Ben Hughes

Hughes at Media Day in 2028

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**Benjamin Francis Hughes** (born September, 13th 2001) is a former American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. Hughes played for the University of Louisville for 2 years. He was drafted with the 5th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, 2 years into the Rocco Damico ownership/head coach reign. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest running backs of the 21st century with 4 NFL Best Running Back Awards in 4 years and leading the league in rushing yards twice.

Hughes was the vocal point of the Patriots second-dynasty with Rocco Damico and has used his agility to his advantage. In 2024 he combined for 1,998 yards and 26 touchdowns, leading the league in both. This along with 0 fumbles and 7.3 yards per carry made him the most beneficial back in modern history only behind Christian McCaffery.

After winning Super Bowl LXI, he signed a 7-year $95.4 million deal with the New England Patriots locking him up until 2034 making him the highest paid running back in NFL history and the 85th biggest per-year contract in sports history. He is the only non-quarterback American Football player to be in the top 100 highest paid athletes ever. The next year, Hughes would lead the league in carries with 1,839 yards and 20 touchdowns leading the Patriots to a Super Bowl loss against the Falcons.

Hughes finished the 2029 NFL Season with 1,746 yards and 22 touchdowns. He led the league in touchdowns and was second in yards. He led the patriots to a 16-1 record and the first seed. In the 2030 NFL Season, Ben Hughes had 1,973 yards, the 12th most in NFL history and 35 touchdowns, the most in NFL history. This was regarded as "the greatest NFL season by any player ever" by the Associated Press.

Hughes had 1,698 yards and 23 touchdowns in the 2031 NFL Season whilst missing 3 games with broken fingers. He led the league in both categories. In the 2032 season, he had 1,605 yards and 20 touchdowns leading the league in rushing yards. He contributed to the most scoring offense in NFL history. He won Best Running Back and did not participate in the Pro Bowl because of the Super Bowl.

Hughes dealt with injuries in 2033, missing 3 games he still won the 2033 Best RB award and led the league in yards and touchdowns, the Patriots also made it to the Super Bowl against the Los Angeles Rams. In Week 8, before the Patriots game against the Chicago Bears, Ben Hughes announced his retirement after 11 seasons, the unexpectedness of this news caused mass media around the team which led to Hughes leaving the team Week 9.

Hughes left the league second in yards in a career behind Johnathan Taylor and first in touchdowns in a career, the second closest being Johnathan Taylor by over 60 touchdowns. Hughes had the 10th most rushing yards in a season in 2024 with 1,998 and the most rushing touchdowns in a season in 2030 with 35, breaking Ladamian Tomlinson's record of 28 in 2006. Hughes had the third most rushing yards in a game with 2024 and is the only person with 7 touchdowns in a game (achieved in 2030).

Hughes has the highest legacy score of all running backs in NFL history with 36,419, second is Johnathan Taylor with 27,315. He is fourth all time behind Myles Garrett, Tom Brady and Micah Parsons. He was called the "greatest running back ever" by the Associated Press in an interview after his retirement.