Rank Player Team (s) by season Carries Yards Average Emmitt Smith Dallas Cowboys (1990 -- 2002) Arizona Cardinals (2003 -- 2004) 4,409 18,355 4.2 Walter Payton Chicago Bears (1975 -- 1987) 3,838 16,726 4.4 Barry Sanders Detroit Lions (1989 -- 1998) 3,062 15,269 5.0 Curtis Martin New England Patriots (1995 -- 1997) New York Jets (1998 -- 2005) 3,518 14,101 4.0 5 Frank Gore San Francisco 49ers (2005 -- 2014) Indianapolis Colts (2015 -- 2017) Miami Dolphins (2018 -- present) 3,226 14,026 4.3 6 LaDanian Tomlinson San Diego Chargers (2001 -- 2009) New York Jets (2010 -- 2011) 3,174 13,684 4.3 7 Jerome Bettis St. Louis / L.A. Rams (1993 -- 1995) Pittsburgh Steelers (1996 -- 2005) 3,479 13,662 3.9 8 Eric Dickerson Los Angeles Rams (1983 -- 1987) Indianapolis Colts (1987 -- 1991) Los Angeles Raiders (1992) Atlanta Falcons (1993) 2,996 13,259 4.4 9 Tony Dorsett Dallas Cowboys (1977 -- 1987) Denver Broncos (1988) 2,936 12,739 4.3 10 Jim Brown Cleveland Browns (1957 -- 1965) 2,359 12,312 5.2 11 Marshall Faulk Indianapolis Colts (1994 -- 1998) St. Louis Rams (1999 -- 2005) 2,836 12,279 4.3 12 Adrian Peterson Minnesota Vikings (2007 -- 2016) New Orleans Saints (2017) Arizona Cardinals (2017) 2,574 12,276 4.8 13 Edgerrin James Indianapolis Colts (1999 -- 2005) Arizona Cardinals (2006 -- 2008) Seattle Seahawks (2009) 3,028 12,246 4.0 13 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 Warrick Dunn Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1997 -- 2001) Atlanta Falcons (2002 -- 2007) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2008) 2,669 10,967 4.1 23 Ricky Watters San Francisco 49ers (1992 -- 1994) Philadelphia Eagles (1995 -- 1997) Seattle Seahawks (1998 -- 2001) 2,622 10,643 4.1 24 Jamal Lewis Baltimore Ravens (2000 -- 2006) Cleveland Browns (2007 -- 2009) 2,542 10,607 4.2 25 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 26 Tiki Barber New York Giants (1997 -- 2006) 2,217 10,449 4.7 27 Eddie George Houston Oilers / Tennessee Titans (1996 -- 2003) Dallas Cowboys (2004) 2,865 10,441 3.6 28 Ottis Anderson St. Louis Cardinals (1979 -- 1986) New York Giants (1986 -- 1992) 2,562 10,273 4.0 29 LeSean McCoy Philadelphia Eagles (2009 -- 2014) Buffalo Bills (2015 -- present) 2,185 10,092 4.6 30 Ricky Williams New Orleans Saints (1999 -- 2001) Miami Dolphins (2002 -- 2003), (2005 -- 2010) Baltimore Ravens (2011) 2,431 10,009 4.1 31 Marshawn Lynch Buffalo Bills (2007 -- 2010) Seattle Seahawks (2010 -- 2015) Oakland Raiders (2017 -- present) 2,251 10,003 4.3
who has the most running yards in the nfl
Emmitt Smith