The sack leader for every NFL season

It’s always nice to start with a Hall of Famer. Marchetti was well into his acclaimed career with the Colts by 1960, in the midst of a run that would see him named first-team All-Pro nine seasons in a row. This was the last NFL season where there were only 12 games on the schedule, and in that time Marchetti picked up 11 sacks. While he continued to be a good player, this was his only sack title.

Lipscomb played alongside Marchetti with the Colts for a few seasons, and we can’t imagine how miserable life was for opposing offensive lines. Surely unrelated, but the Colts won two NFL titles with those two on the team. Lipscomb must have blown minds back in the day, as he was an athletic man who stood 6’6’’ and weighed 300 pounds. “Big Daddy” was traded to the Steelers prior to the 1961 season, and then he proceeded to pick up 17.5 sacks in 14 games as a defensive tackle.

Katcavage, a career Giant, was one of those high-peak, but not special type deals. From 1961-1963 he was the game’s top pass rusher, but that was the long and short of it. In 1962, the Giant notched 16 sacks to lead the NFL.

That’s right, our first back-to-back sack leader! Katcavage made his last Pro Bowl, and was first-team All-Pro for the last time as well. It was a real exclamation point, though. Katcavage became the first player to pick up 20 sacks, getting to 22.5.

We must pay homage to Deacon Jones. Although, spoiler, we will have plenty of opportunity to do so. He is the best pass rusher of his generation, and one of the five-best pass rushers to ever do it. In only 14 games for the Rams, Jones had 22 sacks. That’s a number few pass rushers have managed, even to this day.

Jones, a Hall of Famer, did it again. The Ram took a step down, but he still had 19 sacks. Again, that was in only 14 games. By the way, Jones is the person who coined the term “sack.” Without him, who knows what we would be calling these things!

We were curious, and it will be clear why soon enough, but Jones had 18 sacks this season. Andrie pipped him with 18.5 sacks. A five-time Pro Bowler with the Cowboys, Andrie’s path to the NFL is pretty remarkable. He was a two-way player for Marquette, a school best known for basketball. To that end, Marquette dropped football after Andrie’s junior season. These days, he could have just gone pro, but back in the 1960s Andrie spent another year at Marquette finishing his degree and working out to stay in shape. The Cowboys rolled the dice with a sixth-round pick. It panned out.

Nobody was besting Jones in 1967. He got back up to 21.5 sacks. At this point, we will note Jones’ signature pass-rushing movie, which was the head slap. Yes, it’s what it sounds like. Jones would slap the opposing offensive lineman upside the head to disorient them. If that seems dangerous and like something nobody does these days, it has long been outlawed by the NFL.

For the fourth time in five years, Jones was the NFL’s top sacker. He had 22 sacks. That’s three times wherein Jones managed to have over 20 sacks in only 14 games! Truly, he was an all-time pass rusher. Jones is now credited with 173.5 career sacks, which is the third-most in history.

With all due respect to Jones, who tied for the sack lead in 1969, we’ve said plenty about him at this point. Eller is also a Hall of Famer, though this is the only time he led the NFL in sacks. While he “only” had 15, that’s still impressive, even by modern standards. This may have been in 1969, but Eller was also named to the NFL’s All-1970s team.

The fact that statistical historians (or are they historical statisticians?) went back to count up sacks is both beneficial and benevolent. Without that, Cline might be entirely forgotten. He was a good player, but he never went to a Pro Bowl in his eight-season career. As a rookie with the Oakland Raiders, Cline had 17.5 sacks to lead the league. However, he only ever topped 6.5 sacks once more. Now, though, he can be known as the sack king of 1970.

In college, Hardman played alongside “Mean” Joe Greene at North Texas. Hardman was a sack leader, though, something Greene can’t claim. He tallied 18 sacks for the 49ers in 1971, making one of two Pro Bowl appearances. Interestingly, Hardman’s last season as a professional was in the inaugural season of the USFL. However, Hardman didn’t merely play for the Oakland Invaders. He was their coach! Yes, Hardman was a football player/coach.

In terms of getting your money’s worth, Gregory joined the Giants from the Browns for the 1972 season. Right out of the gate, he led the NFL in sacks. Gregory had 18.5 sacks, making his second and final Pro Bowl. He would play several more seasons, but without the same impact.

They called the Dolphins’ defense in their Super Bowl-winning days the “No Name Defense.” Well, Stanfill was one of those non-names at the time. Notably, he was first-team All-Pro in 1972, the year before he led the NFL in sacks. In 1973, even with 18.5 sacks, Stanfill had to settle for second-team.

Dryer and Youngblood tied with 15 sacks. We will be able to get to Youngblood later, so let’s focus on Dryer. Actually, first things first, let’s focus on the fact that Dryer and Youngblood were teammates . Imagine being a quarterback facing the Los Angeles Rams that year. Dryer, though, is more famous for his post-playing days. He starred in the ‘80s cop procedural “Hunter” for seven seasons.

Dutton made his first of three Pro Bowls and was named second-team All-Pro, thanks to his sack prowess in 1975. Playing for the Baltimore Colts, tallying 18 sacks. While he only had 13 sacks in 1976, that season he was actually first-team All-Pro. Although, we must remember that sacks were not an official stat at the time, which probably has something to do with that.

In addition to having a great name, Coy Bacon had a solid career. He was a journeyman, though, playing for four NFL teams, being on the practice squad for a fifth, and playing for one USFL squad. And yet, he was second-team All-Pro three times. In 1976, as a Bengal, Bacon had a whopping 21.5 sacks.

The 1977 season was a standout year for Martin in many ways. He didn’t just lead the NFL in sacks, though he did with 20 of them. The Cowboy wasn’t just a first-team All-Pro. Hell, he wasn’t even merely Defensive Player of the Year. Martin and the Cowboys won the Super Bowl, and he was co-MVP with Randy White. Now that’s a campaign to highlight on your resume.

All the handwringing about Michael Strahan and Brett Favre (which we’ll get to) wouldn’t have even mattered had sacks been official sooner. This was the first 16-game season for the NFL, and Baker took advantage of it to set the unofficial record for sacks in a season. “Bubba” Baker was a rookie for the Lions, and unsurprisingly, he was Defensive Rookie of the Year. He picked up 23 sacks, which is the record if you want to acknowledge it. It wasn’t officially recorded at the time, but now that things have changed, the “true” sack king has arguably changed as well.

Interestingly, up to this point the seasonal sack leaders haven’t involved many Hall of Famers (save for five-timer Deacon Jones). Youngblood is in the Hall, though. The career Ram was considered undersized, which is to say thin. He stood 6’4’’ but was no hulking beast. Youngblood himself explained his success with, “I wasn't the biggest guy, I certainly wasn't the strongest and I wasn't the fastest either. But I think one of my biggest assets was that I had an undeniable determination to be the best that has ever put his hand on the ground.” That tenacity yielded 20.5 sacks in 1979.

Baker is back for a second time, tying Johnson with 17.5 sacks. We’ve talked about the Lion, the ostensible single-season sack king, so how about Johnson? Interestingly, Johnson was a defensive tackle, making that sack total even more impressive. This was the first of back-to-back seasons in which he was a first-team All-Pro.

This was the final season before sacks were an official stat. So, um, congratulations to Klecko? He had 20.5 sacks as a member of the Jets’ “New York Sack Exchange.” Unusually, he was first-team All-Pro in 1981, and then had a second first-team All-Pro season in 1985. It’s rare for that kind of gap between first-team All-Pro seasons. It took a while, but Klecko was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023.

Sacks became an official stat in 1982…and the season was cut short by a players' strike. As such, sacks were only accrued over nine games. Thus, when we say Martin was the first official sack leader with 11.5 sacks, that context makes it seem sensible. Martin, a Viking, had his best season this year, perhaps owing to how weird a season it was. To that end, having his best season in 1982 meant Martin never made a Pro Bowl.

Klecko is a member of the “New York Sack Exchange” Hall of Fame, but Gastineau is the one who is most famous. For three years in a row, he was first-team All-Pro, including 1983. He had 19 sacks this season, though this year is not the one that led to Gastineau being the most famous Jets pass rusher.

No, it’s 1984 that made Gastineau a name that lasted for years. Of course, he can thank Baker for his 23 sacks not being officially recognized for that. Gastineau had 22 sacks in 1984. He did it for a team in New York as well. Those 22 sacks would stand as a record for a long time, though that didn’t get him into the Hall of Fame.

The 1985 Bears are widely regarded as the greatest single-season defense in NFL history. Dent was arguably the star of the show for said defense. He led the NFL with 17 sacks, and he was first-team All-Pro. Of course, his teammates Steve McMichael and Mike Singletary joined him on that front. That year, the Bears won the Super Bowl, and Dent cemented his legacy by being Super Bowl MVP.

If the ’85 Bears were arguably the great single-season team defense, Taylor in 1986 may have had the best individual season a defender has ever had. He already had two Defensive Player of the Year awards to his name, but Taylor took things to another level in 1986. The Giants legend, who was a linebacker, led the NFL with 20.5 sacks. He was Defensive Player of the Year, sure, but he was also MVP. A defensive player was the MVP! Oh, and then the Giants won the Super Bowl.

The all-time sack leader, Bruce Smith, remarkably never led the NFL in sacks in a single season. White is second on that list, but he had some single-season success that Smith never had. He never led the NFL in sacks as a Packer, but he did as an Eagle. This was an incredible campaign. White didn’t merely have 21 sacks. He did that in only 12 games.

White went back-to-back. Although he played a full 16 games this season and dropped to 18 sacks. What a slacker. This was still one of the 13 seasons in which White was a Pro Bowler. What a career for the “Minister of Defense” as he was known. It probably goes without saying that White is in the Hall of Fame.

Doleman is probably historically overlooked at this point. After all, he retired with 150.5 sacks and is in the Hall of Fame. He began his career with the Vikings as a 3-4 outside linebacker, but prior to the 1989 season the Vikings moved to a 4-3 defense and made Doleman a defensive end. Smart move. Doleman led the NFL with 21 sacks that year.

Thomas had a Hall of Fame career and minted himself as an all-time great pass rusher even though, sadly, his reckless driving led to his death at the age of 33. In 1989, the Chiefs linebacker was Defensive Rookie of the year. The next season he led the NFL with 20 sacks. Notably, he missed a game, so technically Thomas did that in 15 games.

Swilling is apparently stuck in the Hall of Very Good. Maybe that’s because he spent the bulk of his career with the Saints and Lions in the 1980s and 1990s. However, Swilling was first-team All-Pro twice, and in 1991 he was both the sack leader and Defensive Player of the Year. Swilling led the NFL with 17 sacks, though he was still perhaps overshadowed by the fact he played alongside future Hall of Famers Rickey Jackson and Sam Mills.

Maybe the Eagles felt they could lose Reggie White because in his final season with the team Simmons exploded to lead the NFL in sacks. It was his second season in a row as a first-team All-Pro, and Simmons picked up 19 sacks for Philly. He was actually a journeyman, though, and had left town by 1994. These days, he coaches the defensive line for Eddie George, now at Bowling Green.

If you were around in the ‘90s, you remember Smith, but he is one of those names that has fallen by the wayside. Primarily, he was a star for the Chiefs, where he made five of his six Pro Bowls. That includes 1993, when he had 15 sacks. Smith then moved to the Broncos in the late ‘90s, which paid off. He ended up with two Super Bowl rings.

With his long hair and maniacal flair, Greene was a star in the ‘90s. He did hop around, though, and was a first-team All-Pro for three different teams. Greene first led the NFL in sacks with the Steelers, as he picked up 14 sacks. We said “first,” and so we will return to Greene for further discussion later.

Primarily a pass-rushing linebacker, Paup played a few different positions for the Packers. Then, the Bills signed him and told him, “Get after the quarterback.” He obliged. Paup picked up 17.5 sacks and was not merely the season’s sack leader, but the Defensive Player of the Year. He was never that good again, but Paup still retired with 75.0 sacks.

Greene was now a Panther, and the Panthers were in their second season of existence. They benefited from having a star like Greene in the squad. He gave Carolina a first-team All-Pro thanks to his 14.5 sacks, though it would prove his only season with the team. Greene also did some professional wrestling, and he is third in official sacks all-time. Alas, he also died of a heart attack in 2020. He was 58.

In his era, Randle had the legitimate case to be considered the best defensive tackle in the NFL. He was more than just the face paint. Six seasons in a row in the ‘90s, Randle was first-team All-Pro. The Vikings icon also led the NFL in sacks with 15.5 in 1997. Unsurprisingly, Randle is in the Hall of Fame.

For four years, Sinclair didn’t make much of an impact. For three years with the Seahawks, he was a double-digit sack guy and a Pro Bowler. That includes leading the NFL with 16.5 sacks in 1998. Then, for four years, he was an afterthought again. The guys who aren’t Hall of Famers on this list tend to have that career trajectory.

Carter was quite good and also quite durable. He didn’t miss a single game in his 14-year career, which is remarkable for a defensive lineman (he played both end and tackle). Carter even eked over 100 career sacks, but he was only an All-Pro once, in 1999. That year, with the Rams, he had 17 sacks. Of course, that year the Rams also won the Super Bowl, so he was kind of overshadowed by Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk.

Not to get all “Let’s name some guy” on you, but Glover is a name that upon seeing we definitely had the feeling of, “Oh yeah, he was good!” Indeed, Glover was very good. He was also a testament to NFL Europe, as he parlayed his play with the Barcelona Dragons in 1997 into a contract with the Saints. It paid off for all parties involved. The defensive tackle led the NFL with 17 sacks and he made his first of six consecutive Pro Bowls. Only the first two of those came with the Saints, though, as he signed a nice deal with the Cowboys after that. Not bad for a former Barcelona Dragon.

The sack that made half of New York really happy and half of New York really annoyed. Well, if we’re being honest, New York isn’t half Giants/half Jets, but we digress. Strahan was one sack away from setting the new record for sacks in a season. Then, Brett Favre basically ran into a Strahan sack. Maybe the play got messed up! That happens! Try and convince the conspiracy theorists Favre wasn’t in on it. Of course, Strahan’s 22.5 sacks are behind Baker’s unofficial 23, so maybe we can all relax.

Remember that giant Jason Taylor from what was, if we recall correctly, the first London game? Anyway, Taylor is in the Hall of Fame and was a formidable pass rusher. He spent 13 seasons with the Dolphins and was selected to six Pro Bowls. This wasn’t even the year that Taylor was Defensive Player of the Year, either. He did have 18.5 sacks, though.

Shout out to Strahan for being one of the most-successful media personalities to come out of the NFL. He was also very good as a player. This was the second time he led the NFL in sacks in his Hall of Fame career. It wasn’t 22.5, but 18.5 is rather good as well.

Freeney’s talent was so undeniable he was drafted 11th overall out of Syracuse! At the end of his career, Freeney was a journeyman, accruing a few extra sacks for his resume, and that worked out because he’s in the Hall. The bulk of his career, though, came with the Colts. Thanks to his famed spin move, Freeney was first-team All-Pro three times and led the NFL in 2004 with 16 sacks.

If you’re thinking, “Wait, who?” that’s understandable. Burgess wasn’t a big name even in the 2000s, much less now. He made two Pro Bowls, but he retired with just over 50 sacks. And yet, in 2005, Burgess had 16 sacks with the Raiders. Half of his career sacks came in his two Pro Bowl seasons.

Merriman ended up with a complicated, whirlwind legacy. He came out of the gate with elite athleticism and a trademark sack celebration. His first three seasons were as good as anything a pass rusher has ever done. However, Merriman couldn’t stay healthy. He tested positive for steroids. He’s had some serious criminal allegations thrown against him. In 2006, he missed four games due to testing positive for steroids. He also led the NFL with 17 sacks. Complicated legacy, indeed.

Vibes-wise, Allen was kind of like a Kelce brother before the Kelces were a thing. It helps that the Idaho State alum started his career with the Chiefs. He was good his first few seasons, and he was adept at forcing fumbles. In 2007, though, he made his first Pro Bowl with 15.5 sacks to lead the NFL. It would be his last season with Kansas City as well.

Ware is from Auburn, Alabama. Naturally, he played his college ball at…Troy. The Cowboys drafted him in the first round and he became a star, making nine Pro Bowls. He was also a first-team All-Pro in 2008. Ware had a tremendous season in 2008, picking up 20 sacks.

Ware was a massive guy, as strong and tough as anybody to ever rush the passer. Dumervil, on the other hand, was undersized, which is probably how an excellent college player fell to the fourth round. There are different ways to excel at rushing the passer, though. Dumervil had 17 sacks in 2009, and he had 17 sacks again in 2014. That year he wasn’t the sack leader, but that’s still impressive.

Here’s something weird. Between 2007 and 2011, Ware was a first-team All-Pro four times. The only year in that run where he wasn’t? That would be 2010, when he led the NFL in sacks. Ware had 15.5 sacks for the Cowboys, and eventually, he would make it into the Hall of Fame.

After that final season in Kansas City, Allen joined the Vikings. He kept the good times going in Minnesota. Allen had double-digit sacks in each of his six seasons with the Vikings, but he only led the NFL in sacks once. That was in 2011, when he had 22 of them, falling just short of the record. He, too, is in the Hall of Fame.

Watt is one of the NFL’s few three-time Defensive Player of the Year winners. The first of those times came in 2012. Truly, Watt’s 2012 season with the Texans may have been the best season any defensive player has ever had. He had 20.5 sacks, forced four fumbles, defensed 16 passes, and set an NFL record with 39 tackles for loss. What a player. Oh, and we aren’t done with him, unsurprisingly.

All things considered, Mathis was arguably a better player than Freeney. Both Colts players led the NFL in sacks once. Mathis did it with 19.5 sacks. However, Mathis is also the NFL’s all-time leader in forced fumbles. We don’t want to heap too much praise on him, though, because Mathis is also a member of the Straitway Truth Ministry which, yeah, look that up sometime for a bummer trip.

Watt was DPOY in 2014, and reasonably so. He had 20.5 sacks and returned both a fumble and an interception for touchdowns. Houston, though, beat him for the sack title. He had 22 sacks for the Chiefs, and while he was a good pass rusher who made a few Pro Bowls, that was quite the outlier, to be sure.

Unfortunately, after this season, Watt started having injury issues, though he will make the Hall of Fame as one of the best to ever do it. It’s just that, no hyperbole, he could have secured his status as the best defensive player in the history of the game. Watt “only” had 17.5 sacks this season, but he also had 29 tackles for loss, leading the NFL for the third time on that front.

Those in the know will talk to you about pumping the brakes when a player turns an abnormal number of his pressures into sacks, and they will point out Beasley as Exhibit A on that front. Beasley spent six seasons in the NFL before transitioning to an XFL-level player. As in, he literally joined the XFL. Pretty much a first-round bust, he finished his career with 37.5 sacks. In 2016, he led the NFL with 15.5 sacks. He was also 18th in pressures, and the statistically inclined rang alarm bells over that. Accurately, it turned out.

Jones was good with the Patriots, but he was great with the Cardinals. He was first-team All-Pro twice with Arizona, including 2017. This season, he had 17 sacks and 28 tackles for loss, both of which led the NFL. Unfortunately, his career ended with some personal issues seemingly related to his mental health, and he sort of disappeared after that.

Along with L.T. and Watt, Donald won Defensive Player of the Year three times. He’s the best pass-rushing defensive tackle in history, and he was first-team All-Pro eight times in his 10-season career. The peak came here in 2018, when Donald had a remarkable 20.5 sacks. Doing that as a defensive tackle is truly special.

We arrive at our first active player…sort of. At this moment, Barrett is more in the “technically not retired” camp, but for all intents and purposes, he hasn’t played since 2023. This was an out-of-nowhere season for Barrett. He didn’t make much impact with the Broncos, but he joined the Buccaneers and soared to 19.5 sacks. Barrett did make another Pro Bowl in 2021, but this was certainly and comfortably his peak.

T.J.’s brother J.J. was all-in-all a better player, but Watt is on a Hall of Fame trajectory, and he’s a better pass rusher. Watt, a Steeler, led the NFL with 15 sacks, doing so in 15 games. He also led the NFL with 23 tackles for loss. That’s good…but not J.J. good.

Watt won the sack title again, and he also was Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 as well. It was an easy call, given that Watt had 22.5 sacks. That meant he tied Strahan for the official NFL record for sacks in a season. Again, we will reference Baker, but officially, Watt now co-owns the sack record with Strahan. He did it in 15 games as well. The one thing possibly standing in Watt’s way of the Hall of Fame is his durability.

Bosa is part of another pair of brotherly pass rushers, but his older brother, Joey, never managed a sack title. Nick did, though, in 2022. He had 18.5 sacks and was first-team All-Pro. To date, though, that’s his only All-Pro appearance.

That’s right, Watt has been the sack leader three times. Only Deacon Jones has done it more. This was the NFL’s first 17-game season. Even so, the 19 sacks that Watt had for the Steelers were impressive. If he manages to get a fourth sack title, you can ink him in for a spot in the Hall, even if he retired immediately afterward.

You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone. The Saints drafted Hendrickson, but then saw him sign with the Bengals prior to the 2021 season. He has been a Pro Bowler every single season with Cincinnati. Hendrickson led the NFL in sacks in 2024 with 17.5, even though he was a one-man wrecking crew for Cincy. Seriously. The Bengals had 36 sacks as a team.