Anyone arguing that sack rate is not heavily tied to the quarterback is fighting a losing proposition. Among quarterbacks with at least 4,500 combined regular season and postseason pass attempts, the five lowest combined sack rates in NFL history belong to: Dan Marino: 3.13% Peyton Manning: 3.19% Drew Brees: 3.83% Tom Brady: 4.42% Patrick Mahomes: 4.64% Now look at what happened to their franchises before, during and after their tenures. DAN MARINO Same team and same season: 1983 David Woodley: 10.1% 1983 Dan Marino: 3.3% Marino in 1984: 2.3% Marino's final season: 2.4% 2000 Dolphins after he retired: 6.2% PEYTON MANNING Indianapolis: 1997 Colts: 10.6% 1998 rookie Peyton: 3.7% 2010 Peyton: 2.3% 2011 Colts without Peyton: 6.2% 2012 Andrew Luck: 6.1% Denver: 2011 Broncos: 8.9% 2012 Peyton arrives: 3.5% 2015 Peyton: 4.6% 2016, first season after retirement: 6.6% DREW BREES New Orleans: 2005 Saints: 6.9% 2006 Brees arrives: 3.1% 2020 Brees: 3.2% 2021 Saints after he retired: 6.8% PATRICK MAHOMES Kansas City: 2017 Alex Smith: 6.5% 2018 Mahomes: 4.3% Same 2019 Chiefs team: Patrick Mahomes: 3.4% Matt Moore: 8.1% Mahomes' sack rate has climbed in each of the last two seasons: 2023: 4.3% 2024: 5.8% 2025: 6.3% That trend is worth watching as he returns from the major knee injury. TOM BRADY New England's injury test: 2007 Brady: 3.5% 2008 Matt Cassel: 8.3% 2009 Brady: 2.8% New England when Brady left: 2019 Brady: 4.2% 2020 Patriots: 7.8% Tampa Bay: 2019 Jameis Winston: 7.0% 2020-22 Brady: 3.1% 2023-25 Baker Mayfield: 6.5% Joe Burrow is a notable quarterback who has not been associated with a decreased sack rate. 2019 Bengals before Burrow: 7.2% 2020 rookie Joe Burrow: 7.3% Same 2025 Bengals team: Joe Burrow: 17 sacks on 276 pass plays, 6.2% Joe Flacco: 9 sacks on 265 pass plays, 3.4% Sack rate does not belong solely to the offensive line. Quarterback play is often the biggest variable.