5,477 passing, 2,105 rushing, 1,964 receiving — the three yardage records, the complete 2,000-yard rushing club, and the 2025 season the lists lag on.
Read the full story ↓The passing record is decided by 1 yard: Peyton Manning’s 5,477 in 2013 over Drew Brees’s 5,476 in 2011. The rest of the top 8 is a short list of names: Drew Brees alone holds 4 of the seasons on it.
| Player | Yards | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Peyton Manning | 5,477 | 2013 |
| Drew Brees | 5,476 | 2011 |
| Tom Brady | 5,316 | 2021 |
| Patrick Mahomes | 5,250 | 2022 |
| Tom Brady | 5,235 | 2011 |
| Drew Brees | 5,208 | 2016 |
| Drew Brees | 5,177 | 2012 |
| Drew Brees | 5,162 | 2013 |
Eric Dickerson’s 2,105 in 1984 is the record, and the table beneath it is not a top ten but a threshold — every season of two thousand yards or more, all 9 of them, packed inside 102 yards of each other. The first came in 1973; the latest, Saquon Barkley’s 2,005, in 2024.
| Player | Yards | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Eric Dickerson | 2,105 | 1984 |
| Adrian Peterson | 2,097 | 2012 |
| Jamal Lewis | 2,066 | 2003 |
| Barry Sanders | 2,053 | 1997 |
| Derrick Henry | 2,027 | 2020 |
| Terrell Davis | 2,008 | 1998 |
| Chris Johnson | 2,006 | 2009 |
| Saquon Barkley | 2,005 | 2024 |
| O.J. Simpson | 2,003 | 1973 |
Calvin Johnson’s 1,964 in 2012 has stood since, with Cooper Kupp’s 1,947 in 2021 the nearest miss. The freshest row is Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s 1,793 in 2025, which entered the top 8 in the season just completed.
| Player | Yards | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Calvin Johnson | 1,964 | 2012 |
| Cooper Kupp | 1,947 | 2021 |
| Julio Jones | 1,871 | 2015 |
| Jerry Rice | 1,848 | 1995 |
| Antonio Brown | 1,834 | 2015 |
| Justin Jefferson | 1,809 | 2022 |
| Tyreek Hill | 1,799 | 2023 |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba | 1,793 | 2025 |
One public season archive covering every season from 1932 through 2025, regular season only. A traded season is summed from its per-team stint rows and the archive’s combined row is set aside, so no season is ever counted twice — the naive sum once crowned a receiving season at exactly double its real total, which is why the rule exists. Every number on this page is read from the archive on each build, like the rest of the football record book: the NFL sack record and the most Super Bowl wins.
More from the record book: how long a pro career lasts, the average NFL retirement age, how big the average NFL player is, the NFL sack record, average NBA height, the tallest NBA players ever, the shortest NBA players ever, average WNBA height, how many players are in the NFL, how many players are in the NBA, the average MLB player, the most home runs in a season, the most Super Bowl wins, the most World Series wins, the most NBA championships, the tallest WNBA players ever, the average NHL player, the perfect MLB season and every perfect season.
Peyton Manning, with 5,477 in 2013 — exactly 1 yard more than Drew Brees's 5,476 in 2011. Drew Brees owns 4 of the top 8 seasons on the list.
Eric Dickerson, with 2,105 in 1984. The whole 2,000-yard club sits within 102 yards of that mark.
9, and the table on this page is the complete list — a threshold, not a top ten. O.J. Simpson was the first, in 1973; Saquon Barkley is the latest, with 2,005 in 2024.
Calvin Johnson, with 1,964 in 2012; Cooper Kupp came closest since, with 1,947 in 2021.
Yes — Jaxon Smith-Njigba's 1,793 receiving yards in 2025 entered the receiving top 8. The archive carries the season already; most static lists do not.
That is the game this record book scores: spin real franchise eras with these seasons on the cards, draft an all-time roster, and try to run the table on the 17-0 board or build an undefeated NFL team.
