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Points are the currency of the NFL. Touchdowns, field goals, extra points, and even safeties all add up over a career. And when you look at the all-time scoring list, one position completely dominates: the kicker. That’s because a great kicker can stay in the league for two decades or more, scoring points in nearly every game. Here are the 7 highest scoring NFL players in history – all kickers – and the remarkable careers that carried them to the top.
Why Kickers Own the Scoring Charts
It’s simple math. A star wide receiver might score 10 touchdowns in a great season, good for 60 points. A kicker, meanwhile, can easily drill 30 field goals and 40 extra points, putting up 130 points or more year after year. Add in the fact that many kickers play well into their 40s, and the accumulation becomes massive.
Jerry Rice is the greatest non-kicking scorer in NFL history with 1,256 career points, but he’s not close to the top of the all-time list. In American football, the scoreboard runs through the kicker’s leg. If you’re more interested in international football, the picture looks completely different – see our list of the top 7 football players in the world right now for some contrast.
Here’s the all-time top seven:
- Adam Vinatieri – 2,673 points (24 seasons)
- Morten Andersen – 2,544 points (25 seasons)
- Gary Anderson – 2,434 points (23 seasons)
- Jason Hanson – 2,150 points (21 seasons)
- John Carney – 1,937 points (23 seasons)
- Matt Stover – 1,905 points (20 seasons)
- Mason Crosby – 1,875 points (16 seasons)
1. Adam Vinatieri – The Clutch King
Adam Vinatieri retired after the 2019 season with 2,673 points, a record that may stand for decades. He played 24 seasons and holds the NFL record for most games played (365). Vinatieri earned the nickname “Mr. Clutch” for his ice-cold precision in the biggest moments. He kicked the game-tying and game-winning field goals in a blizzard during the 2001 AFL Divisional Game against the Raiders, then won Super Bowl XXXVI with another last-second kick.
He won four Super Bowls total – three with the Patriots and one with the Colts – and made 599 career field goals. His longevity was just as mind-blowing as his accuracy. By the time he hung up his cleats at age 47, he had scored more points than any player in NFL history. A long career like that also means serious earnings, though not always at the level of the top 7 highest paid athletes in the world. Still, Vinatieri proved that consistency pays off.
2. Morten Andersen – The Great Dane
Morten Andersen was born in Denmark and didn’t start playing American football until he was a teenager. That didn’t stop him from becoming one of the greatest kickers ever. He played 25 NFL seasons across the Saints, Falcons, Giants, Chiefs, and Vikings, appearing in 382 games – a record at the time of his retirement.
Andersen’s left-footed kicks had a distinctive style, and he used them to make 565 field goals and 2,544 points. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017, becoming just the second pure kicker inducted. His ability to hit from 50-plus yards made him a weapon from day one, and his durability defied physics. He even kicked his last game at age 47.
3. Gary Anderson – The First to 2,000
Gary Anderson’s career spanned 23 seasons with the Steelers, Eagles, 49ers, Vikings, and Titans. In 1998, he became the first kicker in NFL history to reach 2,000 career points, a milestone that celebrated his remarkable consistency from 1982 through 2004. He finished with 2,434 points and 538 field goals.
Anderson is also part of NFL lore for his perfect 1998 regular season with the Vikings – 35-for-35 on field goals – and his heartbreaking miss in the NFC Championship Game that year. That miss looms large because it helped cost the 15-1 Vikings a Super Bowl appearance. But it should never overshadow his legacy. Anderson was a model of accuracy for over two decades, and his numbers still put him near the top of the scoring mountain.
4. Jason Hanson – One Team, 21 Seasons
Jason Hanson is the definition of loyalty. He played all 21 seasons with the Detroit Lions, a feat unheard of in the modern NFL. He scored 2,150 points and made 495 field goals, all while dealing with the inevitable rebuilding years of a long-suffering franchise. Hanson never missed a game due to injury, and his durability was a huge reason Detroit always had a chance to put points on the board.
Hanson’s best season came in 2008, when he converted 29 of 30 field goal attempts in a year the Lions went 0-16. That kind of professionalism earned him a spot on the NFL’s all-time scoring list and a ton of respect from teammates and opponents.
5. John Carney – The Journeyman
John Carney played for 10 different teams across 23 years, making him the ultimate journeyman kicker. From the Giants to the Chargers to the Saints and beyond, Carney put up 1,937 career points with an 85% field goal accuracy rate. He may not have won a Super Bowl, but he was the kind of reliable scorer every coach wanted.
Carney also briefly came out of retirement in 2010 at age 46 to kick for the Saints, proving his leg was still strong. His secret? A compact, repeatable swing that rarely broke down, even under pressure.
6. Matt Stover – The Ironman
Matt Stover spent 20 seasons in the NFL, starting with the Giants in 1991 and ending with the Colts in 2009. He scored 1,905 points and made 471 field goals. Stover was the kicker for the Baltimore Ravens when they won Super Bowl XXXV, and he delivered a clutch 41-yard field goal in that game to help seal the championship.
Known as “Automatic Matt,” he converted 82.3% of his career attempts, but his real strength was in the fourth quarter. Stover thrived in bad weather and tough moments, which is why he lasted so long in a league that’s brutal to young kickers.
7. Mason Crosby – The Packer’s Scoring Anchor
Mason Crosby rounds out the top seven with 1,875 points, all scored in Green Bay. He was the Packers’ all-time leading scorer and played 16 seasons without ever missing a game. Crosby’s career featured some ups and downs – 2012 was especially rough, with a string of missed kicks that had fans calling for his job – but he bounced back remarkably. He finished with 395 career field goals and a 79.1% success rate.
Crosby was a key part of the Packers’ 2010 Super Bowl run and remained a steady scoring presence in the years that followed. His consistency in cold Lambeau Field conditions made him a fan favorite and a rightful member of this list.
The Next Generation of High Scorers
So who might one day crack this list? Justin Tucker is the most obvious candidate. He’s already made over 1,000 points in just a few seasons and holds the NFL record for the longest field goal at 66 yards. But even Tucker would need to keep kicking into his mid-40s to approach Vinatieri’s total. That’s the dirty little secret of all-time scoring lists in the NFL: volume matters as much as skill.
The NFL is also changing how it evaluates kickers, with technology playing a bigger role than ever. The league’s expanded partnership with Microsoft, bringing Copilot to the sidelines and beyond, gives coaches real-time data to analyze kicking mechanics and game situations. That could help younger kickers develop faster and last longer.
But for now, these seven legends own the top of the scoring mountain. Their names are etched in the record books – and in the memories of fans who watched them split the uprights week after week.
