# The 18 Greatest Kick Returners in NFL History

> Record-setting return men from the 1950s line up against specialists from the modern touchback era. Some built careers on sheer volume, others on one unforgettable Super Bowl sprint.

*By YPB Team · Published November 10, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-18-greatest-kick-returners-in-nfl-history*

---

## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Devin Hester** — score 1000/1000
   Bears returner inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2024 who ran back the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI for a touchdown.
2. **Cordarrelle Patterson** — score 884/1000
   Holds the NFL career record with nine kickoff return touchdowns, gained across stints with the Vikings, Raiders, Patriots, Bears, Falcons and Steelers.
3. **Keisean Nixon** — score 579/1000
   Packers returner named first-team All-Pro at kick returner for the 2022 season.
4. **Andre Roberts** — score 579/1000
   Earned first-team All-Pro honors as a returner with the Jets in 2018.
5. **Abe Woodson** — score 463/1000
   49ers cornerback who led the NFL in kickoff return average three times and returned five kickoffs for touchdowns.
6. **Michael Bates** — score 463/1000
   Olympic 200-meter bronze medalist in 1992 who became a five-time Pro Bowl kick returner, mostly with the Panthers.
7. **Leon Washington** — score 392/1000
   Jets and Seahawks return specialist who scored eight career kickoff return touchdowns and made two Pro Bowls.
8. **Allen Rossum** — score 392/1000
   Defensive back who gained 11,947 career kickoff return yards with six teams from 1998 to 2009.
9. **Darren Sproles** — score 392/1000
   Chargers, Saints and Eagles back who gained 8,352 career kickoff return yards from 2005 to 2019.
10. **Jacoby Jones** — score 392/1000
   Ravens receiver whose 108-yard kickoff return touchdown in Super Bowl XLVII is the longest play in Super Bowl history.
11. **Ollie Matson** — score 309/1000
   Hall of Fame back who returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, including a 100-yarder, as a Cardinals rookie in 1952.
12. **KaVontae Turpin** — score 309/1000
   Former USFL MVP who earned first-team All-Pro honors with the Cowboys in 2024 and led the NFL in kickoff return yards in 2024 and 2025.
13. **Percy Harvin** — score 309/1000
   Returned the second-half kickoff of Super Bowl XLVIII 87 yards for a touchdown for the Seahawks.
14. **Brian Mitchell** — score 309/1000
   Holds NFL career records with 607 kickoff returns and 14,014 kickoff return yards, most of them for Washington from 1990 to 1999.
15. **Dante Hall** — score 210/1000
   Chiefs returner nicknamed the X-Factor who scored on a kickoff or punt return in four straight games in 2003, an NFL record.
16. **Gale Sayers** — score 210/1000
   Bears Hall of Famer whose career kickoff return average of 30.6 yards is the highest in NFL history.
17. **Desmond Howard** — score 210/1000
   Packers returner named Super Bowl XXXI MVP after a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown.
18. **Josh Cribbs** — score 0/1000
   Undrafted Browns signing who returned eight kickoffs for touchdowns and gained 11,113 career kickoff return yards.

Tags: american-football, players, nfl, all time, special teams