List of NFL annual receiving touchdowns leaders

In American football, passing, along with running (also referred to as rushing), is one of the two main methods of advancing the ball down the field. Passes are typically attempted by the quarterback, but any offensive player can attempt a pass provided they are behind the line of scrimmage.^[2] To qualify as a passing play, the ball must have initially moved forward after leaving the hands of the passer; if the ball initially moved laterally or backwards, the play would instead be considered a running play.^[3] A receiving touchdown is scored when a player catches the ball in the field of play and advances it into the end zone, or catches it while already being within the boundaries of the end zone.^[4]

Randy Moss currently holds the single-season touchdown receptions record with 23 in 2007.^[1]

The National Football League (NFL) did not begin keeping official records until the 1932 season.^[5] Since the adoption of the 14-game season in 1961, only one season (the strike-shortened 1982 season) has had a receiving touchdowns league leader record fewer than 10 touchdown catches.^[6] The record for receiving touchdowns in a season is 23, set by Randy Moss during the 2007 season; only one other player (Jerry Rice) has recorded 20 or more receiving touchdowns in a season.^[1] In addition to the overall NFL receiving touchdown leaders, league record books recognize the receiving touchdown leaders of the American Football League (AFL), which operated from 1960 to 1969 before being absorbed into the National Football League in 1970.^[7]

Don Hutson led the league in receiving touchdowns nine times, the most of any player in league history; Rice ranks second with six league-leading seasons.^[8][9] Hutson also holds the record for the two longest streaks leading the league in receiving touchdowns, doing so for four consecutive seasons (1935 to 1938) and then doing it for five consecutive years from 1940 to 1944.^[10][11]

NFL annual receiving touchdowns leaders

Don Hutson led the NFL in touchdown receptions nine times, the most of any player.^[8]

Mark Clayton's 18 touchdown receptions in 1984 broke Don Hutson's 42-year-old record.^[12]

Jerry Rice led the NFL in receiving touchdowns six times.^[9]

Cris Carter and Minnesota Vikings teammate Randy Moss alternated in winning the title from 1997 to 2000.

Rob Gronkowski's 17 touchdown receptions in 2011 is the highest single-season total among tight ends.^[13]

Davante Adams led the NFL in receiving touchdowns in 2020 and in 2022.^[14]

Key

Symbol	Meaning
Leader	The player who recorded the most receiving touchdowns in the NFL
TDs	The total number of receiving touchdowns the player had
GP	The number of games played by a player during the season[A]
†	Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
^	Active player
*	Set the single-season receiving touchdowns record
(#)	Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list

NFL annual receiving touchdowns leaders by season

Season	Leader	TDs	GP	Team	Refs
1932	Ray Flaherty†	5*	12	New York Giants	[6][16]
1933	Dale Burnett	3	14	New York Giants	[6][17]
	Ernie Caddel		11	Portsmouth Spartans	[6][18]
	Luke Johnsos		13	Chicago Bears	[6][19]
	Bill Karr		13	Chicago Bears	[6][20]
	Shipwreck Kelly		10	Brooklyn Dodgers	[6][21]
	Johnny McNally†		13	Green Bay Packers	[6][22]
	Kink Richards		14	New York Giants	[6][23]
1934	Bill Hewitt†	5	13	Chicago Bears	[6][24]
1935	Don Hutson†	6*	12	Green Bay Packers	[6][25]
	Bill Karr (2)		12	Chicago Bears	[6][20]
1936	Don Hutson† (2)	8*	12	Green Bay Packers	[6][25]
1937	Don Hutson† (3)	7	11	Green Bay Packers	[6][25]
1938	Don Hutson† (4)	9*	11	Green Bay Packers	[6][25]
1939	Jim Benton	7	11	Cleveland Rams	[6][26]
1940	Don Hutson† (5)	7	11	Green Bay Packers	[6][25]
1941	Don Hutson† (6)	10*	11	Green Bay Packers	[6][25]
1942	Don Hutson† (7)	17*	11	Green Bay Packers	[6][25]
1943	Don Hutson† (8)	11	10	Green Bay Packers	[6][25]
1944	Don Hutson† (9)	9	10	Green Bay Packers	[6][25]
1945	Frank Liebel	10	10	New York Giants	[6][27]
1946	Billy Dewell	7	11	Chicago Cardinals	[6][28]
1947	Ken Kavanaugh	13	12	Chicago Bears	[6][29]
1948	Malcolm Kutner	14	12	Chicago Cardinals	[6][30]
1949	Tom Fears†	9	12	Los Angeles Rams	[6][31]
	Ken Kavanaugh (2)		12	Chicago Bears	[6][29]
	Hugh Taylor		12	Washington Redskins	[6][32]
1950	Bob Shaw	12	12	Chicago Cardinals	[6][33]
1951	Elroy Hirsch†	17	12	Los Angeles Rams	[6][34]
1952	Cloyce Box	15	12	Detroit Lions	[6][35]
1953	Pete Pihos†	10	12	Philadelphia Eagles	[6][36]
	Billy Wilson		12	San Francisco 49ers	[6][37]
1954	Harlon Hill	12	12	Chicago Bears	[6][38]
1955	Harlon Hill (2)	9	12	Chicago Bears	[6][38]
1956	Billy Howton	12	12	Green Bay Packers	[6][39]
1957	Jim Mutscheller	8	12	Baltimore Colts	[6][40]
1958	Raymond Berry†	9	12	Baltimore Colts	[6][41]
	Tommy McDonald†		12	Philadelphia Eagles	[6][42]
1959	Raymond Berry† (2)	14	12	Baltimore Colts	[6][41]
1960	Sonny Randle	15	12	St. Louis Cardinals	[6][43]
1961	Tommy McDonald† (2)	13	14	Philadelphia Eagles	[6][42]
1962	Frank Clarke	14	14	Dallas Cowboys	[6][44]
1963	Terry Barr	13	14	Detroit Lions	[6][45]
	Gary Collins		14	Cleveland Browns	[6][46]
1964	Bobby Mitchell†	10	14	Washington Redskins	[6][47]
	Johnny Morris		14	Chicago Bears	[6][48]
	Bucky Pope		14	Los Angeles Rams	[6][49]
1965	Bob Hayes†	12	14	Dallas Cowboys	[6][50]
	Dave Parks		14	San Francisco 49ers	[6][51]
1966	Bob Hayes† (2)	13	14	Dallas Cowboys	[6][50]
1967	Homer Jones	13	14	New York Giants	[6][52]
1968	Paul Warfield†	12	14	Cleveland Browns	[6][53]
1969	Lance Rentzel	12	14	Dallas Cowboys	[6][54]
1970	Dick Gordon	13	14	Chicago Bears	[6][55]
1971	Paul Warfield† (2)	11	14	Miami Dolphins	[6][53]
1972	Gene Washington	12	14	San Francisco 49ers	[6][56]
1973	Harold Jackson	13	14	Los Angeles Rams	[6][57]
1974	Cliff Branch†	13	14	Oakland Raiders	[6][58]
1975	Mel Gray	11	14	St. Louis Cardinals	[6][59]
	Lynn Swann†		14	Pittsburgh Steelers	[6][60]
1976	Cliff Branch† (2)	12	14	Oakland Raiders	[6][58]
1977	Nat Moore	12	14	Miami Dolphins	[6][61]
1978	John Jefferson	13	16	San Diego Chargers	[6][62]
1979	Stanley Morgan	12	16	New England Patriots	[6][63]
1980	John Jefferson (2)	13	16	San Diego Chargers	[6][62]
1981	Alfred Jenkins	13	16	Atlanta Falcons	[6][64]
	Steve Watson		16	Denver Broncos	[6][65]
1982	Wes Chandler	9	8[B]	San Diego Chargers	[6][67]
1983	Roy Green	14	16	St. Louis Cardinals	[6][68]
1984	Mark Clayton	18	16	Miami Dolphins	[6][69]
1985	Daryl Turner	13	16	Seattle Seahawks	[6][70]
1986	Jerry Rice†	15	16	San Francisco 49ers	[6][71]
1987	Jerry Rice† (2)	22*	12	San Francisco 49ers	[6][71]
1988	Mark Clayton (2)	14	16	Miami Dolphins	[6][69]
1989	Jerry Rice† (3)	17	16	San Francisco 49ers	[6][71]
1990	Jerry Rice† (4)	13	16	San Francisco 49ers	[6][71]
1991	Jerry Rice† (5)	14	16	San Francisco 49ers	[6][71]
1992	Sterling Sharpe†	13	16	Green Bay Packers	[6][72]
1993	Jerry Rice† (6)	15	16	San Francisco 49ers	[6][71]
	Andre Rison		16	Atlanta Falcons	[6][73]
1994	Sterling Sharpe† (2)	18	16	Green Bay Packers	[6][72]
1995	Cris Carter†	17	16	Minnesota Vikings	[6][74]
	Carl Pickens		16	Cincinnati Bengals	[6][75]
1996	Michael Jackson	14	16	Baltimore Ravens	[6][76]
	Tony Martin		16	San Diego Chargers	[6][77]
1997	Cris Carter† (2)	13	16	Minnesota Vikings	[6][74]
1998	Randy Moss†	17	16	Minnesota Vikings	[6][78]
1999	Cris Carter† (3)	13	16	Minnesota Vikings	[6][74]
2000	Randy Moss† (2)	15	16	Minnesota Vikings	[6][78]
2001	Terrell Owens†	16	16	San Francisco 49ers	[6][79]
2002	Terrell Owens† (2)	13	16	San Francisco 49ers	[6][79]
2003	Randy Moss† (3)	17	16	Minnesota Vikings	[6][78]
2004	Muhsin Muhammad	16	16	Carolina Panthers	[6][80]
2005	Marvin Harrison†	12	16	Indianapolis Colts	[6][81]
	Steve Smith		16	Carolina Panthers	[6][82]
2006	Terrell Owens† (3)	13	16	Dallas Cowboys	[6][79]
2007	Randy Moss† (4)	23*	16	New England Patriots	[6][78]
2008	Larry Fitzgerald	12	16	Arizona Cardinals	[6][83]
	Calvin Johnson†		16	Detroit Lions	[6][84]
2009	Vernon Davis	13	16	San Francisco 49ers	[6][85]
	Larry Fitzgerald (2)		16	Arizona Cardinals	[6][83]
	Randy Moss† (5)		16	New England Patriots	[6][78]
2010	Dwayne Bowe	15	16	Kansas City Chiefs	[6][86]
2011	Rob Gronkowski	17	16	New England Patriots	[6][87]
2012	James Jones	14	16	Green Bay Packers	[6][88]
2013	Jimmy Graham	16	16	New Orleans Saints	[6][89]
2014	Dez Bryant	16	16	Dallas Cowboys	[6][90]
2015	Doug Baldwin	14	16	Seattle Seahawks	[6][91]
	Brandon Marshall		16	New York Jets	[6][92]
	Allen Robinson^		16	Jacksonville Jaguars	[6][93]
2016	Jordy Nelson	14	16	Green Bay Packers	[6][94]
2017	DeAndre Hopkins^	13	15	Houston Texans	[6][95]
2018	Antonio Brown	15	15	Pittsburgh Steelers	[6][96]
2019	Kenny Golladay	11	16	Detroit Lions	[6][97]
2020	Davante Adams^	18	14	Green Bay Packers	[6][14]
2021	Cooper Kupp^	16	17	Los Angeles Rams	[6][98]
2022	Davante Adams^ (2)	14	17	Las Vegas Raiders	[6][14]
2023	Mike Evans^	13	17	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	[6][99]
	Tyreek Hill^	13	16	Miami Dolphins	[6][100]
2024	Ja'Marr Chase^	17	17	Cincinnati Bengals	[6][101]

AFL annual receiving touchdowns leaders

Key

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

AFL annual receiving touchdowns leaders by season

Season	Leader	TDs	GP	Team	Refs
1960	Art Powell	14*	14	New York Titans	[6][102]
1961	Bill Groman	17*	14	Houston Oilers	[6][103]
1962	Chris Burford	12	14	Dallas Texans	[6][104]
1963	Art Powell (2)	16	14	Oakland Raiders	[6][102]
1964	Lance Alworth†	13	14	San Diego Chargers	[6][105]
1965	Lance Alworth† (2)	14	14	San Diego Chargers	[6][105]
	Don Maynard†		14	New York Jets	[6][106]
1966	Lance Alworth† (3)	13	14	San Diego Chargers	[6][105]
1967	Al Denson	11	14	Denver Broncos	[6][107]
	Otis Taylor		14	Kansas City Chiefs	[6][108]
1968	Karl Noonan	11	14	Miami Dolphins	[6][109]
	Warren Wells		14	Oakland Raiders	[6][110]
1969	Warren Wells (2)	14	14	Oakland Raiders	[6][110]

Most seasons leading the league

Count	Player	Seasons	Team(s)	Refs
9	Don Hutson	1935–1938, 1940–1944	Green Bay Packers	[6][25]
6	Jerry Rice	1986, 1987, 1989–1991, 1993	San Francisco 49ers	[6][71]
5	Randy Moss	1998, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2009	Minnesota Vikings (3) / New England Patriots (2)	[6][78]
3	Lance Alworth	1964–1966	San Diego Chargers	[6][105]
	Cris Carter	1995, 1997, 1999	Minnesota Vikings	[6][74]
	Terrell Owens	2001, 2002, 2006	San Francisco 49ers (2) / Dallas Cowboys (1)	[6][79]

See also

• List of NFL career receiving touchdowns leaders
• List of NFL annual receiving yards leaders
• List of NFL annual receptions leaders
• List of NFL annual rushing touchdowns leaders
• List of NFL annual passing touchdowns leaders
• List of NFL annual scoring leaders

Notes

1. The NFL did not have a set number of games for teams to play until the 1935 season, instead setting a minimum.^[15]
2. The 1982 season was reduced from 16 to 9 games due to a 57-day players' strike.^[66]