The 10 Quarterbacks With the Most Rushing Yards in NFL History (2024)

The passing game has been a point of emphasis for NFL offense for quite some time now, but that doesn't mean quarterbacks can't get things done with their legs, too.

In just six NFL seasons, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, today's biggest version of a running quarterback, has already won two NFL MVP awards and is the first quarterback in league history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season more than once.

Jackson already finds himself at No. 4 on the list of NFL quarterbacks with the most rushing yards in a career. Which other nine join him in the top 10? Let's take a look.

1 Michael Vick (6,109)

Michael Vick became the first quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, doing it in 2006

There wasn't a quarterback any flashier than Michael Vick during his playing days. Vick, a left-hander out of Virginia Tech, had a cannon for an arm, but it was his legs that set him apart from all other QBs.

Vick became the first NFL quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, gaining 1,039 during the 2006 campaign, also setting a record by rushing for 8.4 yards per carry. He led the NFL in yards per carry five times in his career.

The Virginia native had six seasons of rushing for 500 yards or better, four with the Atlanta Falcons and two with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2004, he racked up 902 rushing yards in 15 games. Vick is the NFL's all-time leading rusher for a quarterback with 6,109 yards.

2 Cam Newton (5,628)

Cam Newton was crowned league MVP during the 2015 season

Cam Newton wasted no time proving he was a dual threat at quarterback for the Carolina Panthers.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Newton exploded onto the NFL scene as a rookie, rushing for 706 yards and 14 touchdowns to go along with his 4,051 passing yards and 21 TD passes. While the Panthers finished just 6-10 in 2011, Newton was named the league's Offensive Rookie of the Year.

At 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, the Auburn alum had the speed to run past defenders and the power to run through them. In his second season, he rushed for 741 more yards and added eight TDs on the ground.

Newton was named NFL MVP in 2015 after throwing for 3,387 yards and 35 touchdown passes, adding 636 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. The Panthers went 15-1 and reached Super Bowl 50, where they fell to the Denver Broncos.

Newton rushed for a career-high 754 yards in 2017 and finished his 11-year career with 5,628.

3 Russell Wilson (5,307)

Russell Wilson rushed for a career-high 849 yards during the 2014 season

Russell Wilson began his NFL career with 10 outstanding seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. A third-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, he won the starting job in training camp as a rookie and never missed a start in his first nine seasons.

While Wilson led the NFL in touchdown passes with 34 in 2017, he also showed he was equally dangerous running the ball. He rushed for 586 yards and three touchdowns that season, the fourth instance in which he'd accumulated 500 or more yards on the ground. He added a fifth in 2020 when he rushed for 513 yards.

In 2014, the Wisconsin alum rushed for a career-best 849 yards and a career-high six touchdowns.

Wilson played two seasons with the Denver Broncos after a 2022 trade and is playing the 2024 campaign with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

4 Lamar Jackson (5,258)

Lamar Jackson is already fourth on the list and is just getting started

Lamar Jackson may very well be at the top of this list when all is said and done.

After just six NFL seasons, the two-time MVP has already chalked up 5,258 rushing yards with the Ravens and is still going strong. As mentioned, he's had two 1,000-yard rushing seasons, including a career-best 1,206 during his first MVP season in 2019.

As a rookie who started just seven games in 2018, Jackson rushed for 695 yards, the lowest output of his career. After his MVP season in 2019, he racked up 1,005 rushing yards in 15 games in 2020, becoming the first quarterback to have rushed for more than 1,000 yards in a season more than once.

In Jackson's MVP season in 2023, he finished with 821 yards on the ground.

5 Randall Cunningham (4,928)

Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham accounted for 942 yards on the ground in 1990

Randall Cunningham was one of the smoothest quarterbacks the NFL has ever seen. The 16-year NFL veteran who spent 11 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles had a rocket arm and glided when he ran past defenders. He used both features to dismantle opposing defenses.

While he had five 3,000-yard passing seasons during his career, Cunningham proved to be a major threat with his legs, especially during the 1990 season. That year, he rushed 118 times and racked up 942 yards while rushing for five touchdowns.

He rushed for 500 or more yards in six of seven seasons from 1986 to 1992, which likely would have been seven consecutive years had he not torn his ACL in the 1991 season opener. Cunningham finished his career with 4,928 rushing yards.

To put that number in perspective, Cunningham's brother, Sam, is the all-time rushing leader for the New England Patriots. He finished his career with 5,453 yards.

6 Steve Young (4,239)

A patient Steve Young ran his way to an MVP season in 1992

Patience certainly paid off for Steve Young.

After going 3-16 in two seasons as the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Young hooked on with the San Francisco 49ers and took a back seat to future Hall of Famer Joe Montana. In his first four years with the 49ers, Young made a combined 10 starts before taking over for Montana during the 1991 season.

In 1992, Young was voted the league's MVP. Not only did the left-hander from Brigham Young lead the NFL in touchdown passes in each year from 1992 to 1994, but he also showed his mobility by rushing for 1,187 yards and 13 touchdowns during that stretch.

Young finished his Hall of Fame career with 4,239 yards on the ground and rushed for 43 touchdowns.

7 Fran Tarkenton (3,674)

Former Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton was nicknamed 'The Scrambler' for a reason

Fran Tarkenton was nicknamed "The Scrambler" for a reason. Although he wasn't nearly as fast or elusive as Vick or Jackson, the former Georgia Bulldog did a lot of running for a quarterback in his day.

Over 18 years with the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants, the 1975 NFL MVP rushed for 3,674 yards. He had seven seasons of rushing for 300 yards or more, including his rookie campaign in 1961, when he finished with 308 yards on the ground and five touchdowns.

Tarkenton kept defenses honest with his legs. His scrambling ability opened up his passing game, and he took full advantage. During his MVP season in his second stint with the Vikings, he led the NFL in touchdown passes with 25. He threw a career-high 29 in 1967.

Tarkenton had a career-best 376 rushing yards in 1966 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

8 Josh Allen (3,611)

Josh Allen does it with his arm and his legs for the Buffalo Bills

While guys like Vick and Jackson make defenders back up, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen runs through them.

At 6-foot-5 and 237 pounds, Allen is a power runner with deceptive speed. He has a laser for an arm, but his legs have been a significant part of his success since the Bills selected him with the seventh overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Allen has thrown for 4,000 yards or better in each of his last four seasons, but he's also never had fewer than 421 rushing yards in any of his six NFL seasons. Allen rushed for a career-high 763 yards in 2021, followed up with 762 in 2022, and added 524 in 2023.

At 3,611 career rushing yards, look for Allen to pass Tarkenton early in the 2024 season.

9 Steve McNair (3,590)

Steve McNair rushed for 400 or more yards five times in his NFL career

The Houston Oilers took a shot Steve McNair out of Alcorn State when they selected the athletically gifted quarterback with the third overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft. And the gamble paid off.

McNair went on to win NFL MVP in 2003 after going 10-4 in his 14 starts with the Tennessee Titans. He possessed a strong mix of power and speed. He had a strong arm that allowed him to throw for 31,304 yards in his career and also rushed for 3,590 yards and 37 career touchdowns.

McNair had five seasons of rushing for 400 yards or more, posting a career-high 674 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground in 1997. During that '97 season, he also led the NFL with 6.7 yards per carry.

10 Aaron Rodgers (3,466)

A four-time MVP, Aaron Rodgers is much more than a pocket passer

Aaron Rodgers is probably the most surprising name on this list. While the four-time NFL MVP is known for his accurate passing and his 59,055 career passing yards, he's shown his mobility during his 19 seasons in the league.

While he doesn't have the speed of Vick or Jackson, Rodgers has long proved he's more than capable of getting things done with his legs. He rushed for more than 300 yards in a season four times with the Green Bay Packers, recording a career-best 369 yards on 67 carries in 2016.

Rodgers will never be known as a running quarterback, but 3,466 career rushing yards clearly show he can get it done on the ground if needed. It'll be interesting to see if that still rings true with the New York Jets following his Achilles injury.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.