This is a list of National Football League kickoff returners who have led the regular season in kickoff return yards each year.
According to Pro Football Reference and The Football Database. [1] [2]
Set record* |
Set record* |
Season | Player | Kickoff return yards | Team | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1960 | Leon Burton | 862* | New York Titans | [3] |
1961 | Frank Jackson | 645 | Dallas Texans | [4] |
1962 | Dick Christy | 824 | New York Titans | [5] |
1963 | Bobby Jancik | 1,317* | Houston Oilers | [6] |
1964 | Odell Barry | 1,245 | Denver Broncos | [7] |
1965 | Abner Haynes | 901 | Denver Broncos | [8] |
1966 | Bobby Jancik (2) | 875 | Houston Oilers | [9] |
1967 | Noland Smith | 1,148 | Kansas City Chiefs | [10] |
1968 | Max Anderson | 971 | Buffalo Bills | [11] |
1969 | Mercury Morris | 1,136 | Miami Dolphins | [12] |
André N. Davis is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and kick returner in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Tech, earning first-team All-American honors in 2000. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Davis also played for the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans in his career. While playing for Virginia Tech Davis appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Allen Bonshaca Lamont Rossum is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft.
Damieon Dante Hall is a former American football wide receiver and return specialist who played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He is nicknamed "the Human Joystick" and "the X-Factor". Hall was a fifth-round draft pick out of Texas A&M University by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2000 NFL draft. Hall played for the Chiefs for seven years before being traded to the St. Louis Rams in 2007. Hall was ranked the 10th greatest return specialist in NFL history on NFL Network's NFL Top 10 Return Aces.
Darren Lee Sproles is an American football executive and former running back. He is now a personnel consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats, earning first-team All-American honors and becoming the school's all-time leading rusher. Sproles was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL draft. He also played for the New Orleans Saints and the Eagles. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
Derrick James Mason is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for fifteen seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Tennessee Oilers in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL Draft after playing college football for the Michigan State Spartans. Following eight seasons with the Oilers franchise, including two Pro Bowl selections, Mason signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2005. He became the Ravens' all-time leading receiver with 5,777 yards from 2005 to 2010. He spent 2011 with the New York Jets and Houston Texans. Mason retired as a Baltimore Raven on June 11, 2012. He was the last active NFL player to have played for the Oilers.
Devin Devorris Hester Sr. is an American former football wide receiver and return specialist who played in the National Football League (NFL). The only primary return specialist to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he is widely considered to be the greatest return specialist of all time. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, where he was the first player in the university's recent history to play in all three phases of American football: offense, defense and special teams. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft. In addition to Chicago, Hester also played for the Atlanta Falcons, the Baltimore Ravens and the Seattle Seahawks over his 11-season NFL career. He is also the only player to return the opening kick of a Super Bowl for a touchdown. Hester was selected to the NFL All-Decade Team for both the 2000s and 2010s.
Michael Craig Nelms is an American former professional football player who was a defensive back and kick returner in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons with the Washington Redskins from 1980 to 1984. Before his NFL career, Nelms played in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Baylor Bears.
Theodore Ginn Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and Chicago Bears.
Jacoby Rashi'd Jones is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Lane College, and was selected by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft. He played for the Texans from 2007 to 2011. Jones then played for the Baltimore Ravens from 2012 to 2014, and was selected for the Pro Bowl in 2012. He is known for two of the most memorable plays in the 2012 NFL playoffs as a member of the Ravens: catching a 70-yard game-tying touchdown pass in the final seconds of regulation in the AFC Divisional playoff game against the Denver Broncos, which helped lead the Ravens to an eventual 38–35 double overtime victory; and a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLVII against the San Francisco 49ers, the longest play in Super Bowl history. He also played for the San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015 and the Monterrey Steel of the National Arena League in 2017.
Javier E. Arenas is a former American football cornerback. Arenas played college football for the University of Alabama, earned consensus All-American honors, and was a member of a BCS National Championship team. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, and Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). Arenas also had a brief stint with the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Brandon Tate is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft. He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Patrick De'mon Peterson Jr. is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football for the LSU Tigers, where he won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the best defensive player in the country, and the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back. He is regarded as one of the greatest cornerbacks of his era.
Andre McXavier Roberts is an American football wide receiver and return specialist who is a free agent. He played college football for the The Citadel Bulldogs and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. Roberts has also played for the Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, and the Los Angeles Chargers.
Dwayne Lenard Harris is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the East Carolina Pirates. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL draft.
Cordarrelle Patterson, nicknamed "Flash", is an American football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). A versatile utility player, he plays running back, wide receiver, return specialist, and occasionally on defense. Patterson played college football for the Hutchinson Blue Dragons before transferring to the Tennessee Volunteers, where he earned first-team All-SEC honors. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft. He has also been a member of the Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, and the Atlanta Falcons.
Walter Leon Burton was an American professional football player who played 14 games for the New York Titans in one season of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960. He earlier played college football at Arizona State University.
Jakeem Grant Sr. is an American football wide receiver and return specialist who is a free agent. He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL draft and has also played for the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He played college football at Texas Tech, where he set their all-time record for receiving yards. On December 12, 2021, Grant broke the Bears' franchise record for longest punt return for a touchdown by scoring on a 97-yard punt return in a game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The return is the tenth longest punt returned for a touchdown in NFL history.
Jamal Agnew is an American football wide receiver and return specialist who is a free agent. He played college football at San Diego. On September 26, 2021, he tied the NFL record for the longest play with a 109 yard return off a missed field goal.
Michael Dickson is an Australian-born American football punter for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns and was selected by the Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft. Regarded as one of the best punters in the league, his career punt average of 47.7 yards per punt ranks as the highest in NFL history.