List Of National Football League Career Sacks Leaders

Last Modified Jan 30, 2025 13:28 GMT
List of National Football League Career Sacks Leaders
Bruce Smith, NFL career sack leader of all time. Source: Getty Images

In the NFL, a sack is referred to as a defensive play wherein a player from the defense tackles the offense’s quarterback behind the line of scrimmage. This play needs to happen before the quarterback can pass the ball forward to be beneficial to the defensive team. The most beneficial part about a sack in football is the loss of yardage that it results in. Counted from the line of scrimmage, the loss in yardage on account of a sack, the new line of scrimmage set for the next play retreats several yards.

Defenders who specialize in the art of sacking are referred to as “sack artists” or “pass rushers.” The NFL maintains single-season and career records of the number of sacks made by a player as a separate statline. The official track for sack count started from the 1982 season.

Who holds the record for most career sacks?

As of January 2025, below given players have reached a milestone of 100 sacks:

RankPlayerPositionNumber of Sacks
1Bruce SmithDE200
2Reggie WhiteDE198
3Kevin GreeneDE/OLB160
4Julius PeppersDE/OLB159.5
5Chris DolemanDE150.5
6Michael StrahanDE141.5
7Jason TaylorDE/OLB139.5
8Terrell SuggsDE/OLB139
9DeMarcus WareDE/OLB138.5
10Richard DentDE137.5
11John RandleDT137.5
12Jared AllenDE136
13John AbrahamDE/OLB133.5
14Leslie O’NealDE132.5
15Lawrence TaylorOLB132.5
16Von MillerOLB/DE129.5
17Rickey JacksonDE/OLB128
18Derrick ThomasOLB126.5
19Dwight FreeneyDE/OLB125.5
20Robert MathisDE/OLB123
21Simeon RiceDE122
22Clyde SimmonsDE121.5
23Cameron JordanDE121.5
24JJ WattDE114.5
25Sean JonesDE113
26Chandler JonesDE/OLB112
27Justin HoustonOLB112
28Aaron DonaldDT111
29Calais CampbellDE110.5
30Greg TownsendDE109.5
31T.J. WattOLB108
32Khalil MackOLB/DE107.5
33Pat SwillingDE/OLB107.5
34Trace ArmstrongDE106
35Elvis DumervilDE/OLB105.5
36Kevin CarterDE104.5
37Neil SmithDE104.5
38Myles GarrettDE102.5
39Jim JeffcoatDE102.5
40Robert QuinnDE/OLB102
41William Fuller DE100.5
42Charles HaleyDE/OLB100.5
43Cameron WakeDE/OLB100.5
44Carlos DunlapDE100
45Andre TippetOLB100

At the top of the list, with the most career sacks in the history of the NFL, is Bruce Smith. Bruce Smith played in the NFL from 1985 to 2003 for the teams Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins. Recording a total of 200 sacks in his career, Bruce Smith is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

FAQs on National Football League Career Sacks Leaders

A. Bruce Smith has the most number of career sacks in the NFL. He has recorded 200 career sacks over his career.

A. Chicago Bears has the most number of sacks (72) in a single season as per Statmuse. 

A. Von Miller is the active player with the most number of career sacks. Von Miller has 129.5 career sacks as per Pro Football reference. 

A. Derrick Thomas has the most number of sacks recorded in a single game. He recorded 7 sacks in a single game (via Pro Football Reference).

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