List of NFL annual interceptions leaders

In American football, an interception (INT), also known as a pick, occurs when a pass intended for a player of the same team is caught by an opposition player, who then gains possession for their team.^[3][4] The National Football League (NFL) did not begin keeping official records until the 1932 season and did not begin tracking interceptions until 1940.^[5][6] In addition to the NFL interception leaders, league record books recognize the interception leaders of the American Football League (AFL), which operated from 1960 to 1969 before being absorbed into the NFL in 1970.^[7][8]

Night Train Lane led the league in interceptions as a rookie in 1952.^[1] In doing so, he also set the current record for most interceptions in a season.^[2]

The single-season interception record is held by Night Train Lane, who logged 14 interceptions in 1952 while playing for the Los Angeles Rams as a rookie.^[9][10] Prior to that, Dan Sandifer of the Washington Redskins and Spec Sanders of the New York Yanks jointly held the record, earning 13 interceptions in 1948 and 1950 respectively.^[11][12] The record for most seasons leading the league in interceptions is three. This was first achieved by Everson Walls, who led the league in interceptions in 1981, 1982, and again in 1985.^[13] Ed Reed was later able to match Walls by leading the league in 2004, 2008, and 2010.^[13][14] Bill Bradley became the first player to lead the league in interceptions in consecutive seasons (1971 and 1972),^[15] with Everson Walls being the only other player to do so (1981 and 1982).^[16] The most recent player to lead the league in interceptions is Kerby Joseph of the Detroit Lions, who finished with nine interceptions in the 2024 NFL season.^[17]

NFL annual interceptions leaders

Ed Reed is one of two players to led the league in interceptions a record three times (2004, 2008, and 2010).^[13] He also holds the record for most career interception return yardage.^[18]

Don Hutson, a two-way player, co-led the league in interceptions in 1940.^[19] He also led the league in scoring and receiving touchdowns that same year.^[20]

Dick Lynch led the league twice during the 1960s while playing for the New York Giants.^[21]

Paul Krause, the career leader in interceptions, led the league in 1964.^[22]

Key

Symbol	Meaning
Leader	The player who recorded the most interceptions in the NFL
Ints	The total number of interceptions the player had
TDs	The number of interceptions returned for a touchdown by the player (pick-sixes)
GP	The number of games played by a player during the season
†	Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
^	Active player
*	Set the single-season interception record
(#)	Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list

NFL annual interceptions leaders by season

Season	Leader	Ints	TDs	GP	Team	Refs
1940	Don Hutson†	6*	0	11	Green Bay Packers	[17][20]
	Ace Parker†		1	11	Brooklyn Dodgers	[17][23]
	Kent Ryan		0	10	Detroit Lions	[17][24]
1941	Marshall Goldberg	7*	0	11	Chicago Cardinals	[17][25]
	Art Jones		0	11	Pittsburgh Steelers	[17][26]
1942	Bulldog Turner†	8*	1	11	Chicago Bears	[17][27]
1943	Sammy Baugh†	11*	0	10	Washington Redskins	[17][28]
1944	Howie Livingston	9	1	10	New York Giants	[17][29]
1945	Roy Zimmerman	7	0	10	Philadelphia Eagles	[17][30]
1946	Bill Dudley†	10	1	11	Pittsburgh Steelers	[17][31]
1947	Frank Reagan	10	0	10	New York Giants	[17][32]
	Frank Seno		0	10	Boston Yanks	[17][33]
1948	Dan Sandifer	13*	2	12	Washington Redskins	[17][34]
1949	Bob Nussbaumer	12	0	12	Chicago Cardinals	[17][35]
1950	Spec Sanders	13	0	12	New York Yanks	[17][36]
1951	Otto Schnellbacher	11	2	12	New York Giants	[17][37]
1952	Night Train Lane†	14*	2	12	Los Angeles Rams	[17][38]
1953	Jack Christiansen†	12	1	12	Detroit Lions	[17][39]
1954	Night Train Lane† (2)	10	0	12	Chicago Cardinals	[17][38]
1955	Will Sherman	11	0	12	Los Angeles Rams	[17][40]
1956	Lindon Crow	11	0	12	Chicago Cardinals	[17][41]
1957	Jack Butler†	10	0	12	Pittsburgh Steelers	[17][42]
	Jack Christiansen† (2)		1	10	Detroit Lions	[17][39]
	Milt Davis		2	12	Baltimore Colts	[17][43]
1958	Jimmy Patton	11	0	11	New York Giants	[17][44]
1959	Milt Davis (2)	7	1	11	Baltimore Colts	[17][43]
	Dean Derby		0	12	Pittsburgh Steelers	[17][45]
	Don Shinnick		0	12	Baltimore Colts	[17][46]
1960	Dave Baker	10	0	12	San Francisco 49ers	[17][47]
	Jerry Norton		0	12	St. Louis Cardinals	[17][48]
1961	Dick Lynch	9	0	14	New York Giants	[17][49]
1962	Willie Wood†	9	0	14	Green Bay Packers	[17][50]
1963	Dick Lynch (2)	9	3	14	New York Giants	[17][49]
	Rosey Taylor		1	14	Chicago Bears	[17][51]
1964	Paul Krause†	12	1	14	Washington Redskins	[17][52]
1965	Bobby Boyd	9	1	14	Baltimore Colts	[17][53]
1966	Larry Wilson†	10	2	14	St. Louis Cardinals	[17][54]
1967	Lem Barney†	10	3	14	Detroit Lions	[17][55]
	Dave Whitsell		2	14	New Orleans Saints	[17][56]
1968	Willie Williams	10	0	14	New York Giants	[17][57]
1969	Mel Renfro†	10	0	14	Dallas Cowboys	[17][58]
1970	Johnny Robinson†	10	0	14	Kansas City Chiefs	[17][59]
1971	Bill Bradley	11	0	14	Philadelphia Eagles	[17][60]
1972	Bill Bradley (2)	9	0	14	Philadelphia Eagles	[17][60]
1973	Dick Anderson	8	2	14	Miami Dolphins	[17][61]
	Mike Wagner		0	14	Pittsburgh Steelers	[17][62]
1974	Emmitt Thomas†	12	2	14	Kansas City Chiefs	[17][63]
1975	Mel Blount†	11	0	14	Pittsburgh Steelers	[17][64]
1976	Monte Jackson	10	3	14	Los Angeles Rams	[17][65]
1977	Lyle Blackwood	10	0	14	Baltimore Colts	[17][66]
1978	Thom Darden	10	0	16	Cleveland Browns	[17][67]
1979	Mike Reinfeldt	12	0	16	Houston Oilers	[17][68]
1980	Lester Hayes	13	1	16	Oakland Raiders	[17][69]
1981	Everson Walls	11	0	16	Dallas Cowboys	[17][70]
1982	Everson Walls (2)	7	0	9	Dallas Cowboys	[17][70]
1983	Mark Murphy	9	0	15	Washington Redskins	[17][71]
1984	Kenny Easley†	10	2	16	Seattle Seahawks	[17][72]
1985	Everson Walls (3)	9	0	16	Dallas Cowboys	[17][70]
1986	Ronnie Lott†	10	1	14	San Francisco 49ers	[17][73]
1987	Barry Wilburn	9	1	12	Washington Redskins	[17][74]
1988	Scott Case	10	0	16	Atlanta Falcons	[17][75]
1989	Felix Wright	9	1	16	Cleveland Browns	[17][76]
1990	Mark Carrier	10	0	16	Chicago Bears	[17][77]
1991	Ronnie Lott† (2)	8	0	16	Los Angeles Raiders	[17][73]
1992	Henry Jones	8	2	16	Buffalo Bills	[17][78]
	Audray McMillian		2	16	Minnesota Vikings	[17][79]
1993	Nate Odomes	9	0	16	Buffalo Bills	[17][80]
	Eugene Robinson		0	16	Seattle Seahawks	[17][81]
1994	Eric Turner	9	1	16	Cleveland Browns	[17][82]
	Aeneas Williams†		0	16	Arizona Cardinals	[17][83]
1995	Orlando Thomas	9	1	16	Minnesota Vikings	[17][84]
1996	Tyrone Braxton	9	1	16	Denver Broncos	[17][85]
	Keith Lyle		0	16	St. Louis Rams	[17][86]
1997	Ryan McNeil	9	1	16	St. Louis Rams	[17][87]
1998	Ty Law†	9	1	16	New England Patriots	[17][88]
1999	Donnie Abraham	7	2	16	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	[17][89]
	James Hasty		2	15	Kansas City Chiefs	[17][90]
	Sam Madison		1	16	Miami Dolphins	[17][91]
	Troy Vincent		0	14	Philadelphia Eagles	[17][92]
	Rod Woodson†		2	16	Baltimore Ravens	[17][93]
2000	Darren Sharper	9	0	16	Green Bay Packers	[17][94]
2001	Ronde Barber†	10	1	16	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	[17][95]
	Anthony Henry		1	16	Cleveland Browns	[17][96]
2002	Brian Kelly	8	0	16	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	[17][97]
	Rod Woodson† (2)		2	16	Oakland Raiders	[17][93]
2003	Tony Parrish	9	0	16	San Francisco 49ers	[17][98]
	Brian Russell		0	16	Minnesota Vikings	[17][99]
2004	Ed Reed†	9	1	16	Baltimore Ravens	[17][100]
2005	Ty Law† (2)	10	1	16	New York Jets	[17][88]
	Deltha O'Neal		0	15	Cincinnati Bengals	[17][101]
2006	Champ Bailey†	10	1	16	Denver Broncos	[17][102]
	Asante Samuel		0	15	New England Patriots	[17][103]
2007	Antonio Cromartie	10	1	16	San Diego Chargers	[17][104]
2008	Ed Reed† (2)	9	2	16	Baltimore Ravens	[17][100]
2009	Jairus Byrd	9	0	14	Buffalo Bills	[17][105]
	Asante Samuel (2)		0	16	Philadelphia Eagles	[17][103]
	Darren Sharper (2)		3	14	New Orleans Saints	[17][94]
	Charles Woodson†		3	16	Green Bay Packers	[17][106]
2010	Ed Reed† (3)	8	0	10	Baltimore Ravens	[17][100]
2011	Kyle Arrington	7	0	16	New England Patriots	[17][107]
	Eric Weddle		0	16	San Diego Chargers	[17][108]
	Charles Woodson† (2)		1	15	Green Bay Packers	[17][106]
2012	Tim Jennings	9	1	14	Chicago Bears	[17][109]
2013	Richard Sherman	8	1	16	Seattle Seahawks	[17][110]
2014	Glover Quin	7	0	16	Detroit Lions	[17][111]
2015	Reggie Nelson	8	0	16	Cincinnati Bengals	[17][112]
	Marcus Peters		2	16	Kansas City Chiefs	[17][113]
2016	Casey Hayward	7	1	16	San Diego Chargers	[17][114]
2017	Kevin Byard^	8	0	16	Tennessee Titans	[17][115]
	Darius Slay^		0	16	Detroit Lions	[17][116]
2018	Kyle Fuller	7	0	16	Chicago Bears	[17][117]
	Xavien Howard^		0	12	Miami Dolphins	[17][118]
	Damontae Kazee^		0	16	Atlanta Falcons	[17][119]
2019	Stephon Gilmore^	6	2	16	New England Patriots	[17][120]
	Anthony Harris		1	14	Minnesota Vikings	[17][121]
	Tre'Davious White^		0	15	Buffalo Bills	[17][122]
2020	Xavien Howard^ (2)	10	0	16	Miami Dolphins	[17][118]
2021	Trevon Diggs^	11	2	16	Dallas Cowboys	[17][123]
2022	Minkah Fitzpatrick^	6	1	15	Pittsburgh Steelers	[17][124]
	C. J. Gardner-Johnson^		0	12	Philadelphia Eagles	[17][125]
	Justin Simmons^		0	12	Denver Broncos	[17][126]
	Riq Woolen^		1	17	Seattle Seahawks	[17][127]
2023	DaRon Bland^	9	5	17	Dallas Cowboys	[17][128]
2024	Kerby Joseph^	9	1	17	Detroit Lions	[17][129]

AFL annual interceptions leaders

Fred Glick held the AFL single-season record for interceptions with 12.

Key

Symbol	Meaning
Leader	The player who recorded the most interceptions in the AFL
Ints	The total number of interceptions the player had
TDs	The number of interceptions returned for a touchdown by the player (pick-sixes)
GP	The number of games played by a player during the season
†	Pro Football Hall of Fame member
*	Player set the single-season interception record
(#)	Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list

AFL annual interceptions leaders by season

Season	Player	Ints	TDs	GP	Team	Refs
1960	Goose Gonsoulin	11*	0	14	Denver Broncos	[17][130]
1961	Billy Atkins	10	0	14	Buffalo Bills	[17][131]
1962	Lee Riley	11	0	14	New York Titans	[17][132]
1963	Fred Glick	12*	1	14	Houston Oilers	[17][133]
1964	Dainard Paulson	12	1	14	New York Jets	[17][134]
1965	W. K. Hicks	9	0	14	Houston Oilers	[17][135]
1966	Bobby Hunt	10	0	14	Kansas City Chiefs	[17][136]
	Johnny Robinson†		1	14	Kansas City Chiefs	[17][59]
1967	Miller Farr	10	3	14	Houston Oilers	[17][137]
	Tom Janik		2	14	Buffalo Bills	[17][138]
	Dick Westmoreland		1	14	Miami Dolphins	[17][139]
1968	Dave Grayson	10	1	14	Oakland Raiders	[17][140]
1969	Emmitt Thomas†	9	1	14	Kansas City Chiefs	[17][63]

Most seasons leading the league

Count	Player	Seasons	Team(s)	Refs
3	Ed Reed	2004, 2008, 2010	Baltimore Ravens	[17][100]
	Everson Walls	1981, 1982, 1985	Dallas Cowboys	[17][70]
2	Bill Bradley	1971, 1972	Philadelphia Eagles	[17][60]
	Jack Christiansen	1953, 1957	Detroit Lions	[17][39]
	Milt Davis	1957, 1959	Baltimore Colts	[17][43]
	Xavien Howard	2018, 2020	Miami Dolphins	[17][118]
	Night Train Lane	1952, 1954	Los Angeles Rams / Chicago Cardinals	[17][38]
	Ty Law	1998, 2005	New England Patriots / New York Jets	[17][88]
	Ronnie Lott	1986, 1991	San Francisco 49ers / Los Angeles Raiders	[17][73]
	Dick Lynch	1961, 1963	New York Giants	[17][49]
	Asante Samuel	2006, 2009	New England Patriots / Philadelphia Eagles	[17][103]
	Darren Sharper	2000, 2009	Green Bay Packers / New Orleans Saints	[17][94]
	Charles Woodson	2009, 2011	Green Bay Packers	[17][106]
	Rod Woodson	1999, 2002	Baltimore Ravens / Oakland Raiders	[17][93]

See also

• List of NFL career interceptions leaders
• List of NFL annual forced fumbles leaders
• List of NFL annual sacks leaders