The NFL is a passing league, which places a lot of value on those in charge of taking down the quarterback. The league has some unblockable pass rushers today, but do any recent players rank in the top-10 all-time in career sacks?
Note that individual sacks have only been official since 1982. With apologies to the likes of Deacon Jones and Jack Youngblood, none of the unofficial totals will be included on this list. However, Pro Football Reference has a leaderboard including unofficial sack totals, which dates back to 1960.
Before jumping into the top sack leaders, make sure to check out everything you need to know about all NFL sack records.
1) Bruce Smith – 200 sacks
The all-time sack king, Smith is the only player with 200 official sacks in NFL history. His 19-year career with the Buffalo Bills (1985-99) and Washington (2000-03) featured remarkable consistency. He had at least five sacks in 18 of his 19 seasons, with the only exception being the 1991 season, when he missed 11 games with knee injuries. No other player has more than 16 seasons with at least five sacks. Smith broke Reggie White’s sack record as a 40-year-old in 2003.
Happy 58th birthday to the NFL’s all-time sack leader Bruce Smith!
⭐️ 1st overall pick in 1985 @NFLDraft
⭐️ 2x Defensive Player of the Year
⭐️ 200 career sacks
⭐️ #PFHOF Class of 2009 pic.twitter.com/kemv2Bl6OP— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) June 18, 2021
One of the faces of the Bills teams that made four consecutive Super Bowls from 1990-93, Smith also racked up 14.5 postseason sacks, which is second-most in NFL history behind Willie McGinest (16.5).
2) Reggie White – 198 sacks
The Minister of Defense had at least 11 sacks in each of his first nine seasons, a feat unmatched in NFL history. He also became one of the faces of free agency movement, going from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Green Bay Packers in 1993.
White’s signature moment came in Super Bowl XXXI, when he delivered three sacks in a 35-21 Packers win over the New England Patriots. That total is tied for the second-most ever in a Super Bowl.
Reggie White in the Super Bowl was an UNSTOPPABLE Force😳 pic.twitter.com/N7nxcJ1FFe
— IKE Packers Podcast (@IKE_Packers) January 31, 2024
In addition, White won Defensive Player of the Year in 1987 with the Eagles and 1998 (as a 37-year-old) with the Packers. He is the only player to win DPOY with multiple franchises.
3) Kevin Greene – 160 sacks
Greene did his damage with multiple franchises. The majority of his 15-year career came with the Los Angeles Rams (eight seasons), but his best years actually came with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1993-95) and Carolina Panthers (1996, 1998-99). Greene led the NFL in sacks for the 1994 Steelers and 1996 Panthers. To this day, Greene and Jared Allen (Chiefs & Vikings) are the only players to lead the league in sacks with multiple franchises.
The late, great Kevin Greene would have turned 59 today. pic.twitter.com/gPrl2asXy3
— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) July 31, 2021
4) Julius Peppers – 159.5 sacks
The newly minted Class of 2024 Hall of Famer, Peppers never led the NFL in sacks but is one of four players to compile 10 seasons of 10+ sacks (along with the three players ahead of him on the list). Peppers played 10 of his 17 seasons with the Carolina Panthers, but was also a first-team All-Pro selection with the Chicago Bears and Pro Bowler with the Green Bay Packers. Known for his remarkable athleticism, Peppers added 11 career interceptions to his resume as well.
Happy 41st birthday to @juliuspeppers_!
💪 9x Pro Bowler
💪 159.5 sacks + 6 TDs
💪 55 forced fumbles (NFL record)
💪 2002 Defensive Rookie of the Year
💪 NFL 2000s + 2010s All-Decade Team pic.twitter.com/osG2sg0n3g— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) January 18, 2021
5) Chris Doleman – 150.5 sacks
Doleman played 10 of his 15 seasons with the Vikings, with his best season coming in 1989 when he led the NFL with 21 sacks. However, he also had a stellar second act with the San Francisco 49ers, piling up 38 sacks from 1996-98 from the ages of 35-37. To this day, Doleman’s 46 career sacks after turning 35 remain tied with Bruce Smith for the most by any player.
6) Michael Strahan – 141.5 sacks
The current Good Morning America host was pretty good at his original job as well. Strahan still shares the single-season sack record he set back in 2001 (22.5), a mark that only T.J. Watt has equaled since.
January 6, 2002: Michael Strahan breaks the single-season sack record after “sacking” Brett Favre for his 22.5 sack on the season.
pic.twitter.com/YwYDvOnib2— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) January 7, 2024
Strahan only had 18 sacks in his first four seasons combined, but roared down the back half of his career, leading the league in sacks twice after turning 30. And of course, he capped off his career with his first Super Bowl win, with the New York Giants taking down the 18-0 New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
7) Jason Taylor – 139.5 sacks
Taylor played 15 of his 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins, winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2006. Impressively, that season was only the third-highest sack total of his career (13.5), behind other first-team All-Pro seasons in 2002 (18.5) and 2000 (14.5).
Taylor also has the distinction of returning six fumbles for touchdowns, the most by any player in NFL history.
No defensive lineman in NFL history has scored more touchdowns than @JasonTaylor. Happy 46th birthday to the Hall of Famer.
🐬 6x Pro Bowler
🐬 NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
🐬 2006 Defensive Player of the Year
🐬 2007 Walter Payton Man of the Year pic.twitter.com/FUBTRyjmtc— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) September 1, 2020
8) Terrell Suggs – 139 sacks
Terrell “Sizzle” Suggs brought the heat in a 17-year career, 16 of which were spent with the Baltimore Ravens. Suggs won both Defensive Rookie of the Year (2003) and Defensive Player of the Year (2011) during his career, but surprisingly never led the league in sacks. Instead, his career was about consistency, as his 11 career seasons with at least eight sacks are tied for third-most all-time behind Bruce Smith and Reggie White (14 each).
When Terrell Suggs won Defensive Player of the Year. @untouchablejay4 (2011)
His cousin @JalenSuggs2020 plays in the National Championship tonight 🏀 pic.twitter.com/KicGuf0piT
— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) April 5, 2021
9) DeMarcus Ware – 138.5 sacks
Mr. Clean was primarily known for his time with the Dallas Cowboys, where he played nine of his 12 seasons and earned all four of his first-team All-Pro honors. However, he also had a terrific closing act with the Denver Broncos, where he made the Pro Bowl in two out of three seasons and helped lead Denver to a win in Super Bowl 50.
Ware played only 178 career games, easily the fewest of any player to crack the top-10 in sacks (next-fewest is 203 by Richard Dent).
T-10) Richard Dent – 137.5 sacks
The MVP of Super Bowl XX for the legendary 1985 Chicago Bears, Dent played 12 of his 15 seasons in the Windy City. The Super Bowl MVP capped off one of the best defensive seasons ever that saw him lead the NFL in sacks (17) and forced fumbles (seven) as well, while also intercepting a pair of passes to boot. In Chicago’s 46-10 destruction of the New England Patriots, Dent had 1.5 sacks. He would also go on to win a second Super Bowl after the 1994 season as a member of the San Francisco 49ers.
𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟔, 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟔
The Bears defeat the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX to win their first ever Super Bowl Championship. Defensive End Richard Dent was named Super Bowl MVP.
https://t.co/1MGH2ILr1P— This Day in Chicago Sports (@ChiSportsDay) January 26, 2022
T-10) John Randle – 137.5 sacks
Before accumulating the most sacks ever by a defensive tackle, Randle was undrafted out of Texas A&M-Kingsville and was cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during a rookie tryout. However, he’d go on to play 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks, earning six straight first-team All-Pro honors from 1993-98.
Vikings Player of the Day # 7:
John Randle
Seasons played for the Vikings: 1990-2000
Career stats: 219 games, 29 forced fumbles, 137.5 sacks
1990 UDFA signing and 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee https://t.co/c1wGSPyzOQ pic.twitter.com/61umZIPMbB
— Jason Harmon (@_jason_777) June 2, 2024
How Many Players Have 100 Career Sacks?
Below is the list of players with at least 100 official sacks.
1) Bruce Smith – 200 sacks
2) Reggie White – 198 sacks
3) Kevin Greene – 160 sacks
4) Julius Peppers – 159.5 sacks
5) Chris Doleman – 150.5 sacks
6) Michael Strahan – 141.5 sacks
7) Jason Taylor – 139.5 sacks
8) Terrell Suggs – 139 sacks
9) DeMarcus Ware – 138.5 sacks
T-10) Richard Dent – 137.5 sacks
T-10) John Randle – 137.5 sacks
12) Jared Allen – 136 sacks
13) John Abraham – 133.5 sacks
T-14) Leslie O’Neal – 132.5 sacks
T-14) Lawrence Taylor – 132.5 sacks
16) Rickey Jackson – 128 sacks
T-17) Von Miller – 126.5 sacks
T-17) Derrick Thomas – 126.5 sacks
19) Dwight Freeney – 125.5 sacks
20) Robert Mathis – 123 sacks
21) Simeon Rice – 122 sacks
22) Clyde Simmons – 121.5 sacks
23) Cameron Jordan – 117.5 sacks
24) J.J. Watt – 114.5 sacks
25) Sean Jones – 113 sacks
T-26) Justin Houston – 112 sacks
T-26) Chandler Jones – 112 sacks
28) Aaron Donald – 111 sacks
29) Greg Townsend – 109.5 sacks
T-30) Calais Campbell – 107.5 sacks
T-30) Pat Swilling – 107.5 sacks
32) Trace Armstrong – 106 sacks
33) Elvis Dumervil – 105.5 sacks
T-34) Kevin Carter – 104.5 sacks
T-34) Neil Smith – 104.5 sacks
36) Khalil Mack – 104 sacks
37) Jim Jeffcoat – 102.5 sacks
38) Robert Quinn – 102 sacks
T-39) William Fuller – 100.5 sacks
T-39) Charles Haley – 100.5 sacks
T-39) Cameron Wake – 100.5 sacks
T-39) T.J. Watt – 100.5 sacks
T-42) Carlos Dunlap – 100 sacks
T-42) Andre Tippett – 100 sacks