List of National Football League career rushing yards Leaders - wikipedia List of National Football League career rushing yards Leaders This is a list of National Football League running backs by total career rushing yards. This list includes all running backs who have rushed for at least 10,000 yards. Contents 1 Players with at least 10,000 rushing yards 2 Active players with at least 9,000 yards 3 Historical rushing yards leader 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References Players with at least 10,000 rushing yards Key Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame * Denotes player who is still active in the NFL Through Week 9 of 2017 season in progress Rank Player Team ( s ) by season Carries Yards Average Emmitt Smith Dallas Cowboys ( 1990 -- 2002 ) Arizona Cardinals ( 2003 -- 2004 ) 4,409 18,355 4.2 Walter Payton Chicago Bears ( 1975 -- 1987 ) 3,838 16,726 4.4 Barry Sanders Detroit Lions ( 1989 -- 1998 ) 3,062 15,269 5.0 Curtis Martin New England Patriots ( 1995 -- 1997 ) New York Jets ( 1998 -- 2005 ) 3,518 14,101 4.0 5 LaDainian Tomlinson San Diego Chargers ( 2001 -- 2009 ) New York Jets ( 2010 -- 2011 ) 3,174 13,684 4.3 6 Jerome Bettis St. Louis / L.A. Rams ( 1993 -- 1995 ) Pittsburgh Steelers ( 1996 -- 2005 ) 3,479 13,662 3.9 7 Frank Gore San Francisco 49ers ( 2005 -- 2014 ) Indianapolis Colts ( 2015 -- present ) 3,092 13,520 4.4 8 Eric Dickerson Los Angeles Rams ( 1983 -- 1987 ) Indianapolis Colts ( 1987 -- 1991 ) Los Angeles Raiders ( 1992 ) Atlanta Falcons ( 1993 ) 2,996 13,259 4.4 9 Tony Dorsett Dallas Cowboys ( 1977 -- 1987 ) Denver Broncos ( 1988 ) 2,936 12,739 4.3 10 Jim Brown Cleveland Browns ( 1957 -- 1965 ) 2,359 12,312 5.2 11 Marshall Faulk Indianapolis Colts ( 1994 -- 1998 ) St. Louis Rams ( 1999 -- 2005 ) 2,836 12,279 4.3 12 Edgerrin James Indianapolis Colts ( 1999 -- 2005 ) Arizona Cardinals ( 2006 -- 2008 ) Seattle Seahawks ( 2009 ) 3,028 12,246 4.0 13 Marcus Allen Los Angeles Raiders ( 1982 -- 1992 ) Kansas City Chiefs ( 1993 -- 1997 ) 3,022 12,243 4.1 14 Peterson, Adrian Adrian Peterson Minnesota Vikings ( 2007 -- 2016 ) New Orleans Saints ( 2017 ) Arizona Cardinals ( 2017 -- present ) 2,519 12,142 4.8 15 Franco Harris Pittsburgh Steelers ( 1972 -- 1983 ) Seattle Seahawks ( 1984 ) 2,949 12,120 4.1 16 Thurman Thomas Buffalo Bills ( 1988 -- 1999 ) Miami Dolphins ( 2000 ) 2,877 12,074 4.2 17 Fred Taylor Jacksonville Jaguars ( 1998 -- 2008 ) New England Patriots ( 2009 -- 2010 ) 2,534 11,695 4.6 18 Steven Jackson St. Louis Rams ( 2004 -- 2012 ) Atlanta Falcons ( 2013 -- 2014 ) New England Patriots ( 2015 ) 2,764 11,438 4.1 19 John Riggins New York Jets ( 1971 -- 1975 ) Washington Redskins ( 1976 -- 1985 ) 2,916 11,352 3.9 20 Corey Dillon Cincinnati Bengals ( 1997 -- 2003 ) New England Patriots ( 2004 -- 2006 ) 2,618 11,241 4.3 21 O.J. Simpson Buffalo Bills ( 1969 -- 1977 ) San Francisco 49ers ( 1978 -- 1979 ) 2,404 11,236 4.7 22 Warrick Dunn Tampa Bay Buccaneers ( 1997 -- 2001 ) Atlanta Falcons ( 2002 -- 2007 ) Tampa Bay Buccaneers ( 2008 ) 2,669 10,967 4.1 23 Ricky Watters San Francisco 49ers ( 1992 -- 1994 ) Philadelphia Eagles ( 1995 -- 1997 ) Seattle Seahawks ( 1998 -- 2001 ) 2,622 10,643 4.1 24 Jamal Lewis Baltimore Ravens ( 2000 -- 2006 ) Cleveland Browns ( 2007 -- 2009 ) 2,542 10,607 4.2 25 Thomas Jones Arizona Cardinals ( 2000 -- 2002 ) Tampa Bay Buccaneers ( 2003 ) Chicago Bears ( 2004 -- 2006 ) New York Jets ( 2007 -- 2009 ) Kansas City Chiefs ( 2010 -- 2011 ) 2,678 10,591 4.0 26 Tiki Barber New York Giants ( 1997 -- 2006 ) 2,217 10,449 4.7 27 Eddie George Houston Oilers / Tennessee Titans ( 1996 -- 2003 ) Dallas Cowboys ( 2004 ) 2,865 10,441 3.6 28 Ottis Anderson St. Louis Cardinals ( 1979 -- 1986 ) New York Giants ( 1986 -- 1992 ) 2,562 10,273 4.0 29 Ricky Williams New Orleans Saints ( 1999 -- 2001 ) Miami Dolphins ( 2002 -- 2010 ) Baltimore Ravens ( 2011 ) 2,431 10,009 4.1 Active players with at least 9,000 yards Through Week 9 of 2017 in progress. All numbers in yards. Matt Forte : 9,656 Chris Johnson : 9,651 LeSean McCoy : 9,500 Marshawn Lynch : 9,435 Historical rushing yards leader Seven players have been recognized as having held the career rushing yards record in the NFL. Since reliable yardage statistics were not recorded prior to 1932, the first NFL player recognized as the career leader in rushing yards was Cliff Battles, who played from 1932 to 1937 for the Boston Braves / Boston Redskins / Washington Redskins. He led the NFL with 576 yards in 1932 and held on to the record throughout his career. Emmitt Smith has held the record since surpassing Walter Payton 's long - standing total in 2002. Reign Player Team ( s ) by season Carries Yards Average 1932 -- 1941 Cliff Battles Washington Redskins ( 1932 -- 1937 ) 839 3,511 4.2 1941 -- 1949 Clarke Hinkle Green Bay Packers ( 1932 -- 1941 ) 1,171 3,860 3.3 1949 -- 1958 Steve Van Buren Philadelphia Eagles ( 1944 -- 1951 ) 1,320 5,860 4.4 1958 -- 1963 Joe Perry San Francisco 49ers ( 1948 -- 1960, 1963 ) Baltimore Colts ( 1961 -- 1962 ) 1,737 8,378 4.8 1963 -- 1984 Jim Brown Cleveland Browns ( 1957 -- 1965 ) 2,359 12,312 5.2 1984 -- 2002 Walter Payton Chicago Bears ( 1975 -- 1987 ) 3,838 16,726 4.4 2002 -- present Emmitt Smith Dallas Cowboys ( 1990 -- 2002 ) Arizona Cardinals ( 2003 -- 2004 ) 4,409 18,355 4.2 See also List of National Football League records ( individual ) List of National Football League rushing champions List of National Football League career rushing touchdowns leaders Notes Jump up ^ In 1995, the Los Angeles Rams became known as the St. Louis Rams after the franchise relocated ; they returned in 2016. Jump up ^ Dickerson was traded mid-season in 1987 ; he played three games for the Rams and nine for the Colts. Jump up ^ In the 1996 season, George 's first, the Tennessee Titans were known as the Houston Oilers ; the franchise relocated prior to the commencement of the 1997 season. Jump up ^ Anderson was traded mid-season in 1986 ; he played four games for the Cardinals and eight for the Giants. References General `` NFL History -- Rushing Leaders ''. ESPN.com. Retrieved September 12, 2017. `` NFL Rushing Yards Career Leaders ''. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved September 12, 2017. Footnotes Jump up ^ Frye, Brian ( June 28, 2016 ). `` History of the Career Rushing Yards Record ''. thegridfe.com. GridFe. Retrieved September 25, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Smith 's Firm Hold on Coveted Record ''. Pro Football Hall of Fame. August 1, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2017. National Football League records and leaders General Super Bowl records Team playoff records Team records Individual records Games played Consecutive games and starts 99 - yard pass play All - purpose yards Scoring Passing Career Touchdowns Regular season Playoffs Yards 5,000 passing yards Completions Passer rating Wins Playoff win -- loss records Consecutive starts Consecutive games with a TD pass Annual Touchdowns Yards Completion percentage Rating Game Touchdowns Perfect passer rating 400 passing yards Rushing Career Touchdowns Yards Attempts Annual Touchdowns Yards 2,000 - yard club 1,000 - yard duos Receiving Career Touchdowns Yards Receptions Annual Touchdowns Yards Receptions Defense Career Sacks Interceptions Annual Sacks Interceptions Special teams Annual Punting yards Punt return yards Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_National_Football_League_career_rushing_yards_leaders&oldid=809086699 '' Categories : National Football League records and achievements American football running backs Hidden categories : Articles with hCards Talk Contents About Wikipedia Italiano 日本 語 Edit links This page was last edited on 7 November 2017, at 01 : 32. 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Question: who has the nfl record for most rushing yards in a career
Answer: Emmitt Smith