In American football, a punt is a kick that is performed after a player (most often a punter) drops the ball from their hands and kicks it prior to it hitting the ground. Record keeping for punting yards in the National Football League (NFL) goes as far back as 1939.
To be eligible for career-long rankings, a player must have a minimum of 250 punts. [1] Although he never led the league in punting yards for a single-season, Jeff Feagles' longevity propelled him to become the career punting yards leader, with 71,211. [2] Feagles is the only punter to eclipse 70,000 career punting yards, and only three other punters have surpassed the 60,000 mark. He also set the career record for total punts in 2005, when he recorded his 1,368th, surpassing Sean Landeta. [3] He later retired with 1,713 career punts, still the NFL record. [2] [4]
With 1,168 punts and 52,868 punting yards for the Baltimore Ravens, Sam Koch has the most of both statistics for any individual franchise. Ranked 7th all-time in career punting yards, Koch is also the highest-ranked punter to have spent his entire career with a single team. The Kansas City Chiefs are the only other franchise to have a player punt for over 50,000 yards during their tenure with the team.
Shane Lechler, who ranks second to Feagles in both total punts and punting yards, is the NFL's all-time leader in yards per punt (47.6). [5] Lechler is also the only punter to lead two different franchises (the Las Vegas Raiders and Houston Texans) in career punting yards.
Net yards per punt, or net average, as opposed to a player's gross average, is considered a more revealing indicator of a punter's performance. [6] This is due to the net average taking into account return yardage or a touchback on the punt which are subtracted from the gross punting yards, or how far the ball travels on a punt. [6] Logan Cooke holds the record for career net average (43.1), although Tommy Davis holds the unofficial record (44.5), [7] having played prior to 1976, when the statistic began being officially tracked. [6]
^ | Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame |
* | Denotes player who is still active |
* | Denotes player who is still active |
† | Denotes player's statistics are unofficial [lower-alpha 1] |
Net yards per punt | |||
---|---|---|---|
Rank | Player | Team(s) by season | Net |
1 | Tommy Davis† | San Francisco 49ers (1959–1969) | 44.5 |
2 | Yale Lary† | Detroit Lions (1952–1953, 1956–1964) | 43.9 |
Sammy Baugh† | Washington Redskins (1937–1952) | 43.9 | |
4 | Dave Lewis† | Cincinnati Bengals (1970–1973) | 43.7 |
5 | Jerry Norton† | Philadelphia Eagles (1954 – 1958) Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals (1959 – 1961) Dallas Cowboys (1962) Green Bay Packers (1963 – 1964) | 43.5 |
6 | Logan Cooke* | Jacksonville Jaguars (2018–present) | 43.3 |
Horace Gillom† | Cleveland Browns (1947–1956) | 43.3 | |
7 | Bob Scarpitto† | San Diego Chargers (1961) Denver Broncos (1962–1967) Boston Patriots (1968) | 43.2 |
Don Chandler† | New York Giants (1956–1964) Green Bay Packers (1965–1967) | 43.2 | |
10 | Johnny Hekker* | St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams (2012–2021) Carolina Panthers (2022–present) | 43.0 |
Statistics accurate through the 2023 NFL season and gathered from The Football Database. [10] |
* | Denotes player who is still active |
‡ | Franchise with punting leader on its current roster |
William Ray Guy was an American professional football punter who played for the Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Guy was a first-team All-American selection in 1972 as a senior for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, and is the only pure punter ever to be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft, when the Raiders selected him with the 23rd overall pick in the 1973 NFL draft. He won three Super Bowls with the Raiders. Guy was elected to both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014. An eight-time All-Pro, Guy is widely considered to be the greatest punter of all time.
David Michael Zastudil is a former American football punter. He played college football at Ohio, and was drafted in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL draft by the Baltimore Ravens.
Edward Shane Lechler is an American former professional football player who played as a punter for 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M University and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL draft.
Andrew Paul Lee is an American football punter who is a free agent. He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers, and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2004 NFL draft.
Donald Scott Jones Jr. is an American former football punter who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL draft. He also played for the Miami Dolphins, St. Louis Rams, Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles, and Los Angeles Chargers. With the Eagles, he won Super Bowl LII.
Samuel David Koch is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 16-year career as a punter for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and was selected by the Ravens in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL draft. He is known for developing many punting variations, revolutionizing his position in the process.
Richard Jon Camarillo is an American former football punter who played for 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots (1981–1987), the Los Angeles Rams (1988), the Phoenix Cardinals (1989–1993), the Houston Oilers (1994–1995), and the Oakland Raiders (1996).
Glenn Adam Pakulak, Jr. is a former American football punter. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at Kentucky.
Brett Alan Kern is an American former professional football player who was a punter in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Toledo Rockets and was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2008.
Thomas James Morstead is an American professional football punter for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at SMU and was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL draft. Morstead has also played for the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins.
In gridiron football, a punt is a kick performed by dropping the ball from the hands and then kicking the ball before it hits the ground. The most common use of this tactic is to punt the ball downfield to the opposing team, usually on the final down, with the hope of giving the receiving team a field position that is more advantageous to the kicking team when possession changes. The result of a typical punt, barring any penalties or extraordinary circumstances, is a first down for the receiving team. A punt is not to be confused with a drop kick, a kick after the ball hits the ground, now rare in both American and Canadian football.
Brad Nortman is a former American football punter. He played college football at the University of Wisconsin. He was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL draft, making him the first punter that the team had drafted in its history.
Tressler William Way is an American football punter for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, signing with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and joined the Commanders the following year.
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.
Alfred James Cole III is an American football punter for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at N.C. State.
Ryan Matthew Stonehouse is an American football punter for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Colorado State and signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2022.