List Of NFL Season Interceptions Leaders
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American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
, an
interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...
(INT), also known as a pick, occurs when a pass intended for a player of the same team is caught by an opposition player, who then gains possession for their team. The
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) did not begin keeping official records until the 1932 season and did not begin tracking interceptions until 1940. In addition to the NFL interception leaders, league record books recognize the interception leaders of the
American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...
(AFL), which operated from 1960 to 1969 before being absorbed into the NFL in 1970. The single-season interception record is held by
Night Train Lane Richard Lane (April 16, 1928 – January 29, 2002), commonly known as Dick "Night Train" Lane, was an American professional American football, football cornerback who played for 14 years in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the ...
, who logged 14 interceptions in 1952 while playing for the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...
as a rookie. Prior to that, Dan Sandifer of the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
and
Spec Sanders Orban Eugene "Spec" Sanders (January 26, 1919 – July 6, 2003) was an American professional football tailback, quarterback, and punter in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Ne ...
of the
New York Yanks The New York Yanks were an American football team that played in the National Football League under that name in the 1950 and 1951 seasons. Season-by-season overview 1949 The team began in 1944 as the Boston Yanks, owned by Kate Smith's m ...
jointly held the record, earning 13 interceptions in 1948 and 1950 respectively. The record for most seasons leading the league in interceptions is three. This was first achieved by
Everson Walls Everson Collins Walls (born December 28, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, and the Cleveland Browns. During his ...
, who led the league in interceptions in 1981, 1982, and again in 1985.
Ed Reed Edward Earl Reed Jr. (born September 11, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL), spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Ravens. He played college footbal ...
was later able to match Walls by leading the league in 2004, 2008, and 2010.
Bill Bradley William Warren Bradley (born July 28, 1943) is an American politician and former professional basketball player. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was a United States Senate, United States senator from New ...
became the first player to lead the league in interceptions in consecutive seasons (1971 and 1972), with Everson Walls being the only other player to do so (1981 and 1982). The most recent player to lead the league in interceptions is Kerby Joseph of the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
, who finished with nine interceptions in the
2024 NFL season The 2024 NFL season was the 105th season of the National Football League (NFL). The season began on September 5, 2024, with reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City defeating Baltimore in the NFL Kickoff Game. The regular season concluded on ...
.


NFL annual interceptions leaders


AFL annual interceptions leaders


Most seasons leading the league


See also

* List of NFL career interceptions leaders *
List of NFL annual forced fumbles leaders This is a list of National Football League (NFL) players who have led the season (sports), regular season in forced fumbles each year. Robert Mathis currently holds the record for most seasons leading the league in forced fumbles with 3. NFL ann ...
*
List of NFL annual sacks leaders This is a list of National Football League (NFL) players who have led the regular season in sacks each year. Sacks became an official statistic in 1982 and sacks from years prior do not count towards a player's career total. Michael Strahan o ...


References

{{NFL records
Interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team bu ...