The 50 running backs with the most rushing yards, 1999–2026

Every running back on this list is ranked on one number: rushing yards in the regular season between 1999 and 2026. Nothing else is weighed, and the figures each ranking rests on are in the table.

Rushing yards — the leading 15. Every one of the 50 is in the table below.

#	Player	Pos	Seasons	Rushing yards	Carries	TD
1	Frank Gore	RB	2005–2020	16,000	3,736	81
2	Adrian Peterson	RB	2007–2021	14,921	3,232	120
3	LaDainian Tomlinson	RB	2001–2011	13,686	3,176	145
4	Derrick Henry	RB	2016–2026	13,392	2,751	129
5	Edgerrin James	RB	1999–2009	12,254	3,027	80
6	Steven Jackson	RB	2004–2015	11,447	2,766	69
7	LeSean McCoy	RB	2009–2020	11,102	2,457	73
8	Jamal Lewis	RB	2000–2009	10,603	2,544	58
9	Thomas Jones	RB	2000–2011	10,586	2,680	68
10	Fred Taylor	RB	1999–2010	10,472	2,270	52
11	Marshawn Lynch	RB	2007–2019	10,424	2,453	85
12	Ricky Williams	RB	1999–2011	10,009	2,432	66
13	Clinton Portis	RB	2002–2010	9,923	2,230	75
14	Matt Forte	RB	2008–2017	9,789	2,355	54
15	Tiki Barber	RB	1999–2006	9,771	2,029	52
16	Chris Johnson	RB	2008–2017	9,651	2,163	55
17	Shaun Alexander	RB	2000–2008	9,445	2,187	100
18	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	2016–2024	9,130	2,139	74
19	Curtis Martin	RB	1999–2005	9,015	2,191	50
20	Ahman Green	RB	1999–2009	8,996	2,021	59
21	Corey Dillon	RB	1999–2006	8,982	2,123	68
22	Warrick Dunn	RB	1999–2008	8,961	2,201	43
23	Saquon Barkley	RB	2018–2026	8,538	1,862	55
24	Willis McGahee	RB	2004–2013	8,474	2,095	65
25	Maurice Jones-Drew	RB	2006–2014	8,167	1,847	68
26	Mark Ingram	RB	2011–2022	8,129	1,819	66
27	DeAngelo Williams	RB	2006–2016	8,099	1,731	61
28	Jonathan Taylor	RB	2020–2026	7,951	1,637	75
29	Aaron Jones	RB	2017–2026	7,923	1,636	53
30	Christian McCaffrey	RB	2017–2026	7,807	1,708	66
31	Josh Jacobs	RB	2019–2025	7,803	1,840	74
32	Jamaal Charles	RB	2008–2018	7,563	1,407	44
33	Joe Mixon	RB	2017–2024	7,428	1,816	60
34	Nick Chubb	RB	2018–2025	7,349	1,462	54
35	Michael Turner	RB	2004–2012	7,338	1,640	66
36	Jonathan Stewart	RB	2008–2018	7,334	1,704	51
37	Alvin Kamara	RB	2017–2026	7,324	1,699	63
38	Stephen Davis	RB	1999–2006	7,234	1,746	60
39	DeMarco Murray	RB	2011–2017	7,174	1,604	49
40	Priest Holmes	RB	1999–2007	7,112	1,535	79
41	Marshall Faulk	RB	1999–2005	6,905	1,428	58
42	Le'Veon Bell	RB	2013–2021	6,554	1,595	42
43	Latavius Murray	RB	2014–2023	6,552	1,560	59
44	Melvin Gordon	RB	2015–2023	6,543	1,593	56
45	Arian Foster	RB	2009–2016	6,525	1,475	54
46	Eddie George	RB	1999–2004	6,380	1,825	49
47	Brian Westbrook	RB	2002–2010	6,320	1,386	41
48	LeGarrette Blount	RB	2010–2018	6,306	1,495	56
49	Jerome Bettis	RB	1999–2005	6,290	1,672	57
50	David Montgomery	RB	2019–2026	6,242	1,524	61

How this list is made

Ranked on rushing yards in the regular season, 1999–2026, for players listed at FB, RB. Players are ranked on that number alone and on nothing else: there is no judgement here about who was better. Where two players are level they share a rank, and the list runs past fifty when fiftieth place is shared, because splitting a tie would mean choosing between them on no stated basis.

Why it does not say “of all time”. Every NFL statistic this site holds begins in 1999. A list claiming to cover all time would leave out Lawrence Taylor, who retired in 1993, along with everyone else who played before the figures start. That is why the years are in the title.

These figures are derived, and can differ from the NFL’s official records. They are computed from play-by-play data rather than copied from the league. Checked against published career sack totals, Cameron Jordan, Von Miller and J.J. Watt match exactly, while Julius Peppers came out 0.5 short and Terrell Suggs 1.0 — both careers that began before 2011. Expect small differences on long careers that start early in the window.

Regular-season games only; the play-offs are not counted. Source: nflverse-data, CC BY 4.0.

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