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NFL

How to measure NFL hand size plus full list of quarterbacks

It's a common topic of conversation around this time of year but do you know which NFL QB has the longest and shortest span or how it's decided?

Update:
How to measure NFL hand size plus full list of quarterbacks

And some people say that size matters. Well, while that may indeed be the case in some instances (you know, like when you're picking a center for your basketball team), when it comes to the hands of NFL quarterbacks it's less clear cut. That said, it is certainly an area of interest at the annual NFL Scouting Combine, and we now know how all the potential stars of the new season span up.

Other NFL stories:

Measuring NFL hands

I can see you already looking at your throwing hand and thinking, 'how do I measure this thing to compare it to these multi-millionaire throwing stars?' Well, it's rather simple, although it's easier if someone helps.

Grab a tape measure and, ensuring that your hand is fully outstretched, position it so that it starts at the very tip of the thumb and ends at the top of the little 'pinkie' finger. If a child is helping with the measuring just tell them Daddy Finger to Baby Finger and they'll see you right!

With that knowledge in the bag, and the data provided by the National Football League, we can compare the quarterbacks that, at the time of writing, are starters for the new season.

8¾ inches

Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

9 inches

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

9⅛ inches

Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders

Justin Fields, Chicago Bears

9¼ inches

Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns

Teddy Bridgewater, Denver Broncos

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers

Taylor Heinicke, Washington Commanders

9⅜ inches

Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers

Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

9½ inches

Zach Wilson, New York Jets

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

Davis Mills, Houston Texans

9¾ inches

Mac Jones, New England Patriots

Daniel Jones, New York Giants

Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

9⅞ inches

Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

10 inches

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

Carson Wentz, Indianapolis Colts

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

10⅛ inches

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

10¼ inches

Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

Thanks to some number crunching by ESPN Stats, we can see that the median hand size of quarterbacks measured from 2008-2020 is 9 7/10 inches.

Burrow jokes about retirement over hand size

One of the sensations of last season was undoubtedly the charismatic Joe Burrow, the Bengals man helping his team to Super Bowl LVI. But when comments were made about his 9 inch hand measurement, he tweeted that he was "considering retirement after I was informed the football will be slipping out of my tiny hands."

Fortunately for all of us - well maybe not some of his opponents - he was very much just kidding around.

Out of interest, there are enough statistics around demonstrating that the size of a QB's throwing hand is not a determining factor in fumble rates and performance in adverse weather conditions. Still, that won't stop us talking about it.