LaDainian Tomlinson Career Stats and NFL Records

LaDainian Tomlinson Career Stats and NFL Records

NFL CONTENT GUIDE • Research cutoff: November 1, 2026

LaDainian Tomlinson is among the most accomplished running backs in NFL history. His regular-season career included 13,684 rushing yards and 145 rushing touchdowns, according to the NFL and the Chargers' own historical summary. Those totals are completed career records, not live statistics, making them useful for a stable historical reference page.

LaDainian Tomlinson rushing career snapshot

Tomlinson entered the league as the fifth overall selection in the 2001 NFL draft after playing at TCU. He became the centerpiece of the Chargers' offense for most of his professional career before concluding it with the Jets. The 13,684-yard total should not be replaced with a number from a retired player's incomplete early-career profile.

The standout 2006 season

Tomlinson's 28 rushing touchdowns in 2006 remain one of the defining single-season scoring achievements in NFL history. He earned league MVP and Offensive Player of the Year recognition that year. The scoring output came in the context of a complete offense, but the 28 rushing touchdowns are a distinctive personal record separate from receiving or passing scores.

Other productive rushing seasons

His NFL rushing table shows 1,683 yards in 2002, 1,645 in 2003 and 1,474 in 2007. Those years demonstrate he sustained high rushing production well beyond a single award season. Even in 2009, when his yards per carry declined, he found the end zone 12 times on the ground. In his later Jets seasons the carry count and role changed, showing that career longevity is not necessarily a straight line of identical workloads.

Receiving matters too

Tomlinson also contributed as a receiver, which made defenses account for him outside conventional rushing situations. Rushing-only records omit those catches and yards. A comparison between Tomlinson and another all-purpose back should specify whether it uses rushing yards, yards from scrimmage, total touchdowns or a different measure; mixing these categories makes rankings misleading.

How to compare Tomlinson with other retired backs

Choose one category before making a historical comparison. A leaderboard for career rushing yards ranks a different skill set than a list for receptions by a running back. Career touchdown rankings also depend on whether receiving and passing touchdowns are included or only runs. Tomlinson's long career makes all of those perspectives informative, but his 145 rushing scores are a clearly defined, official number. His 2006 mark of 28 rushing touchdowns is a season-specific achievement and should not be confused with the sum of every kind of touchdown he was involved in that year.

Frequently asked questions

How many career rushing yards did LaDainian Tomlinson have?

13,684 in the NFL regular season.

How many rushing touchdowns did he score?

145.

What was his most famous rushing-touchdown season?

In 2006 he scored 28 rushing touchdowns and won NFL MVP honors.