Rank
Player
Team(s) by season
1
Emmitt Smith ^
Dallas Cowboys (1990 –2002 )Arizona Cardinals (2003 –2004 )
4,409
18,355
4.2
2
Walter Payton ^
Chicago Bears (1975 –1987 )
3,838
16,726
4.4
3
Frank Gore San Francisco 49ers (2005 –2014 )Indianapolis Colts (2015 –2017 )Miami Dolphins (2018 )Buffalo Bills (2019 )New York Jets (2020 )
3,735
16,000
4.3
4
Barry Sanders ^
Detroit Lions (1989 –1998 )
3,062
15,269
5.0
5
Adrian Peterson *
Minnesota Vikings (2007 –2016 )New Orleans Saints (2017 )Arizona Cardinals (2017 )Washington Redskins (2018 –2019 )Detroit Lions (2020 )Tennessee Titans (2021 )Seattle Seahawks (2021 )
3,230
14,918
4.6
6
Curtis Martin ^
New England Patriots (1995 –1997 )New York Jets (1998 –2005 )
3,518
14,101
4.0
7
LaDainian Tomlinson ^
San Diego Chargers (2001 –2009 )New York Jets (2010 –2011 )
3,174
13,684
4.3
8
Jerome Bettis ^
St. Louis/L.A. Rams (1993 –1995 [ a] Pittsburgh Steelers (1996 –2005 )
3,479
13,662
3.9
9
Eric Dickerson ^
Los Angeles Rams (1983 –1987 [ b] Indianapolis Colts (1987 –1991 )Los Angeles Raiders (1992 )Atlanta Falcons (1993 )
2,996
13,259
4.4
10
Tony Dorsett ^
Dallas Cowboys (1977 –1987 )Denver Broncos (1988 )
2,936
12,739
4.3
11
Jim Brown ^
Cleveland Browns (1957 –1965 )
2,359
12,312
5.2
12
Marshall Faulk ^
Indianapolis Colts (1994 –1998 )St. Louis Rams (1999 –2005 )
2,836
12,279
4.3
13
Edgerrin James ^
Indianapolis Colts (1999 –2005 )Arizona Cardinals (2006 –2008 )Seattle Seahawks (2009 )
3,028
12,246
4.0
14
Marcus Allen ^
Los Angeles Raiders (1982 –1992 )Kansas City Chiefs (1993 –1997 )
3,022
12,243
4.1
15
Franco Harris ^
Pittsburgh Steelers (1972 –1983 )Seattle Seahawks (1984 )
2,949
12,120
4.1
16
Thurman Thomas ^
Buffalo Bills (1988 –1999 )Miami Dolphins (2000 )
2,877
12,074
4.2
17
Fred Taylor
Jacksonville Jaguars (1998 –2008 )New England Patriots (2009 –2010 )
2,534
11,695
4.6
18
Steven Jackson
St. Louis Rams (2004 –2012 )Atlanta Falcons (2013 –2014 )New England Patriots (2015 )
2,764
11,438
4.1
19
John Riggins ^
New York Jets (1971 –1975 )Washington Redskins (1976 –1985 )
2,916
11,352
3.9
20
Corey Dillon
Cincinnati Bengals (1997 –2003 )New England Patriots (2004 –2006 )
2,618
11,241
4.3
21
O. J. Simpson ^
Buffalo Bills (1969 –1977 )San Francisco 49ers (1978 –1979 )
2,404
11,236
4.7
22
LeSean McCoy
Philadelphia Eagles (2009 –2014 )Buffalo Bills (2015 –2018 )Kansas City Chiefs (2019 )Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020 )
2,457
11,102
4.5
23
Warrick Dunn
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1997 –2001 , 2008 )Atlanta Falcons (2002 –2007 )
2,669
10,967
4.1
24
Ricky Watters
San Francisco 49ers (1992 –1994 )Philadelphia Eagles (1995 –1997 )Seattle Seahawks (1998 –2001 )
2,622
10,643
4.1
25
Jamal Lewis
Baltimore Ravens (2000 –2006 )Cleveland Browns (2007 –2009 )
2,542
10,607
4.2
26
Thomas Jones
Arizona Cardinals (2000 –2002 )Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2003 )Chicago Bears (2004 –2006 )New York Jets (2007 –2009 )Kansas City Chiefs (2010 –2011 )
2,678
10,591
4.0
27
Tiki Barber
New York Giants (1997 –2006 )
2,217
10,449
4.7
28
Eddie George
Houston/Tennessee Oilers/Titans (1996 [ c] 2003 )Dallas Cowboys (2004 )
2,865
10,441
3.6
29
Marshawn Lynch Buffalo Bills (2007 –2010 )Seattle Seahawks (2010 –2015 , 2019 )Oakland Raiders (2017 –2018 )
2,453
10,413
4.2
30
Ottis Anderson St. Louis Cardinals (1979 –1986 [ d] New York Giants (1986 –1992 )
2,562
10,273
4.0
31
Ricky Williams
New Orleans Saints (1999 –2001 )Miami Dolphins (2002 –2003 , 2005 –2010 )Baltimore Ravens (2011 )
2,431
10,009
4.1
32
Clinton Portis
Denver Broncos (2002 –2003 )Washington Redskins (2004 –2010 )
2,230
9,923
4.4
33
Matt Forte
Chicago Bears (2008 –2015 )New York Jets (2016 –2017 )
2,356
9,796
4.2
34
Chris Johnson
Tennessee Titans (2008 –2013 )New York Jets (2014 )Arizona Cardinals (2015 –2017 )
2,163
9,651
4.5
35
Shaun Alexander
Seattle Seahawks (2000 –2007 )Washington Redskins (2008 )
2,187
9,453
4.3
36
Earl Campbell ^
Houston Oilers (1978 –1984 [ e] New Orleans Saints (1984 –1985 )
2,187
9,407
4.3
37
Ahman Green
Seattle Seahawks (1998 –1999 )Green Bay Packers (2000 –2006 , 2009 )Houston Texans (2007 –2008 )
2,056
9,205
4.5
38
Terry Allen
Minnesota Vikings (1990 –1994 )Washington Redskins (1995 –1998 )New England Patriots (1999 )New Orleans Saints (2000 )Baltimore Ravens (2001 )
2,152
8,614
4.0
39
Jim Taylor ^
Green Bay Packers (1958 –1966 )New Orleans Saints (1967 )
1,941
8,597
4.4
40
Willis McGahee
Buffalo Bills (2003 –2006 )Baltimore Ravens (2007 –2010 )Denver Broncos (2011 –2012 )Cleveland Browns (2013 )
2,095
8,474
4.0
41
Joe Perry ^
San Francisco 49ers (1950 –1960 , 1963 )Baltimore Colts (1961 –1962 )
1,737
8,378
4.8
42
Earnest Byner
Cleveland Browns (1984 –1988 , 1994 –1995 )Washington Redskins (1989 –1993 )Baltimore Ravens (1996 –1997 )
2,095
8,261
3.9
43
Herschel Walker
Dallas Cowboys (1986 –1989 [ f] 1996 –1997 )Minnesota Vikings (1989 –1991 )Philadelphia Eagles (1992 –1994 )New York Giants (1995 )
1,954
8,225
4.2
44
Roger Craig
San Francisco 49ers (1983 –1990 )Los Angeles Raiders (1991 )Minnesota Vikings (1992 –1993 )
1,991
8,189
4.1
45
Gerald Riggs
Atlanta Falcons (1982 –1988 )Washington Redskins (1989 –1991 )
1,989
8,188
4.1
46
Priest Holmes
Baltimore Ravens (1997 –2000 )Kansas City Chiefs (2001 –2007 )
1,780
8,172
4.6
47
Maurice Jones-Drew
Jacksonville Jaguars (2006 –2013 )Oakland Raiders (2014 )
1,847
8,167
4.4
48
Mark Ingram II
New Orleans Saints (2011 –2018 , 2021 –2022 )Baltimore Ravens (2019 –2020 )Houston Texans (2021 [ g] 1,817
8,111
4.5
49
DeAngelo Williams
Carolina Panthers (2006 –2014 )Pittsburgh Steelers (2015 –2016 )
1,730
8,096
4.7
50
Larry Csonka ^
Miami Dolphins (1968 –1974 , 1979 )New York Giants (1976 –1978 )
1,891
8,081
4.3
