New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees joined the exclusive 50,000-yard club in the fourth quarter Sunday night when he hit Jimmy Graham with a 22-yard pass against the Carolina Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. He entered the game needing 287 yards to reach 50,000. That pass gave him 296 and he finished the game with 313 yards to give him 50,026 for his career.

Brees acheived the feat in just 183 games, the fastest of the five players.

"We were kidding him (Drew) in there (locker room) that a lot of places if the quarterback hits 50,000 yards they would have fireworks, stop the game, and we just kind of had a little nod 'atta boy,' but that is a pretty unique feat when you look at the history of our league," Saints Coach Sean Payton said. "I don't know that anyone was really paying quite attention to when that happened or what play it happened on, but certainly this week it was brought up and we were made aware of. To be in that class of four people now really hits on his consistency, his durability, his availability along with his skill set. We are happy for him and obviously proud."

Brees is in his 13th season in the NFL and reached the mark faster than any other player. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in 2001 out of Purdue but his career took off when he signed with the Saints before the start of the 2006 season. He has set numerous NFL marks since teaming with Saints Coach Sean Payton.

On Sunday night he also became the first quarterback to throw for more than 4,000 yards in eight consecutive seasons.

The top five players in passing yards:
Brett Favre 71,838
Peyton Manning* 63,612
Dan Marino 61,361
John Elway 51,475
Drew Brees* 50,026

*active