List of NFL career interceptions leaders

Last updated

In American football, an interception (INT), also known as a pick, occurs when a pass intended for a player of the same team is caught by an opposition player, who then gains possession for their team. [1] [2] The National Football League (NFL) did not begin keeping official records until the 1932 season and did not begin tracking interceptions until 1940. [3] [4] As a result of the AFL–NFL merger, league record books also recognize statistics from the American Football League (AFL), which operated from 1960 to 1969 before being absorbed into the NFL in 1970. [5] [6]

Contents

There have been 39 players who have recorded at least 50 interceptions. Paul Krause is the all-time leader, with 81 interceptions. [7] Due to rule changes and increasingly detailed offensive schemes, among other factors, the rate of interceptions has dropped considerably from 1971 (5.78%) to 2018 (2.37%). [7] As of 2025, no active player has at least 40 interceptions, with free agent Patrick Peterson the active career leader at 36. [8]

Players with at least 50 interceptions

Key
SymbolMeaning
IntsThe total number of interceptions the player had
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
^Active player
NFL career interceptions leaders
RankPlayerPositionTeam(s)IntsRefs
1 Paul Krause Safety Washington Redskins (1964 1967)81 [9]
Minnesota Vikings (1968 1979)
2 Emlen Tunnell Defensive back New York Giants (1948 1958)79 [10]
Green Bay Packers (1959 1961)
3 Rod Woodson Defensive back Pittsburgh Steelers (1987 1996)71 [11]
San Francisco 49ers (1997)
Baltimore Ravens (1998 2001)
Oakland Raiders (2002 2003)
4 Dick Lane Cornerback Los Angeles Rams (1952 1953)68 [12]
Chicago Cardinals (1954 1959)
Detroit Lions (1960 1965)
5 Ken Riley Cornerback Cincinnati Bengals (1969 1983)65 [13]
Charles Woodson Defensive back Oakland Raiders (1998 2005, 2013 2015) [14]
Green Bay Packers (2006 2012)
7 Ed Reed Safety Baltimore Ravens (2002 2012)64 [15]
Houston Texans (2013)
New York Jets (2013)
8 Ronnie Lott Defensive back San Francisco 49ers (1981 1990)63 [16]
Los Angeles Raiders (1991 1992)
New York Jets (1993 1994)
Darren Sharper Safety Green Bay Packers (1997 2004) [17]
Minnesota Vikings (2005 2008)
New Orleans Saints (2009 2010)
10 Dave Brown Defensive back Pittsburgh Steelers (1975)62 [18]
Seattle Seahawks (1976 1986)
Green Bay Packers (1987 1989)
Dick LeBeau Defensive back Detroit Lions (1959 1972) [19]
12 Emmitt Thomas Defensive back Kansas City Chiefs (1966 1978)58 [20]
13 Mel Blount Defensive back Pittsburgh Steelers (1970 1983)57 [21]
Bobby Boyd Cornerback Baltimore Colts (1960 1968) [22]
Eugene Robinson Safety Seattle Seahawks (1985 1995) [23]
Green Bay Packers (1996 1997)
Atlanta Falcons (1998 1999)
Carolina Panthers (2000)
Johnny Robinson Defensive back Dallas Texans / Kansas City Chiefs (1960 1971) [24]
Everson Walls Cornerback Dallas Cowboys (1981 1989) [25]
New York Giants (1990 1992)
Cleveland Browns (1992 1993)
18 Lem Barney Cornerback Detroit Lions (1967 1977)56 [26]
Pat Fischer Defensive back St. Louis Cardinals (1961 1967) [27]
Washington Redskins (1968 1977)
20 Aeneas Williams Defensive back Phoenix / Arizona Cardinals (1991 2000)55 [28]
St. Louis Rams (2001 2004)
21 Darrell Green Defensive back Washington Redskins (1983 2002)54 [29]
Willie Brown Cornerback Denver Broncos (1963 1966) [30]
Oakland Raiders (1967 1978)
Eric Allen Cornerback Philadelphia Eagles (1988 1994) [31]
New Orleans Saints (1995 1997)
Oakland Raiders (1998 2001)
24 Ty Law Cornerback New England Patriots (1995 2004)53 [32]
New York Jets (2005, 2008
Kansas City Chiefs (2006 2007)
Denver Broncos (2009)
Deion Sanders Cornerback Atlanta Falcons (1989 1993) [33]
San Francisco 49ers (1994)
Dallas Cowboys (1995 1999)
Washington Redskins (2000)
Baltimore Ravens (2004 2005)
26 Champ Bailey Cornerback Washington Redskins (1999 2003)52 [34]
Denver Broncos (2004 2013)
Jack Butler Defensive back Pittsburgh Steelers (1951 1959) [35]
Bobby Dillon Defensive back Green Bay Packers (1952 1959) [36]
Jimmy Patton Safety New York Giants (1955 1966) [37]
Mel Renfro Defensive back Dallas Cowboys (1964 1977) [38]
Larry Wilson Safety St. Louis Cardinals (1960 1972) [39]
32 Bobby Bryant Defensive back Minnesota Vikings (1968 1980)51 [40]
Asante Samuel Cornerback New England Patriots (2003 2007) [41]
Philadelphia Eagles (2008 2011)
Atlanta Falcons (2012 2013)
Donnie Shell Defensive back Pittsburgh Steelers (1974 1987) [42]
35 Terrell Buckley Defensive back Green Bay Packers (1992 1994)50 [43]
Miami Dolphins (1995 1999), 2003)
Denver Broncos (2000)
New England Patriots (2001 2002)
New York Jets (2004)
New York Giants (2005)
Don Burroughs Safety Los Angeles Rams (1955 1959) [44]
Philadelphia Eagles (1960 1964)
Deron Cherry Safety Kansas City Chiefs (1981 1991) [45]
John Harris Safety Seattle Seahawks (1978 1985) [46]
Minnesota Vikings (1986 1988)
Yale Lary Defensive back Detroit Lions (1952 1964) [47]

Historical career interceptions leaders

NFL historical career interceptions leaders
No.ReignPlayerTeam(s) while leaderIntsSeason(s)Refs
1 1940 Don Hutson Green Bay Packers 6 1940 [48]
Ace Parker Brooklyn Dodgers [48]
Kent Ryan Detroit Lions [48]
2 1941 George McAfee Chicago Bears 10 1941 [49]
3 1942 Don Hutson Green Bay Packers 14 1942 [50]
4 1943 1948 Sammy Baugh Washington Redskins 23 1943 [51]
27 1944 [52]
31 1945 1948 [53] [54]
5Tied 1948 Irv Comp Green Bay Packers 1948 [54]
1949 1950 34 1949 1950 [55] [56]
6 1951 Frank Reagan Philadelphia Eagles 35 1951 [57]
7 1952 1978 Emlen Tunnell New York Giants (1952 1958)
Green Bay Packers (1959 1961)
40 1952 [58]
46 1953 [59]
54 1954 [60]
61 1955 [61]
67 1956 [62]
73 1957 [63]
74 1958 [64]
76 1959 [65]
79 1960 1978 [66] [67]
8 1979–present Paul Krause Minnesota Vikings 81 1979 [68] [69]

See also

References

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  6. Banks, Don (November 12, 2014). "Forty-five years after last AFL season, rivalry with NFL still resonates". Sports Illustrated . Archived from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
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  25. "Everson Walls Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro Football Reference . Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  26. "Lem Barney Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro Football Reference . Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
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  28. "Aeneas Williams Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro Football Reference . Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
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  30. "Willie Brown Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro Football Reference . Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  31. "Eric Allen Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro Football Reference . Archived from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
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  53. "NFL Career Interceptions Leaders Through 1945". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved March 19, 2025.
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  57. "NFL Career Interceptions Leaders Through 1951". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved March 19, 2025.
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  67. "NFL Career Interceptions Leaders Through 1978". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved March 19, 2025.
  68. "NFL Career Interceptions Leaders Through 1979". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved March 19, 2025.
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