NFL quarterbacks are holding the ball longer than ever: The trends behind time to throw

• NFL quarterbacks are holding the ball longer than ever: League-wide average time to throw has increased every season since 2020, reaching 2.86 seconds in 2025.

• Matthew Stafford's evolution stands out: Despite getting older, Stafford has steadily increased his time to throw while pushing the ball farther downfield without sacrificing ball security.

• Veterans are bucking the trend: Joe Flacco, Russell Wilson and Lamar Jackson have all reduced their average time to throw since 2023, while Trevor Lawrence and Justin Herbert have increased theirs in four consecutive seasons.

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An NFL quarterback’s average time to throw can tell us a lot about their playstyle. Those who get the ball out quickly are typically pocket passers who operate within the confines of their offense, using quick-hitting passes and stretching the field horizontally rather than vertically. Think Tua Tagovailoa or the current version of Aaron Rodgers. 

Quarterbacks who hold onto the ball longer are often perceived as “play extenders.” They allow their receivers to get open downfield while also creating opportunities for them to take off and run. While these passers are more likely to create big plays, they are also more vulnerable to taking sacks or forcing ill-advised throws under pressure. Think Caleb Williams or Justin Fields. 

The average time to throw across the NFL last season was 2.86 seconds. It ranged from Davis Mills at 2.55 seconds to Shedeur Sanders at 3.30 seconds. The margin may seem small, but even half a second is a long time in an NFL pocket.

PFF times every dropback throughout the NFL season, and we can use that data to gain insight into how quarterbacks' tendencies change over the course of their careers. Focusing on the last four seasons in particular, it is interesting to note that no quarterback has reduced their time to throw every year since 2022.

One would expect that as quarterbacks age, they begin to see the field more clearly, allowing for sharper reads while relying less on their mobility and taking fewer unnecessary hits outside the pocket. However, nobody seems to fit the bill exactly.

The closest example is Aaron Rodgers — the veteran has sped up his process with each passing season since 2022. However, he did miss the entire 2023 season after tearing his Achilles tendon. Sam Darnold similarly played just a smattering of snaps as a backup in San Francisco in 2023, but his time to throw has also sped up alongside his emergence as one of the league's most efficient passers.

Looking at quarterbacks who have sped up their processes over the past three years rather than four, two veterans meet the criteria: Russell Wilson and Joe Flacco. Lamar Jackson has also marginally sped up his still-very-long average time to throw since 2023, but it could be many years before Jackson's average time to throw dips below three seconds, considering how much value he still creates by extending plays with his legs.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are quarterbacks who have increased the time they hold onto the ball with each passing season.

The most surprising name on the list is reigning MVP Matthew Stafford, whose time to throw has increased every year since 2022, albeit at a modest pace. Stafford still gets the ball out quicker than most NFL quarterbacks, but much of the extra time he has gained in recent years can be attributed to the improvements the Rams have made along the offensive line.

At 38 years old, Stafford obviously isn't a scrambler. Therefore, his increased time to throw isn't a consequence of avoiding oncoming rushers and breaking out of the pocket. Instead, Stafford has used that extra time to target receivers further downfield. There is a clear correlation between his time to throw, average depth of target and percentage of throws that travel beyond the sticks.

While the Rams' passing attack has undoubtedly become more aggressive in part because of the emergence of Puka Nacua, Stafford has done an excellent job of keeping turnover-worthy plays and sacks to a minimum. The 2024 and 2025 seasons marked the first time in Stafford's 17-year career that he recorded back-to-back seasons with single-digit interceptions.

Stafford isn't the only quarterback taking more time in the pocket in recent years. A significant group of passers is taking longer than ever to get the ball out, including Joe Burrow, Brock Purdy, Kyler Murray, Jordan Love, Baker Mayfield, Trevor Lawrence and Justin Herbert.

Lawrence and Herbert, in particular, have lengthened their time to throw in four consecutive seasons. Nobody still in the league got the ball out quicker than Lawrence did in 2022 (2.50 seconds on average), yet now he's taking longer than most at 2.90 seconds.

Overall, this is consistent with the league-wide trend that quarterbacks are holding onto the ball longer than ever. The NFL's average time to throw has increased every year since 2020.

This can perhaps be attributed to a general improvement in defensive coverage. Big-time throw rates and average depth of target haven't materially changed over the past five years. The percentage of throws beyond the sticks has slowly crept above 40%, suggesting quarterbacks are becoming slightly more aggressive, but an overall decrease in RPOs and other schematic changes may also skew that trend.

Time to throw should never be viewed as a standalone measure of quarterback play. There are pros and cons to both extending and reducing the amount of time a quarterback holds the ball. Getting rid of the ball in 2.5 seconds isn't a sign of a quarterback who is afraid to throw downfield, nor is holding onto it for more than 3.0 seconds an indicator of someone who can't process defenses.

Offensive line quality, wide receiver talent and, most importantly, play-calling all influence how long a quarterback holds the football over the course of a season, and those factors rarely remain constant. Despite coaching staffs placing a greater emphasis than ever on avoiding negative plays, quarterbacks are generally becoming more comfortable extending plays.

It also highlights just how difficult it has become to play quarterback in the modern NFL. Defenses are disguising coverages more effectively than ever and deploying more bespoke game plans from week to week.

As offensive and defensive philosophies continue to evolve, average time to throw will remain one of the more revealing metrics for understanding how quarterbacks operate. It's a statistic that reflects far more than simply how quickly the ball leaves a passer's hand.