Most scrimmage yards in an NFL running back's career since 1966
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Emmitt Smith leads with 21,579 scrimmage yards in his career, first of 2,390 running backs since 1966.
21,579game 1240
- Emmitt Smith
- Walter Payton
- Frank Gore
| # | Player and seasons | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Emmitt Smith1990 – 2004 | 21,579 | |
| Walter Payton1975 – 1987 | 21,264 | |
| Frank Gore2005 – 2020 | 19,985 | |
| Marshall Faulk1994 – 2005 | 19,028 | |
| LaDainian Tomlinson2001 – 2011 | 18,453 | |
| Barry Sanders1989 – 1998 | 18,190 | |
| Marcus Allen1982 – 1997 | 17,654 | |
| Curtis Martin1995 – 2005 | 17,430 | |
| Adrian Peterson2007 – 2021 | 17,395 | |
| Thurman Thomas1988 – 2000 | 16,482 | |
| Tony Dorsett1977 – 1988 | 16,293 | |
| Tiki Barber1997 – 2006 | 15,631 | |
| Edgerrin James1999 – 2009 | 15,610 | |
| Derrick Henry2016 – 2026 | 15,526 | |
| Eric Dickerson1983 – 1993 | 15,396 | |
| Warrick Dunn1997 – 2008 | 15,303 | |
| Steven Jackson2004 – 2015 | 15,122 | |
| Jerome Bettis1993 – 2005 | 15,111 | |
| LeSean McCoy2009 – 2020 | 15,000 | |
| Ricky Watters1992 – 2001 | 14,891 | |
| Matt Forte2008 – 2017 | 14,468 | |
| Franco Harris1972 – 1984 | 14,407 | |
| Fred Taylor1998 – 2010 | 14,079 | |
| Christian McCaffrey2017 – 2026 | 13,619 | |
| John Riggins1971 – 1985 | 13,442 |
Method
- The numbers here start in 1966, so a record set before then isn't on this board.