers that season. The combination Kicker-QB had so many career highlights it is hard to call this his defining moment but it is the NFL record…

2. Vinny Testaverde: 35 Interceptions

Vinny Testaverde, 2x Pro Bowler, member of the College Football Hall of Fame, played 21 seasons in the NFL and threw 275 touchdowns along with a whopping 267 interceptions.

Of those 267 interceptions, 35 of them came in his 1988 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, his second season in the NFL. The Bucs were only 5-10 that season and 5-9 the next season when Vinny went from 35 to 22 INTs but the team couldn’t back him with wins.

3. Frank Tripucka: 34 Interceptions

Frank Tripucka played 4 seasons for the Denver Broncos from 1960-63 and in his first season in Denver he simply couldn’t get the ball into his receivers’ hands. Tripucka threw 34 interceptions in 1960, the 3rd most in NFL history.

During his pro career, Frank Tripucka was an INT machine throwing just 69 touchdowns and 124 interceptions.

4. John Hadl: 32 Interceptions

Coming in at #4 is John Hadl who played 16 years of professional football across the AFL and NFL. He won an AFL title with the Chargers in in 1963 but five years later would throw the 4th mos single season interceptions in NFL history with 32 INTs.

Hadl, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame as a Kansas Jayhawk, finished his professional career with 244 touchdowns and 268 interceptions thrown.

5. Fran Tarkenton: 32 Interceptions

Fran Tarkenton aka ‘The Scrambler’ was inducted into the 1986 Class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. He was the 1975 NFL Most Valuable Player, 1975 Offensive MVP, and he led the league in Passing Yards in 1978 which was also the year he threw the 4th most single season interceptions in NFL history with 32, also his final year in the league. Tarkenton also ranks 13th all-time in most TDs thrown.

All of that is eerily reminiscent of Jameis Winston who threw for a ton of yards but also coughed up nonstop INTs.

6. Sid Luckman: 31 Interceptions

Coming in at solo 6th place with 31 interceptions thrown in a single season is former Chicago Bears QB Sid Luckman who hit that mark in the 1947 season. It was a different game, to be sure, back then. And despite the 31 interceptions thrown that season, Sid Luckman was still able to help the Bears through an 8-4 regular season that included an 8-game winstreak.

7. George Blanda: 30 Interceptions

Our guy George Blanda is back on the list! If you’ll recall, he threw an NFL record 42 interceptions in 1962, a number that stands alone. But he is also in a six-way tie for 7th most single season interceptions with his 1965 season where Blanda threw another 30 interceptions.

George Blanda’s career 236-277 TD-INT split is impressive when you consider that just from 1960 to 1965 he threw 168 interceptions in those 6 seasons… Let that sink in, 168 INTs in 6 seasons.

8. Al Dorow: 30 Interceptions

Tied at 7th with 30 interceptions is former New York Titans quarterback Al Dorow who threw the ball to the other team’s defenders 30 times in 1961. That was one of two back-to-back seasons for Al Dorow where he played 14 games for the Titans and in the year prior, 1960, Dorow threw a hefty 26 interceptions. His pro football career would end with a 64-93 TD-INT split.

9. Jim Hart: 30 Interceptions

Another player tied with 30 interceptions in one season was St. Louis Cardinals quarterback Jim Hart in 1967. The Red Birds struggled that season, going just 6–7–1, but that 30-interception season would not define Jim Hart’s career as he would hang around in the NFL from 1966 to 1984.

10. Ken Stabler: 30 Interceptions

In the 1978 NFL season, Oakland Raiders QB Ken Stabler also threw 30 interceptions, the most of any single season in his NFL career.

Ken Stabler, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Super Bowl XI champion, and 1974 Super Bowl MVP, finished his NFL career with 194 touchdowns and 222 interceptions thrown. A pretty wild stat line for one of the greats.

11. Richard Todd: 30 Interceptions

1980 was a tough season for New York Jets quarterback Richard Todd who is also tied at 30 interceptions in a single season. The former University of Alabama quarterback was the 6th overall pick in the 1976 draft after the NY Jets picked him hoping to find the next Joe Namath, also a former Bama QB.

In his 5th season with the Jets, Richard Todd threw a whopping 30 interceptions. He would finish his NFL career with a 124-161 TD-INT split.

12. Jameis Winston: 30 Interceptions

Former Heisman Trophy Award winning Florida State Seminole and #1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a dream come true for me, a guy who was raised a Bucs fan and went to FSU… Jameis Winston would make history in 2019 when he threw for 30 interceptions.

2019 was a contract year for Jameis Winston, a make or break season with the Buccaneers, and it would ultimately be his last in Tampa Bay and he’d move on to NFC South rival Saints the next season after Jameis threw 30 interceptions and 33 touchdowns in 2019 while the Bucs went 7-9.

13. Lynn Dickey: 29 Interceptions

Breaking the tie at 30 interceptions is former Green Bay Packers quarterback Lynn Dickey who had 29 INTs in the 1983 season. Interestingly, there are two tied with 29 single-season interceptions and both were famous Green Bay Packers QBs. Despite throwing 29 INTs in 1980, the Packers would still break even at 8-8 on the season and Dickey would play 2 more seasons with Green Bay.

14. Brett Favre: 29 Interceptions

Tying fellow Green Bay Packer Lynn Dickey with 29 single-season interceptions is Brett Favre with 29 in the 2005 season, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Super Bowl XXXI champion, 3x NFL MVP, and arguably the greatest Green Bay Packer of all time.

Brett Favre’s career was just beginning to wind down in 2005. He would play 5 more seasons after his career-high 29 interceptions that year. And Favre would finish his career with a 508 TD-336 INT split which ranks as the 4th most touchdowns thrown in NFL history…just one spot below the next person on this list.

15. Peyton Manning: 28 Interceptions

In 1998, Peyton Manning simply could not stop throwing the ball to the other team. Does anyone really remember that when looking back at Peyton’s body of work in the NFL? No. Not at all.

The elder Manning brother had 28 interceptions in 1998, and there are 4 other quarterbacks below with 28 single-season INTs, but this was Peyton’s rookie year and only once more in his career would he ever throw 20 or more in a single season. Peyton would retire with the 3rd most touchdown passes in NFL history at 539 in 266 games played, and 251 interceptions.

16. Joe Namath (Twice): 28 Interceptions

Joe Namath inhabits this spot twice! He threw 28 single season interceptions in 1967 and 1975, putting himself in a 5-way tie for the 15th most single season INTs with himself and 3 others. Now THAT is one of the more impressive stats on this list!

Would it be fair to say that Joe Namath, Super Bowl III champion and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, is the only truly great quarterback in NY Jets history despite his 28 single season interceptions (twice) putting him in the NFL record books? Testaverde only ever had 3 winning seasons in his NFL career…

17. Ken Stabler: 28 Interceptions

Another familiar name on this list, Ken Stabler, appeared once here already in a tie for 7th most single season INTs (30) but he’s back again in the five-way tie at 15th with 28 interceptions in the 1980 season with the Houston Oilers.

Despite all of those interceptions in the 1980 season, Kenny Stabler managed to lead the Oilers to an 11-5 season with his 13-28 TD-INT split. Unreal.

18. Y.A. Tittle: 28 Interceptions

Last but not least in our five-way tie with 28 interceptions in a single NFL season is former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Y.A. Tittle. He had a prolific career in professional football over a 17-year span but it was the 1955 season where he coughed up a career-high 28 single-season interceptions. San Francisco was a dismal 4-8-0 that season and Tittle’s 28 INTs certainly did not help the team’s cause.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, 1963 NFL MVP, 7x Pro-Bowler and 4x First Team All-Pro QB would not be defined by that single season, however.

This all just goes to show that one bad season of interceptions does not define a quarterback’s career!