Who Holds The NFL Single-Season Sack Record?
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Who Holds The NFL Single-Season Sack Record?
Michael Strahan- 22.5 sacks
In 2001, New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan set the NFL single-season sack record with 22.5 sacks. This record stood for almost two decades until it was broken by Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Chandler Jones in 2020. Strahan’s sack total is still the second-highest in a single season, behind only Jones’ 23.5 sacks.
Mark Gastineau- 22 sacks
Mark Gastineau of the New York Jets holds the National Football League’s (NFL) single-season sack record with 22. He set the record during the 1984 NFL season, which was his second season in the NFL.
Reggie White- 21 sacks
Reggie White, who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1993 to 1998, holds the NFL’s single-season sack record with 21. This record was set in 1998, which was also White’s final season in the NFL.
Derrick Thomas- 20 sacks
Derrick Thomas of the Kansas City Chiefs recorded 20 sacks in the 1988 NFL season. This is still the NFL record for most sacks in a single season.
Lawrence Taylor- 20.5 sacks
In 1986, Lawrence Taylor sacked quarterbacks a record 20.5 times in just 16 games, an impressive average of 1.28 per contest. This production easily eclipsed the previous record of 17.5, set by Mark Gastineau of the rival New York Jets in 1984. Ironically, Taylor’s own sack total from the 1985 season (14) had been the third-highest single-season total at the time.
