NFL career rushing yards leaders

Every yard gained carrying the ball in the regular season, so a quarterback's scrambles count as much as a handoff.

Source Pro-Football-Reference, as of 4 January 2026 · career rushing yards

(NFL regular-season rushing yards; the NFL's Record & Fact Book ranks only 20)

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The top 10

Rank	Entry	career rushing yards
#1	Emmitt Smith	18,355
#2	Walter Payton	16,726
#3	Frank Gore	16,000
#4	Barry Sanders	15,269
#5	Adrian Peterson	14,918
#6	Curtis Martin	14,101
#7	LaDainian Tomlinson	13,684
#8	Jerome Bettis	13,662
#9	Eric Dickerson	13,259
#10	Derrick Henry	13,018

Entries 11–100 are in the Sports Pro pack inside the app.

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