NFL Players On Pace to Set Notable Career Records
Any number of players can assemble a legendary career, but only a select group of NFL players can retire as record-holders.
In many cases, an existing mark looks untouchable. At the very least, it's too early to project that a current superstar will continue playing long enough to even consider them "on pace" for a record.
But there are several players—including Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald—who could set memorable career records.
The records are based on post-merger (1970) averages and totals.
Multiple: Completion Percentage
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Look, somebody is probably going to set it.
Drew Brees retired with a career 67.7 completion percentage. Unsurprisingly, he holds six of the 10 most accurate years in NFL history—including the only three seasons of 72-plus percent.
However, the rest of the career list is littered with active players. Joe Burrow and Jimmy Garoppolo currently share the lead at 67.8 percent, while Justin Herbert is close behind with a 67.0 mark and Kirk Cousins, Deshaun Watson and Kyler Murray all at 66.8 percent.
For good measure, Dak Prescott (66.5) and Patrick Mahomes (66.2) are in the neighborhood. Teddy Bridgewater (66.4) isn't a starter any longer but counts on the leaderboard, too.
In short: Brees doesn't have a secure spot.
Travis Kelce: Tight End Records
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The question is how long Travis Kelce actually wants to play. Entering his age-34 season, he's a seven-time All-Pro with two Super Bowl rings and the fourth tight end in NFL history with 10,000 receiving yards.
Kelce is, without question, a future Hall of Fame inductee.
Two career records at his position are within reach, though. Tony Gonzalez caught 1,325 passes for 15,127 yards; Kelce opened the 2023 campaign at 814 receptions for 10,344 yards.
If Kelce averaged 1,000 yards throughout the next four seasons, he'd be within 783 yards of Gonzalez after 2026. More directly, Kelce would set the record with 1,196 yards per year.
Kelce has said he'll keep playing until the wheels fall off, and catching passes from Patrick Mahomes certainly won't hurt the chase.
Aaron Donald: Tackles for Loss
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Yes, there's an asterisk. Technically, tackles for loss is a statistic only officially recorded since the 1999 season.
If you can manage to put that aside, we continue.
Terrell Suggs stands as the current record-holder at 202 takedowns in the backfield. The former Baltimore Ravens star, he of Ball So Hard University, produced that total throughout a 17-year career.
Aaron Donald, meanwhile, has racked up 160 TFLs through his first nine seasons. Provided he keeps playing beyond 2023—which, as always, is no guarantee—Donald is just 32 years old.
The fearsome defensive tackle absolutely is capable of recording 43 TFLs in the next three years, let alone a longer career.
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Bobby Wagner: Total Tackles
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Bobby Wagner has assembled a ridiculously impressive career.
As a rookie, he totaled 140 tackles. He followed up that season with 120 stops in 2013. Then, the 2014 campaign brought his worst statistical year. Wagner missed five games and tallied a measly 104 tackles—oh, and he still garnered first-team All-Pro honors.
Heading into the 2023 season, Wagner had registered 1,523 combined solo and assisted tackles. The record currently belongs to Baltimore legend Ray Lewis, who posted 2,059.
Wagner has amassed no less than 133 stops in seven straight years. He'd need to average 134 during the next four seasons to match Lewis or 108 over a five-season span to pass him.
The retirement caveat applies, but Wagner has earned All-Pro recognition in nine straight years and still is just 33.
Justin Tucker: Field Goal Percentage
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Not only is Justin Tucker already the most accurate kicker in NFL history, volume is on his side.
Younghoe Koo (89.1 percent), Daniel Carlson (88.3), Harrison Butker (88.3) and Matt Gay (87.3) are active specialists, as well. Each of them, though, has attempted no more than 188 field goals in their respective careers, while Tucker has surpassed 400 kicks.
Any mishaps won't hurt Tucker's all-time 90.5 field-goal percentage as badly. Also, he rarely misses anyway.
Tucker recorded the worst mark (86.0) of his career in 2022, which may suggest a decline. But that concern is much lower when you consider five of his six misses happened beyond 50 yards. He still converted a remarkable 28-of-29 attempts inside 50 yards.
At this position, Tucker is a legend.
Multiple: Yards per Punt
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Similar to quarterbacks and completion percentage, there's a wide range of candidates for yards per punt.
Michael Dickson headlines the group with a 47.7-yard average, a tenth higher than longtime punter Shane Lechler (47.6). Plus, all of Cameron Johnston (47.2), Logan Cooke (47.0), Tress Way (47.0) and Johnny Hekker (46.9) are within a yard of Dickson.
As with Tucker, Lechler's longevity is an asset. Dickson, Jonston and Cooke all debuted in 2018 and haven't hit 400 career punts, while Lechler blasted 1,444 kicks in his 18 years.
Given the number of options, it's only logical to believe one of those active punters can officially surpass Lechler's mark.
Cordarrelle Patterson: Yards per Kick Return
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Cordarrelle Patterson's career has been quite a journey.
Selected in the first round of the 2013 draft as a wide receiver, he never panned out at the position. He bounced around the NFL before finding a home as a running back with the Atlanta Falcons.
Along the way, he consistently provided an All-Pro impact—six times, to be specific—as a kick returner. If he retired today, he'd formally be crowned the most productive kick returner ever.
Patterson holds the record for career kick-return touchdowns (nine), and he's atop the leaderboard in yards per return (27.5).
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