NFL Single Season Yards From Scrimmage Record

Highest yards per carry NFL history was set at 5.4 by former running back Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Mathematically, yards per carry (YPC) is the efficiency of the RB. Charles has a rushing yard of 7563 whereas his attempts stand at 1407, so by simple calculation, Jamaal’s YPC is 5.4.

Often regarded as the most efficient RB in the American football league, Charles has a rushing touchdown of 44, while his receiving yards correspond to 2593.

The 5 feet 11 inches tall professional was drafted in 2008 as the 73rd overall pick. He played for the Chiefs for a decade. Then, Jamaal joined Denver Broncos in 2017.

A year later, he served for Jacksonville Jaguars and took retirement on 1 May 2019. Well, it has been 4 years since his exit as a player of the American Football League, but no one has been able to top his record.

Except for the highest YPC, Charles played in 4 Pro Bowls. He also bagged the title of NFL rushing touchdowns leader in 2013. Jamaal was named All-Pro 2 times, in 2010 and 2013.

In the century-long Gridiron football, many running backs have performed exceptionally well on the field. The list of YPC by other notable RBs is mentioned below:

1. Nick Chubb – 5.2
2. Jim Brown – 5.2
3. Mercury Morris – 5.1
4. Aaron Jones – 5.1
5. Jonathan Taylor – 5.1
6. Gale Sayers – 5.0
7. Barry Sanders – 5.0
8. Napoleon Kaufman – 4.9
9. Paul Lowe- 4.9
10. Robert Smith – 4.8

Most yards from scrimmage in a game is 336 recorded by Flipper Anderson in 1989. Flipper is the former wide receiver of the Los Angeles Rams.

The 58-year-old achieved this feat in a match against New Orleans Saints. Interestingly, he set 40 yards from scrimmage during the overtime.

Anderson who completed his college education at UCLA was recruited in National Football League in the second round in 1988.

Over his career, he not only played for the Rams but he also performed for Indianapolis Colts, Washington Redskins, and Denver Broncos.

Flipper won Super Bowl XXXII in 1998 while playing for the Broncos. Per his NFL statistics, he has receiving yards of 5257 along with 25 touchdowns.

Except for Anderson, there are other athletes who have done a great job in the field. The statistical measure alongside their name and year of the regular season game is given below:

1. Billy Cannon – 330 (1961)
2. Calvin Johnson – 329 (2013)
3. Adrian Peterson – 315 (2007)
4. Stephone Paige – 309 (1985)
5. Priest Holmes – 307 (2002)
6. Antonio Brown – 306 (2015)
7. Josh Jacobs – 303 (2022)
8. Julio Jones – 300 (2016)
9. Jerry Rice – 299 (1995)
10. Le’Veon Bell – 298 (2016)

NFL yards from scrimmage leaders are Jerry Rice, and Emmitt Smith with 23,540 and 21,579 yards respectively. Both the players retired in the 2000s.

Jerry Rice

Jerry served as a wide receiver for different football teams like the San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, and Seattle Seahawks.

During his tenure, Rice set several NFL records including the Most career receptions (1549) and the Most career receiving touchdowns (197).

Born on 13 October 1962, Jerry was picked in the first round by the 49ers. He proved his worth by becoming the Super Bowl Champion 3 times.

Meanwhile, the ex-athlete became the Most Valuable Player during the Super Bowl XXIII where the 49ers played against Cincinnati Bengals and became the champion.

Emmitt Smith

Smith of the Dallas Cowboys has the second-highest yards from scrimmage in his career that lasted from 1990 to 2004.

In the meantime, he became the rushing yards leader four times. Smith was selected to the Pro Bowl eight times. In 1993, he bagged the title of NFL Most Valuable Player.

Per Britannica, Emmitt is remembered as the sportsman with the most rushing touchdowns in a career, which is 164.

Besides the above two iconic footballers, these are the NFL leaders who have gained the most yards from scrimmage:

1. Walter Payton – 21,264
2. Frank Gore – 19,985
3. Marshall Faulk – 19,154
4. LaDainian Tomlinson – 18,456
5. Barry Sanders – 18,190
6. Marcus Allen – 17,654
7. Larry Fitzgerald – 17,560
8. Curtis Martin – 17,430
9. Adrian Peterson – 17,392
10. Thurman Thomas – 16,532

NFL career all purpose yards was recorded the highest at 23,546 by Jerry Rice. Jerry Rice accomplished this feat within the period 1985 to 2004.

Rice went to Mississippi Valley State College. As a wide receiver, he received a lot of recognition as well as accolades like National Football League receptions leader, NFL scoring leader, and San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame.

Brian Mitchell

After Jerry, Brian Mitchell stands in the second position. Mitchell has a combined total yard of 23, 330, which he earned in his 13-year-long professioanl football career.

Brian served as an RB and return specialist after getting drafted into the National Football League in 1990. He played for Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Giants in 14 seasons.

Per ESPN, Mitchell has an average rushing yard of 5.1, and he went to Richland College. After him, the following players are on the list of National Football League all-purpose yards leaders:

1. Walter Payton – 21,803
2. Emmitt Smith – 21,564
3. Frank Gore – 19,992
4. Darren Sproles – 19,696
5. Tim Brown – 19,682
6. Marshall Faulk – 19,190
7. Steve Smith Sr. – 19,180
8. LaDainian Tomlinson – 18,456
9. Barry Sanders – 18,308
10. Herschel Walker – 18,168

NFL all purpose yards season record stands at 2,696 set by Darren Sproles in the 2011 season. Darren played for New Orleans Saints that year.

It was his first year on New Orleans Saints football squad. He served from 2011 to 2013 for this team.

In that season, coach Sean Payton trained Sproles and the Saints. The 39-year-old Sproles used to be a team member of the San Diego Chargers until 2010.

Later, he joined the Philadelphia Eagles. Since 2020, Darren is undertaking the role of Personnel consultant for the Eagles.

For more than 11 years, nobody has surpassed his outstanding stats. But there are players who have attained above 2500 all-purpose yards. They are:

• Derrick Mason – 2,690 (2011)
• Michael Lewis – 2,647 (2002)
• Lionel James – 2,535 (1985)
• Fred Jackson – 2,516 (2009)
• Josh Cribbs – 2,510 (2009)
• Chris Johnson – 2,509 (2009)

Game Record

Most all purpose yards in a game remain at 404. Glyn Milburn of The Denver Broncos registered it on the 10th of December 1995 in a match against Seattle Seahawks.

Milburn had 45 receiving, 131 rushing, 133 kick returns, and 95 punt return yards. So, in the aggregate, his all-around yard became 404.

Glyn is a 52-year-old running back who has served as an athlete in 5 teams including Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, and San Diego Chargers.

The veteran player went to Stanford College and commenced his career in National Football League in 1993. Milburn became the NFL kickoff return yards leader in 1998.

NCAA football all purpose yards record is 9512 held by Brian Westbrook. Christian McCaffrey set the record for all-purpose yards in a single game with 3864.

Brian Westbrook

On the other hand, Brian attended Villanova University from 1997 to 2001. As a college athlete, he participated in 46 games per NCAA and won 31.

After his college, Brian was recruited in the 2002 NFL draft in the 3rd round as the 91st overall pick by Philadelphia Eagles. Until 2009, he played for the Eagles, and in 2010, he joined the San Francisco 49ers.

Before him, Brian Shay who went to Emporia State University was at the top with 9,301 yards. 

Brian Shay

Shay’s rushing yards are 4298, with 55 touchdowns, and 2585 receiving yards in a regular college season. After getting injured, he had to miss some crucial matches.

During his time at Emporia State University, Brian gave spectacular performances. In addition to 9301 yardages, Brian gained 88 touchdowns. 

The 46-year-old joined the Kansas City Chiefs in the practice squad in 1999. Shay was inducted into the MIAA Hall of Fame in the Class of 2016.

Christian McCaffrey

McCaffrey used to play football while studying at Stanford College. Due to his adroit skills, he was given the title of AP College Football Player of the Year.

The 5 feet 11 inches tall running back of the San Francisco 49ers completed his college education at Stanford in 2016 and got picked in the first round of the NFL.

Christian may play for the 49ers at the present time, but he was recruited by the Carolina Panthers previously. In 2015, he became the AP College Football Player of the Year as well as Consensus All-American.

NCAA Leaders

NCAA all purpose yards leaders are Brian Westbrook and Christian McCaffrey. They were drafted into NFL in 2002 and 2017 respectively.

While Westbrook is a retired player currently, McCaffrey is playing for the San Francisco 49ers. 

Except for these two top leaders, these are some of the players of the National Collegiate Athletic Association who have gained the most all-purpose yards in chronological order:

1. Austin Reed – 4,744 (2022)
2. Mac Jones – 4500 (2020)
3. Joe Burrow – 5671 (2019)
4. Dwayne Haskins – 4831 (2018)
5. Mason Rudolph – 4904 (2017)

Most yards after contact was set at 5.4 per attempt by Jamaal Charles. Jamaal scored this point throughout his career from 2008 to 2018.

Over his decade-long journey in the league, the running back made rushing yards of 7563, rushing touchdowns of 44, and receiving yards of 2593.

Charles ended his American professional football journey on 1 May 2019 after playing 119 games for 3 teams:

• Kansas City Chiefs (2008-2016)
• Denver Broncos (2017)
• Jacksonville Jaguars (2018)

Besides Jamaal, there are other RBs who have gained significant yards after contact in National Football League. They are:

Adrian Peterson

Adrian Peterson yards after contact is 4.7. Peterson actively pursued the National Football League from 2007 to 2021.

He was drafted in the first round as the 7th overall pick in the RB position. For the first time, Adrian was recruited by Minnesota Vikings.

Later on, he joined 6 other teams such as New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals, and Detroit Lions. Lastly, the 6 feet 1 inch tall RB was seen playing for Seattle Seahawks in 2021.

Demarco Murray

Demarco Murray yards after contact is 4.47 per attempt since his rushing yards are 7174 and attempts are 1604.

Demarco Murray yards before contact was 474 in the 2014 season. He took part in almost 100 games and retired in 2017.

As an athlete, he played for Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and Tennessee Titans. As of now, he is serving as a coach for Oklahoma.

Ezekiel Elliott

Ezekiel Elliott yards after contact per attempt is 4.4 as his rushing yards is 8262 and his rushing attempts is 1881. Elliott played for Dallas Cowboys from 2016 to 2022.

In this period of time, he became the National Football League rushing yards leader twice. Also, Ezekiel earned three trips to the Pro Bowl in 2016, 2018, and 2019.

Marshawn Lynch 

Marshawn Lynch yards after contact per attempt is 4.25 since his rushing yards account for 10,413 and his attempts correspond to 2453. 

Lynch is a 37-year-old former RB of the Seattle Seahawks who was selected for the American Football League in 2007 and exited in February 2016.

His career began with Buffalo Bills and ended with the Seahawks. Currently, Marshawn serves as an executive for FCF Beasts.

Derrick Henry 

Derrick Henry yards after contact is 4.8. Derrick has been serving as the RB for Tennessee Titans since 2016 when he was drafted in the second round.

He has taken part in 102 games and his rushing yards stand at 8,335. Born on 4 January 1994, Henry became the NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2020.