The 10 NFL Quarterbacks With the Most Rushing Touchdowns in a Season

For 12 years, Cam Newton held the record for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in NFL history, running for 14 with the Carolina Panthers en route to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Newton’s mark stuck around until the 2023 season when a pair of QBs, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles, each broke the record by scoring 15 touchdowns on the ground.

Who joins these three superstar signal-callers on the list of the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season? Let’s take a look.

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1 Josh Allen, 2023 (15)

Josh Allen has proven he can run past or run through NFL defenders

At 6-foot-5 and 237 pounds, Josh Allen uses his solid mix of power and speed to rack up plenty of rushing yards to complement his strong passing game.

While the Buffalo Bills quarterback has thrown for 4,000 yards or more in each of the last four seasons, he’s also kicked up his running game a notch. In 2021 and 2022, Allen rushed for 763 and 762 yards, respectively, and combined for 13 touchdown runs in those two seasons.

In 2023, Allen registered a career-best 15 touchdown runs and finished the year with 524 rushing yards on 111 carries. He has 53 touchdown runs in his six NFL seasons.

2 Jalen Hurts, 2023 (15)

In three of his four NFL seasons, Jalen Hurts has 10 or more rushing touchdowns

As mentioned above, Allen wasn’t the only record-setter for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in 2023, as Jalen Hurts also finished with 15 to knock Cam Newton down into third place.

In each of his three years as the full-time starting quarterback with the Eagles, Hurts has rushed for double-digit touchdowns. As a rookie in 2020, Hurts made just four starts and rushed for three scores. Since then, he’s racked up a total of 38 more.

After rushing for 10 touchdowns in 2021 and an additional 13 in 2022, Hurts tied Allen for the most ever by a quarterback with 15 during the 2023 season. Hurts finished the year with 157 carries for 605 rushing yards.

3 Cam Newton, 2011 (14)

Cam Newton rushed for 14 touchdowns as a rookie with the Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers made Cam Newton the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, and he quickly proved why he was the right choice.

The Auburn alum was named Offensive Rookie of the Year after a season that saw him put up some serious numbers. He threw for 4,051 yards with 21 touchdown passes, but he was just as dangerous on the ground.

Newton rushed for 706 yards and scored a then-record 14 rushing touchdowns, the first of three times he hit double-digit scores on the ground during his career.

The 2015 NFL MVP finished his career with a whopping 75 rushing touchdowns, the most by a quarterback in league history, and 5,628 rushing yards, currently good for second on the all-time list.

4 Jalen Hurts, 2022 (13)

Jalen Hurts finished second to Patrick Mahomes in the 2022 NFL season

One year before his record performance of 15 in 2023, the Eagles quarterback scored 13 times on the ground in going 14-1 in his 15 starts in 2022.

Hurts rushed for 760 yards on 165 carries, but he also showed he was much more than just a running quarterback, throwing for 3,701 yards and 22 touchdown passes despite missing Week 16 and Week 17 with a shoulder injury.

Hurts finished second in the NFL MVP race to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, also losing to Mahomes in Super Bowl 57.

Hurts has 41 rushing touchdowns and 2,503 yards on the ground in his four NFL seasons.

5 Steve Grogan, 1976 (12)

Steve Grogan ran for 12 touchdowns during his second NFL season with the Patriots

The New England Patriots selected Kansas State’s Steve Grogan in the fifth round of the 1975 NFL Draft. He made seven starts as a rookie, going 1-6.

In his second NFL season, Grogan showed he was a dual threat under center. He started all 14 games for New England, going 11-3, threw 18 touchdown passes, and showed his mobility by rushing for 12 touchdowns. He carried the ball 60 times for 397 yards, averaging 6.6 yards per attempt.

While 12 rushing TDs was far and away his career best, Grogan finished his 16-year NFL career with 35 touchdown runs and collected 2,176 yards on the ground.

6 Cam Newton, 2020 (12)

Cam Newton struggled in his only year with the Patriots, but he finished with 12 touchdown runs

Newton showed his rookie campaign was no fluke. After breaking the NFL record for most touchdowns in a season by a quarterback (14) in 2011, Newton continued to show he was dangerous with both his arm and his legs.

In 2015, Newton led the Panthers to a 15-1 record and a berth in Super Bowl 50 against the Denver Broncos. He rushed for 10 touchdowns, marking the second time in his career that he reached double figures in rushing scores. He racked up 636 yards on the ground while throwing for 3,837 yards and adding 35 touchdown passes.

After nine seasons with the Panthers, he joined the New England Patriots in 2020 after Tom Brady left town to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While Newton didn’t have a great season with the Patriots, going just 7-8 in 15 starts, he did finish with 12 rushing touchdowns. To put things in perspective, he threw for only eight scores that year.

7 Johnny Lujack, 1950 (11)

Johnny Lujack set passing and rushing records as quarterback of the Chicago Bears

After a stellar college career at Notre Dame, Johnny Lujack played four years with the Chicago Bears and made plenty of noise in those four seasons.

In 1949, Lujack set a new league record for passing yards in a game, throwing for 468 against the hometown rival Chicago Cardinals in the final game of the season. He also threw six touchdown passes in the 52-21 victory. Lujack led the NFL in passing yards that season with 2,658, and his 23 touchdown passes also led the league.

The following season, he set a record with his legs. Lujack rushed for 11 touchdowns that year, the most ever by a quarterback. The 11-touchdown mark was tied three times (which you’ll see below) but ultimately stood until Grogan scored 12 during the 1976 season. Lujack ultimately rushed for 21 touchdowns and 742 yards in his four-year career.

8 Tobin Rote, 1956 (11)

Tobin Rote had one heck of a season in his final year with the Green Bay Packers in 1956

Tobin Rote spent the first seven seasons of his professional football career with the Green Bay Packers and did plenty of damage with both his arm and his legs.

His performance during the 1956 season proved as much, as he led the NFL in passing yards (2,203) and touchdown passes (18). He also led the league in both completions (146) and passing attempts (308).

While the Rice alum was slinging it all over the place, he also tied Lujack’s record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 11, carrying the ball 84 times for 398 yards that season.

Rote led the Packers in rushing three times in his career. He rushed for a career-high 523 yards in 1951, leading the league with 6.9 yards per carry, and finished his career with 37 rushing touchdowns.

9 Kordell Stewart, 1997 (11)

Kordell Stewart took over the starting QB job with the Steelers in 1997 and scored 11 rushing touchdowns

Kordell Stewart was as versatile as they come in the NFL. The former Pittsburgh Steelers star played quarterback, wide receiver, and returned kicks during his 11 seasons in the NFL. He played the first eight in Pittsburgh and solidified himself as the starting quarterback.

After starting just four games at quarterback in his first two NFL seasons, Stewart claimed the starting job in 1997 and made all 16 starts, finishing with an 11-5 record and throwing for 3,020 yards and 21 touchdowns.

During that ’97 season, Stewart also tied the NFL mark for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. He scored 11 times after rushing 88 times for 476 yards and became the first QB to throw for 20 touchdowns and run for 10 in the same season. Stewart and the Steelers reached the AFC title game but fell to the Denver Broncos.

Stewart finished his career with 38 rushing touchdowns.

10 Kyler Murray, 2020 (11)

Kyler Murray racked up 819 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns during his first Pro Bowl season with the Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals made Kyler Murray the top pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, and he didn’t disappoint. Although he went 5-10-1 as a starter in his first season, Murray was named Offensive Rookie of the Year, as he threw for 3,772 yards and 20 touchdowns while rushing for 544 yards and four scores.

Murray made the first of his two Pro Bowls the following season, throwing for a career-best 3,971 yards and a career-high 26 touchdown passes. He also did plenty of damage on the ground, rushing for 819 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Murray has 26 rushing touchdowns in his NFL career.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.

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