Most Touchdowns in NFL History
Touchdowns are the core of American football and can shift the momentum of a game. A touchdown scores six points and occurs when a player either runs or catches the ball in the other team’s end zone. Jerry Rice holds the record for the most touchdowns in NFL history, finishing his career with 208 total touchdowns.
Photo Credit: Photo taken by Flickr user gamerscoreblog, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Top 5 Most Touchdowns in NFL History
Here are the top 5 players with the most touchdowns in NFL history represent a legacy of unmatched scoring power.
| Rank | Player | Touchdowns |
| 1 | Jerry Rice | 208 |
| 2 | Emmitt Smith | 175 |
| 3 | LaDainian Tomlinson | 162 |
| 4 | Randy Moss | 157 |
| 5 | Terrell Owens | 156 |
Jerry Rice (208 Touchdowns)
Career: 1985-2004
Teams: San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks
Jerry Rice holds the record for the most touchdowns in NFL history, totaling 208. Most of his career was with the San Francisco 49ers where his sharp routes and great hands made him unstoppable. He was also a powerhouse in the playoffs, scoring 22 touchdowns and setting Super Bowl records with 33 catches, 589 yards, and 8 touchdowns. While playing for the Raiders, he still made it to the Pro Bowl after catching 92 passes for 1,211 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Emmitt Smith (175 Touchdowns)
Career: 1990-2004
Teams: Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals
Emmitt Smith holds the NFL record for the most touchdowns at 175. Emmitt Smith’s durability was unmatched with 11 straight seasons of over 1,000 rushing yards and he still holds the record for the most playoff rushing touchdowns at 19. His standout season was in 1995 when he scored 25 rushing touchdowns and accumulated 1,773 yards, helping Dallas secure another championship.
LaDainian Tomlinson (162 Touchdowns)
Career: 2001-2011
Teams: San Diego Chargers, New York Jets
LaDainian Tomlinson was a scoring machine and finished his career with 162 touchdowns. His MVP season in 2006 was nothing short of legendary as he broke records with 28 rushing touchdowns, 31 total touchdowns and 186 points. During that year, he even managed to score 19 touchdowns in just six games and became the quickest player to hit 100 career touchdowns, achieving it in only 89 games.
Randy Moss (157 Touchdowns)
Career: 1998-2012
Teams: Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers
Randy Moss scored 157 touchdowns over his 14-season career. His rookie season in 1998 was remarkable, featuring 17 touchdown receptions, which still stands as the record for rookies. In 2007 while playing for the Patriots, Moss broke the single-season record with 23 touchdown catches. His spectacular catches were so memorable that the term “getting mossed” became a part of football terminology.
Terrell Owens (156 Touchdowns)
Career: 1996-2010
Teams: San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals
Terrell Owens wrapped up his career with 153 receiving touchdowns. He is the only player to have scored against all 32 NFL teams. Owens had eight seasons where he scored double-digit touchdowns with standout years including 16 touchdowns in 2001 and 15 in 2007. His outrageous celebrations like signing a football with a Sharpie or standing on the Cowboys star, made him a cultural icon.
