In American football, passing, along with running (also referred to as rushing), is one of the two main methods of advancing the ball down the field. Passes are typically attempted by the quarterback, but any offensive player can attempt a pass provided they are behind the line of scrimmage. To qualify as a passing play, the ball must have initially moved forward after leaving the hands of the passer; if the ball initially moved laterally or backwards, the play would instead be considered a running play. A receiving touchdown is scored when a player catches the ball in the field of play and advances it into the end zone, or catches it while already being within the boundaries of the end zone.

The National Football League (NFL) did not begin keeping official records until the season. Since the adoption of the 14-game season in , only one season (the strike-shortened 1982 season) has had a receiving touchdowns league leader record fewer than 10 touchdown catches. The record for receiving touchdowns in a season is 23, set by Randy Moss during the 2007 season; only one other player (Jerry Rice) has recorded 20 or more receiving touchdowns in a season. In addition to the overall NFL receiving touchdown leaders, league record books recognize the receiving touchdown leaders of the American Football League (AFL), which operated from 1960 to 1969 before being absorbed into the National Football League in 1970. The NFL also recognizes the statistics of the All-America Football Conference, which operated from 1946 to 1949 before three of its teams were merged into the NFL, since 2025.

Don Hutson led the league in receiving touchdowns nine times, the most of any player in league history; Rice ranks second with six league-leading seasons. Hutson also holds the record for the two longest streaks leading the league in receiving touchdowns, doing so for four consecutive seasons ( to ) and then doing it for five consecutive years from to .

NFL annual receiving touchdowns leaders

+ Key Symbol Meaning Leader The player who recorded the most receiving touchdowns in the NFL TDs The total number of receiving touchdowns the player had GP The number of games played by a player during the season Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame ^ Active player * Set the single-season receiving touchdowns record (#) Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list

+ NFL annual receiving touchdowns leaders by season Season Leader Team 5* 12 New York Giants 3 14 New York Giants 11 Portsmouth Spartans 13 Chicago Bears 13 Chicago Bears 10 Brooklyn Dodgers 13 Green Bay Packers 14 New York Giants 5 13 Chicago Bears 6* 12 Green Bay Packers (2) 12 Chicago Bears (2) 8* 12 Green Bay Packers (3) 7 11 Green Bay Packers (4) 9* 11 Green Bay Packers 7 11 Cleveland Rams (5) 7 11 Green Bay Packers (6) 10* 11 Green Bay Packers (7) 17* 11 Green Bay Packers (8) 11 10 Green Bay Packers (9) 9 10 Green Bay Packers 10 10 New York Giants 7 11 Chicago Cardinals 13 12 Chicago Bears 14 12 Chicago Cardinals 9 12 Los Angeles Rams (2) 12 Chicago Bears 12 Washington Redskins 12 12 Chicago Cardinals 17 12 Los Angeles Rams 15 12 Detroit Lions 10 12 Philadelphia Eagles 12 San Francisco 49ers 12 12 Chicago Bears (2) 9 12 Chicago Bears 12 12 Green Bay Packers 8 12 Baltimore Colts 9 12 Baltimore Colts 12 Philadelphia Eagles (2) 14 12 Baltimore Colts 15 12 St. Louis Cardinals (2) 13 14 Philadelphia Eagles 14 14 Dallas Cowboys 13 14 Detroit Lions 14 Cleveland Browns 10 14 Washington Redskins 14 Chicago Bears 14 Los Angeles Rams 12 14 Dallas Cowboys 14 San Francisco 49ers (2) 13 14 Dallas Cowboys 13 14 New York Giants 12 14 Cleveland Browns 12 14 Dallas Cowboys 13 14 Chicago Bears (2) 11 14 Miami Dolphins 12 14 San Francisco 49ers 13 14 Los Angeles Rams 13 14 Oakland Raiders 11 14 St. Louis Cardinals 14 Pittsburgh Steelers (2) 12 14 Oakland Raiders 12 14 Miami Dolphins 13 16 San Diego Chargers 12 16 New England Patriots (2) 13 16 San Diego Chargers 13 16 Atlanta Falcons 16 Denver Broncos 9 8 San Diego Chargers 14 16 St. Louis Cardinals 18* 16 Miami Dolphins 13 16 Seattle Seahawks 15 16 San Francisco 49ers (2) 22* 12 San Francisco 49ers (2) 14 16 Miami Dolphins (3) 17 16 San Francisco 49ers (4) 13 16 San Francisco 49ers (5) 14 16 San Francisco 49ers 13 16 Green Bay Packers (6) 15 16 San Francisco 49ers 16 Atlanta Falcons (2) 18 16 Green Bay Packers 17 16 Minnesota Vikings 16 Cincinnati Bengals 14 16 Baltimore Ravens 16 San Diego Chargers (2) 13 16 Minnesota Vikings 17 16 Minnesota Vikings (3) 13 16 Minnesota Vikings (2) 15 16 Minnesota Vikings 16 16 San Francisco 49ers (2) 13 16 San Francisco 49ers (3) 17 16 Minnesota Vikings 16 16 Carolina Panthers 12 16 Indianapolis Colts 16 Carolina Panthers (3) 13 16 Dallas Cowboys (4) 23* 16 New England Patriots 12 16 Arizona Cardinals 16 Detroit Lions 13 16 San Francisco 49ers (2) 16 Arizona Cardinals (5) 16 New England Patriots 15 16 Kansas City Chiefs 17 16 New England Patriots 14 16 Green Bay Packers 16 16 New Orleans Saints 16 16 Dallas Cowboys 14 16 Seattle Seahawks 16 New York Jets 16 Jacksonville Jaguars 14 16 Green Bay Packers 13 15 Houston Texans 15 15 Pittsburgh Steelers 11 16 Detroit Lions ^ 18 14 Green Bay Packers ^ 16 17 Los Angeles Rams ^ (2) 14 17 Las Vegas Raiders ^ 13 17 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13 16 Miami Dolphins ^ 17 17 Cincinnati Bengals ^ (3) 1414Los Angeles Rams

AFL annual receiving touchdowns leaders

+ Key Symbol Meaning Leader The player who recorded the most receiving touchdowns in the AFL TDs The total number of receiving touchdowns the player had GP The number of games played by a player during the season Pro Football Hall of Fame member * Player set the single-season receiving touchdowns record(#)Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list

+AFL annual receiving touchdowns leaders by season Season Leader Team 1960 14* 14 New York Titans 1961 17* 14 Houston Oilers 1962 12 14 Dallas Texans 1963 (2) 16 14 Oakland Raiders 1964 13 14 San Diego Chargers 1965 (2) 14 14 San Diego Chargers 14 New York Jets 1966 (3) 13 14 San Diego Chargers 1967 11 14 Denver Broncos 14 Kansas City Chiefs 1968 11 14 Miami Dolphins 14 Oakland Raiders 1969 (2) 14 14 Oakland Raiders

AAFC annual receiving touchdowns leaders

+ Key Symbol Meaning Player The player who recorded the most receiving touchdowns in the AAFC TDs The total number of receiving touchdowns the player had GP The number of games played by the player during the season * Player set the single-season receiving touchdowns record (#) Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list

+ AAFC annual receiving touchdowns leaders by season Season Player Team 1946 10* 14 San Francisco 49ers 1947 (2) 10 13 San Francisco 49ers 1948 (3) 14* 14 San Francisco 49ers 1949 (4) 12 12 San Francisco 49ers

Most seasons leading the league Count Player Seasons Team(s) 9 , Green Bay Packers 6 , , , San Francisco 49ers 5 , , , , Minnesota Vikings (3) / New England Patriots (2) 4 1946–1949San Francisco 49ers 3 , , Green Bay Packers (1) / Las Vegas Raiders (1) / Los Angeles Rams (1) 1964–1966 San Diego Chargers , , Minnesota Vikings , , San Francisco 49ers (2) / Dallas Cowboys (1) 2 1960, 1963 New York Titans (1) / Oakland Raiders (1) 1968, 1969 Oakland Raiders , Baltimore Colts , Oakland Raiders , Miami Dolphins , Arizona Cardinals , Dallas Cowboys , Chicago Bears , San Diego Chargers , Chicago Bears , Chicago Bears , Philadelphia Eagles , Green Bay Packers , Cleveland Browns (1) / Miami Dolphins

See also List of NFL career receiving touchdowns leaders List of NFL annual receiving yards leaders List of NFL annual receptions leaders List of NFL annual rushing touchdowns leaders List of NFL annual passing touchdowns leaders List of NFL annual scoring leaders

Notes

References