Who Holds The Most Rushing Yards In The NFL?

Wondering who holds the most rushing yards in the NFL? Check out this blog post to find out!

Emmitt Smith

Emmitt Smith holds the record for the most rushing yards in NFL history. He played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1990-2002 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. In his 15 seasons, he amassed 18,355 yards and 164 touchdowns on 4,409 carries. He also had 515 receptions for 3,895 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Walter Payton

Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton holds the NFL record for the most rushing yards in a career with 16,726.

Barry Sanders

Barry Sanders (born July 16, 1968) is a former American football running back. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions from 1989 to 1998. A Pro Bowl invitee in each of his ten NFL seasons, Sanders was named the NFL Most Valuable Player after the 1997 season, and is considered one of the greatest running backs of all time.

Sanders led the league in rushing four times and had at least 1,100 yards rushing in eight of his ten NFL seasons. In 2,053 attempts, he gained 15,269 yards and scored 99 touchdowns, both all-time records for an NFL running back. He retired as the third-ranked career rusher behind only Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith, and was ranked sixth on The Sporting News’ list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.

Eric Dickerson

Dickerson was drafted in 1983 by the Los Angeles Rams and had one of the most productive rookie seasons in NFL history, setting the single-season rushing record with 1,808 yards. He went on to play 11 seasons with the Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons before retiring in 1993. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

Adrian Peterson

Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985) is an American football running back for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings seventh overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. Through his first 10 seasons in the NFL, Peterson amassed 12,276 rushing yards, which rank sixth all time. He also holds the NFL record for most rushing yards in a single game (296).