In the NFL, a sack leader is the defensive player with the most sacks in a single regular season. The defensive player must drag down the qսarterback behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass for the play to be designated as a sack. The sack leaders have been rewarded with the Deacon Jones Award annually since 2013.
In 1982, the NFL began recording tackles. As of January 2025, Brսce Smith holds the record for most career tackles in NFL history, with 200. The leader in sacks among active players is Von Miller, who has 129.5, as per Pro Football Reference. Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt hold the record for most sacks in a single season (22.5). There have been seven players in the league's history to have led the NFL in sacks at least twice.
List of every Sack Leader since 1960
Below are sack leaders since 1960:
| Season | Player | Team | Sacks |
| 1960 | Gino Marchetti | Baltimore Colts | 11 |
| 1961 | Gene Lipscomb | Pittsburgh Steelers | 17.5 |
| 1962 | Jim Katcavage | New York Giants | 16 |
| 1963 | Jim Katcavage | New York Giants | 20.5 |
| 1964 | Deacon Jones | Los Angeles Rams | 22 |
| 1965 | Deacon Jones | Los Angeles Rams | 19 |
| 1966 | George Andrie | Dallas Cowboys | 18.5 |
| 1967 | Deacon Jones | Los Angeles Rams | 21.5 |
| 1968 | Deacon Jones | Los Angeles Rams | 22 |
| 1969 | Deacon JonesCarl Ellier | Los Angeles RamsMinnesota Vikings | 15 |
| 1970 | Tony Cline | Oakland Raiders | 17.5 |
| 1971 | Cedrick Hardman | San Francisco 49ers | 18 |
| 1972 | Jack Gregory | New York Giants | 18.5 |
| 1973 | Bill Stanfill | Miami Dolphins | 18.5 |
| 1974 | Fred DryerJack Youngblood | Los Angeles Rams | 15 |
| 1975 | John Dutton | Baltimore Colts | 18 |
| 1976 | Coy Bacon | Cincinnati Bengals | 21.5 |
| 1977 | Harvey Martin | Dallas Cowboys | 20 |
| 1978 | Al Baker | Detroit Lions | 23 |
| 1979 | Jack Youngblood | Los Angeles Rams | 20.5 |
| 1980 | Al BakerGary Johnson | Detroit LionsSan Diego Chargers | 17.5 |
| 1981 | Joe Klecko | New York Jets | 20.5 |
| 1982 | Doug Martin | Minnesota Vikings | 11.5 |
| 1983 | Mark Gastineau | New York Jets | 19 |
| 1984 | Mark Gastineau | New York Jets | 22 |
| 1985 | Richard Dent | Chicago Bears | 17 |
| 1986 | Lawrence Taylor | New York Giants | 20.5 |
| 1987 | Reggie White | Philadelphia Eagles | 21 |
| 1988 | Reggie White | Philadelphia Eagles | 18 |
| 1989 | Chris Doleman | Minnesota Vikings | 21 |
| 1990 | Derrick Thomas | Kansas City Chiefs | 20 |
| 1991 | Pat Swilling | New Orleans Saints | 17 |
| 1992 | Clyde Simmons | Philadelphia Eagles | 19 |
| 1993 | Neil Smith | Kansas City Chiefs | 15 |
| 1994 | Kevin Greene | Pittsburgh Steelers | 14 |
| 1995 | Bryce Paup | Buffalo Bills | 17.5 |
| 1996 | Kevin Greene | Carolina Panthers | 14.5 |
| 1997 | John Randle | Minnesota Vikings | 15.5 |
| 1998 | Michael Sinclair | Seattle Seahawks | 16.5 |
| 1999 | Kevin Carter | St. Louis Rams | 17 |
| 2000 | La'Roi Grover | New Orleans Saints | 17 |
| 2001 | Michael Strahan | New York Giants | 22.5 |
| 2002 | Jason Taylor | Miami Dolphins | 18.5 |
| 2003 | Michael Strahan | New York Giants | 18.5 |
| 2004 | Dwight Freeney | Indianapolis Colts | 18.5 |
| 2005 | Derrick Burgess | Oakland Raiders | 16 |
| 2006 | Shawn Merriman | San Diego Chargers | 17 |
| 2007 | Jared Allen | Minnesota Vikings | 21.5 |
| 2008 | DeMarcus Ware | Dallas Cowboys | 20 |
| 2009 | Elvis Dumervil | Denver Broncos | 17 |
| 2010 | DeMarcus Ware | Dallas Cowboys | 15.5 |
| 2011 | Jared Allen | Minnesota Vikings | 22 |
| 2012 | J.J. Watt | Houston Texans | 20.5 |
| 2013 | Robert Mathis | Indianapolis Colts | 19.5 |
| 2014 | Justin Houston | Kansas City Chiefs | 22 |
| 2015 | J.J. Watt | Houston Texans | 17.5 |
| 2016 | Vic Beasly | Atlanta Falcons | 15.5 |
| 2017 | Chandler Jones | Arizona Cardinals | 17 |
| 2018 | Aaron Donald | Los Angeles Rams | 20.5 |
| 2019 | Shaquill Barrett | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 19.5 |
| 2020 | T. J. Watt | Pittsburgh Steelers | 15 |
| 2021 | T. J. Watt | Pittsburgh Steelers | 22.5 |
| 2022 | Nick Bosa | San Francisco 49ers | 18.5 |
| 2023 | T. J. Watt | Pittsburgh Steelers | 19 |
| 2024 | Trey Hendrickson | Cincinnati Bengals | 17.5 |
The sack leader in NFL history is Bruce Smith. Bruce had 200 sacks in his career. The sack leader among active players is Von Miller, who has 129.5 sacks. (via Pro Football Reference)
FAQs on National Football League Annual Sacks Leaders by Season
A. NFL sack leader in the 2023 season was T.J. Watt who finished with 19 sacks.
A. Bruce Smith has the most NFL sacks. He has 200 career sacks.
A. The NFL's active sack leader as of January 2025 is Von Miller. He has 129.5 career sacks (via Pro Football Reference).
