Most Interceptions in NFL History

Paul Krause holds the NFL record for the most career interceptions, with 81, hauled in over 16 seasons from 1964 to 1979. His total sits two ahead of Emlen Tunnell’s 79 and remains the benchmark for defensive ball-hawking, a record that has stood untouched for more than four decades.

Interceptions are among the most valuable plays in football, flipping possession and often momentum in a single moment. The players who accumulate them across a career combine anticipation, range and remarkable longevity in the secondary. Here is the full leaderboard of the NFL’s greatest interceptors, the careers behind the numbers, and why the record looks permanent. All figures are as of the 2025 season.

The record holder: Paul Krause and 81 interceptions

Krause was a free safety who patrolled the deep middle of the field for Washington and, most famously, the Minnesota Vikings’ “Purple People Eaters” defenses. He intercepted 12 passes as a rookie in 1964 and never stopped, building a total that has proven untouchable.

His 81 picks are a product of both instinct and durability. Krause played 16 seasons in an era with fewer games than today, yet compiled a number no one has approached since. Enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he set the standard by which every ball hawk is measured.

The full leaderboard of career interceptions

The table below ranks players by total career interceptions.

Rank	Interceptions	Player	Career
1	81	Paul Krause	1964-1979
2	79	Emlen Tunnell	1948-1961
3	71	Rod Woodson	1987-2003
4	68	Dick “Night Train” Lane	1952-1965
5	65	Ken Riley	1969-1983
6	63	Ronnie Lott	1981-1994
6	63	Darren Sharper	1997-2010
8	62	Dave Brown	1975-1989
8	62	Dick LeBeau	1959-1972
10	58	Emmitt Thomas	1966-1978

The list is dominated by defenders from the 1950s through the 1970s, when passing offenses put the ball in the air into tighter coverage and interceptions came more freely. Rod Woodson, third with 71, is the highest total of the modern era.

Emlen Tunnell, Rod Woodson and the elite ball hawks

Emlen Tunnell, second with 79, was a pioneering Giants and Packers safety and the first Black player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Rod Woodson’s 71 stand out as a modern marvel, compiled across a 17-year career in which he also excelled as a returner and cornerback. Behind them, Hall of Famers like Dick “Night Train” Lane and Ronnie Lott fill out a leaderboard of defensive greats whose value rarely showed up in MVP voting, as our most NFL MVP awards leaderboard makes clear.

Why the record looks safe

Modern rules protect receivers and reward accuracy, so interceptions have grown scarcer even as passing has exploded. That trend, combined with the sheer size of Krause’s total, means no active player is within striking distance. The record joins a small group of defensive marks, like those on our most sacks in NFL history leaderboard, that reward a rare mix of skill and longevity.

Why the record matters

Takeaways win games, and the interception is the purest expression of a defense imposing itself on an offense. Krause’s 81, built over 16 seasons of elite play, is the definitive measure of career ball-hawking. It stands in contrast to the offensive milestones on our most touchdowns in NFL history leaderboard, a reminder that greatness comes from both sides of the ball.

The short version: Paul Krause holds the NFL career interceptions record with 81, ahead of Emlen Tunnell (79) and Rod Woodson (71). As of the 2025 season, the mark has stood since 1979 and, with interceptions harder to come by in the modern game, it looks like one of football’s safest records.