Devin Hester holds the NFL record for the most career punt return touchdowns with 14. Eric Metcalf ranks second with 10, Brian Mitchell is third with nine, and Jack Christiansen, Desmond Howard and Rick Upchurch share fourth place with eight apiece.
Only two players have reached double digits, and Hester owns a four-touchdown lead over everyone else. The complete table has been expanded to the top 20 players, covering every NFL player with at least five regular-season punt return touchdowns through 2025.
This leaderboard counts punt returns only. Kickoff returns, missed-field-goal returns and postseason touchdowns are excluded. For a broader look at NFL history, visit the NFL team all-time player rankings hub.
Last reviewed: August 11, 2026.
Table of Contents
Most Punt Return Touchdowns in NFL History: Key Facts
- Career record: Devin Hester, 14 punt return touchdowns.
- Second place: Eric Metcalf, 10.
- Third place: Brian Mitchell, nine.
- Most in one season: Four, shared by Jack Christiansen, Rick Upchurch, Devin Hester and Patrick Peterson.
- Top-20 cutoff: Five career punt return touchdowns.
- Double-digit club: Hester and Metcalf are the only two players to reach 10.
How the Career Punt Return Touchdown Ranking Works
This is an objective NFL regular-season leaderboard. Career punt return touchdowns determine every placement. No adjustment is made for return average, total yardage, era, playoff performance or kickoff-return production.
Tied totals share the same rank, and the next rank is skipped. Christiansen, Howard and Upchurch are therefore tied for fourth, followed by Dave Meggett and Darren Sproles at T-7. The five players with six touchdowns share ninth, while the seven players with five share 14th.
The table lists individual players instead of using placeholder rows such as “Five-Player Tie.” It contains 20 names because everyone at the five-touchdown cutoff is included. Team names are intentionally omitted because these are full-career totals and several leaders scored for multiple franchises.
1. Devin Hester — 14 Punt Return Touchdowns
Devin Hester sits alone at No. 1 with 14 career punt return touchdowns. He scored three as a rookie in 2006, set the single-season record with four in 2007 and added three more in 2010. Those three seasons alone produced 10 punt-return scores, matching Eric Metcalf’s entire career total.
Hester finished with 315 punt returns for 3,695 yards and an 11.7-yard average. The touchdown record was not built on one unsustainable burst. He scored on punts in six different seasons and recorded his final one with Atlanta in 2014, eight years after his rookie breakout.
His return ability eventually earned him induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the 2024 class. Hester also appears in SOG Sports’ ranking of the best Chicago Bears players of all-time and the list of the fastest NFL players ever.
2. Eric Metcalf — 10 Punt Return Touchdowns
Eric Metcalf ranks second with 10 career punt return touchdowns. His total is four behind Hester but one ahead of Brian Mitchell and two clear of the three players tied for fourth.
Metcalf scored on punt returns for Cleveland, Atlanta, San Diego and Washington. His biggest season came with the Chargers in 1997, when he returned three punts for touchdowns. Four years earlier, he produced one of the greatest individual special-teams games ever by scoring twice on punt returns against Pittsburgh, including the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Metcalf accumulated 3,453 punt return yards on 351 attempts. His 9.8-yard average is not as high as several players below him, but this leaderboard measures scores, and only Hester reached the end zone more often. Metcalf’s Cleveland career is also recognized in the ranking of the best Browns players of all-time.
3. Brian Mitchell — 9 Punt Return Touchdowns
Brian Mitchell owns sole possession of third place with nine punt return touchdowns. He also holds the NFL career records for punt returns with 463 and punt return yards with 4,999.
The volume matters because punt-return opportunities require trust. Mitchell remained a primary returner for 14 seasons and scored punt-return touchdowns for both Washington and Philadelphia. His career included two-score seasons in 1991 and 1994, followed by another touchdown with the Eagles in 2002.
Mitchell is only one touchdown behind Metcalf, but his more unusual distinction is the gap he created in total yardage. Nobody else reached 4,000 career punt return yards, while Mitchell stopped one yard short of 5,000.
T-4. Jack Christiansen, Desmond Howard and Rick Upchurch — 8
Three players share fourth place with eight career punt return touchdowns, but they reached that number in very different ways.
Jack Christiansen — 8
Christiansen scored eight times on only 85 career punt returns. His rate of one touchdown every 10.6 returns is extraordinary, even allowing for the major differences between his era and modern special teams.
Four of those touchdowns came during his 1951 rookie season, tying the single-season record that still stands. He added two more in 1952, meaning six of his eight scores came in his first 33 returns. Opponents adjusted their punt formations to limit him, and his return impact became part of a Hall of Fame career.
Desmond Howard — 8
Howard’s career peak came in 1996, when he scored three punt return touchdowns and set the NFL single-season record with 875 punt return yards. He continued changing field position throughout Green Bay’s playoff run before becoming the first special-teams player to win Super Bowl MVP.
The Super Bowl touchdown came on a kickoff and is not part of this leaderboard. Howard’s eight career punt-return scores stand on their own, while the postseason adds context to his place among the game’s greatest returners. His Green Bay run connects with the SOG Sports ranking of the best Packers players of all-time.
Rick Upchurch — 8
Upchurch matched the single-season record with four punt return touchdowns in 1976. He scored twice more in 1982 while leading the league with a 16.1-yard average, giving him two separate seasons at the top of both the scoring and efficiency categories.
He finished with 3,008 yards and a 12.1-yard average on 248 punt returns. At the time of his retirement, his eight touchdowns tied Christiansen for the NFL record. Upchurch’s broader franchise legacy can be found in the ranking of the best Denver Broncos players of all-time.
T-7. Dave Meggett and Darren Sproles — 7
Dave Meggett and Darren Sproles share seventh place with seven punt return touchdowns each.
Meggett produced 3,708 career punt return yards, the second-highest total in NFL history. He scored six of his seven touchdowns during his Giants career, then added one with New England in 1996. That combination of scoring and yardage gives him one of the most complete statistical profiles on the list. Meggett’s primary franchise is covered in the ranking of the best Giants players of all-time.
Sproles scored across three different stages of his career, but his best punt-return stretch came after joining Philadelphia. He returned two punts for touchdowns in 2014 and two more in 2015, producing four scores in 31 games after turning 31. Sproles also appears among the best Eagles players of all-time.
T-9. Five Players — 6 Punt Return Touchdowns
Darrien Gordon, Dante Hall, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, Jermaine Lewis and Deion Sanders share ninth place with six touchdowns.
Gordon reached the total with six scores across three seasons, including three for Denver in 1997. Hall scored four of his six during the 2002 and 2003 seasons, the peak of his “Human Joystick” run in Kansas City. Johnson’s best year came in 1975, when he scored three times and averaged 15.3 yards per punt return.
Lewis recorded two punt-return touchdowns in three different seasons: 1997, 1998 and 2000. Sanders brought a different résumé to the group. Punt returning was only one part of his Hall of Fame career, but he still scored six times and remained a threat even when teams had reasons to keep him away from additional contact.
All five are tied in the record book. Their paths show why a touchdown-only leaderboard can group together pure return specialists, versatile offensive weapons and an all-time cornerback.
T-14. Seven Players — 5 Punt Return Touchdowns
Joey Galloway, Adam Jones, Curly Oden, Antwaan Randle El, Marcus Sherels, Emlen Tunnell and Karl Williams complete the top 20 with five career punt return touchdowns each.
This tie spans nearly the entire history of professional football. Oden played from 1925 through 1932, while Sherels’ final season came in 2019. Tunnell paired five punt-return touchdowns with a Hall of Fame career at defensive back. Galloway and Randle El were also productive receivers, while Jones added his return value to a long career in the secondary.
Sherels scored all five of his punt-return touchdowns for Minnesota, setting a Vikings franchise record. Williams did the same for Tampa Bay. The shared total creates a clean cutoff: every player with at least five is included, and the next group begins with four.
What the Career Leaderboard Reveals
- Hester created unusual separation. His four-touchdown lead over Metcalf is larger than the three-touchdown gap from Metcalf in second to Sproles and Meggett at T-7.
- The list becomes crowded quickly. Seventeen of the 20 players finished between five and eight touchdowns.
- Raw totals and scoring efficiency tell different stories. Mitchell needed 463 returns to score nine times, while Christiansen scored eight times on 85 returns.
- Four remains the single-season ceiling. Christiansen, Upchurch, Hester and Patrick Peterson share the record. Peterson finished his career with four, leaving him one touchdown outside this top-20 cutoff.
- Longevity is not the only path. Hester scored across six seasons, while Christiansen built most of his case in his first two years.
- The historical range is enormous. The top 20 includes careers beginning in the 1920s and continuing through 2019.
Top 20 Most Punt Return Touchdowns in NFL History
The complete table includes every player with at least five regular-season punt return touchdowns through 2025. Ties share rank, so seven players occupy T-14.
| Rank | Player | Punt Return TDs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Devin Hester | 14 |
| 2 | Eric Metcalf | 10 |
| 3 | Brian Mitchell | 9 |
| T-4 | Jack Christiansen | 8 |
| T-4 | Desmond Howard | 8 |
| T-4 | Rick Upchurch | 8 |
| T-7 | Dave Meggett | 7 |
| T-7 | Darren Sproles | 7 |
| T-9 | Darrien Gordon | 6 |
| T-9 | Dante Hall | 6 |
| T-9 | Billy “White Shoes” Johnson | 6 |
| T-9 | Jermaine Lewis | 6 |
| T-9 | Deion Sanders | 6 |
| T-14 | Joey Galloway | 5 |
| T-14 | Adam Jones | 5 |
| T-14 | Curly Oden | 5 |
| T-14 | Antwaan Randle El | 5 |
| T-14 | Marcus Sherels | 5 |
| T-14 | Emlen Tunnell | 5 |
| T-14 | Karl Williams | 5 |
FAQ: NFL Career Punt Return Touchdown Leaders
Who has the most punt return touchdowns in NFL history?
Devin Hester holds the NFL record with 14 regular-season punt return touchdowns. Eric Metcalf is second with 10, and Brian Mitchell is third with nine.
How many punt return touchdowns did Devin Hester score?
Hester scored 14. He produced three as a rookie in 2006, four in 2007 and three in 2010, then added four more across the rest of his career.
Who has the most punt return touchdowns in one NFL season?
The single-season record is four. Jack Christiansen set it in 1951, Rick Upchurch matched it in 1976, Devin Hester did it in 2007 and Patrick Peterson joined them in 2011.
Which players are tied with eight career punt return touchdowns?
Jack Christiansen, Desmond Howard and Rick Upchurch share fourth place with eight each.
Which players are tied with five punt return touchdowns?
Joey Galloway, Adam Jones, Curly Oden, Antwaan Randle El, Marcus Sherels, Emlen Tunnell and Karl Williams each scored five.
Are playoff punt return touchdowns included?
No. The leaderboard uses regular-season statistics only. Postseason punt return touchdowns are excluded from every career total.
Do kickoff return touchdowns count?
No. This page measures punt return touchdowns only. Kickoff returns, missed-field-goal returns and other non-offensive touchdowns are separate categories.
Conclusion: Devin Hester Remains Alone at the Top
Devin Hester’s 14 career punt return touchdowns remain the standard. Metcalf is the only other player to reach 10, Mitchell stands alone at nine and three return legends share fourth with eight.
The expanded top 20 makes the record’s difficulty clearer. Seventeen players are packed between five and eight touchdowns, while Hester created a four-score gap at the very top. One great season can put a returner on the leaderboard. Staying dangerous long enough to challenge 14 is another problem entirely.
More NFL Rankings
Continue with the leaders in career yards per punt return and the year-by-year ranking of the fastest NFL players from every season since 1967.
For more NFL graphics, statistics and historical rankings, follow SOG Football on Instagram.
