Who has the NFL record for most rushing yards in a single season by a quarterback?

Every now and then a player comes along that revolutionizes the game. A player so impactful that they change how the game is played forever. We are currently witnessing one of those players in the flesh. We have never, and maybe will never, see another quarterback like Lamar Jackson. He is the most dangerous dual threat QB the game has ever seen, and this year he has a chance to rush for 1,000 yards for the third time in his short career.

Jackson chasing history

The Ravens quarterback isn’t the first to use his legs to change the game, but he is the only one who you could consider just as dangerous throwing the ball down field as he is tucking it and running out of the pocket. It didn’t take long to see that the former Heisman Trophy winner’s talents at the University of Louisville would translate perfectly to the NFL. He was named the MVP of the NFL in his sophomore season and hasn’t looked back since.

Before we go any further, let’s get one thing straight. Lamar Jackson is a pass first quarterback with an innate ability to break a defense down with his legs. He is currently on pace to have his best passing season ever with 3,290 yards, 29 TDs and just 3 INTs but he has been just as good with his legs. He has 678 yards on the ground with 3 TDs and he is averaging 6.1 yards per carry.

He has a chance to become the first player in the history of the game to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in the same season. In the final four games of the season Jackson would need to pass for 710 yards (177.5 yards per game), and run for another 322 yards (80.5 yards per game). This year, the two-time MVP winner is averaging 253 yards passing and 52 yards rushing a game, which would get him to 4,000, but leave him short of becoming the first to ever join the 4,000/1,000 club.

The single season all time rushing QB leaders

Jackson has a slim chance at getting 1,000 yards, but he has virtually no shot of breaking his single season rushing record for a QB that he set when he won his first MVP back in 2019. That year he ran for 1,206 yards and 7 TDs on 176 carries and threw for another 3,127 yards while slinging 36 TDs and just 6 INTs. Jackson would join the 1,000 club the next year with 1,005 yards, but he has yet to reach that landmark since.

Jackson was just the second QB ever to rush for 1,000 yards after Michael Vick did it in 2006. Vick had 1,039 yards and threw for 2,474 yards that season, but that was his only year he reached 1,000 yards. While Vick was spectacular, and had a cannon for an arm, he ever came close to passing for 4,000 yards in his career. The closest he would come was 3,303 in the 2011 season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The only other QB to run for 1,000 yards was Justin Fields who did it in 2022. That was his sophomore season with the Chicago Bears and he had 1,143 yards rushing and 8 TDs, to go along with his 2,242 yards passing, 17 TDs and 11 INTs. Since then the Bears have moved on from Fields and now have a rookie QB in Caleb Williams who may be eyeing his spot in the 1,000 yard club.