While this niche doesn’t always get the attention it deserves, the greatest kick returners of all time are special players who deserve recognition. For whatever reason, these players don’t necessarily have the skills to be among the greatest wide receivers or top running backs of all time.

But if you give them a chance with the ball in their hands on a kickoff or punt and they can make magic.

Ranking the NFL’s Greatest Kick Returners Ever

Throughout NFL history, there have been many players to stand out as both kickoff specialists and top punt returners. Each generation seems to have at least a couple of players who are truly elite in this part of the game. We decided to look back throughout NFL history and pick out the five greatest kick returners of all time.

5. Desmond Howard

While he never quite lived up to the hype of being a Heisman winner and the fourth overall draft pick, Desmond Howard was still a dangerous return man during his NFL career. Howard’s 1996 season alone makes him an all-time legend among kick returners. That season, he set the NFL record for most punt return yards thanks to three punts he returned for touchdowns.

That doesn’t include the 99-yard kickoff return for at touchdown Howard had in the Super Bowl that season. That touchdown helped to secure victory for the Packers while also giving Howard Super Bowl MVP honors, a rare feat for a return specialist. 

4. Josh Cribbs

After going undrafted, it didn’t take long for Josh Cribbs to supplant himself as a top-flight kick returner with the Browns. In each of his first five seasons, he racked up over 1,000 kickoff return yards, scoring eight touchdowns on kickoffs during that time before his productivity started to drop off.

Cribbs also added three punt returns for touchdowns during his career while going to the Pro Bowl three times. Cribbs was named to the NFL All-Decade Team in the 2000s as a kick returner.

3. Eric Metcalf

There was a time when Eric Metcalf was the best kick returner the NFL had ever known. He wasn’t half bad as a running back and pass-catcher either. But Metcalf was at his best as a return man.

He totaled 10 punt returns for a touchdown in his career, including one that came more than a decade into his time in the NFL. At the time Metcalf retired, those 10 touchdowns on punts were the all-time NFL record. His 12 total return touchdowns remain third on the all-time list while Metcalf’s exploits in the return game are the reason he was a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro.

2. Brian Mitchell

While he’s not the most dynamic kick returner ever, most of the records in this category belong to Brian Mitchell. He holds the NFL all-time records for kickoff return yards and punt return yards, as well as fair catches.

Thanks to all of his time as a returner, Mitchell actually ranks second behind only Jerry Rice in total yardage in NFL history. Obviously, he had a lot of opportunities as a kick returner to log those types of numbers. But the reason for that is Mitchell finished his career with 13 special teams touchdowns, which ranks second all-time behind only the return man who tops our list.

1. Devin Hester

There should be little doubt that Devin Hester is the best kick returner in NFL history. He’s a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the back of being a record holder for 20 return touchdowns in his career, including 14 career punt return touchdowns, which is also an NFL record.

Hester spent his heyday with the Bears, returning kicks for Chicago from 2006 to 2013. His exploits for the Bears and then two seasons with the Falcons helped to put Hester on the NFL All-Decade Team for both the 2000s and 2010s, which is a testament to how long he was an elite return man. Last but not least, also separating Hester from the pack is the fact that to date he remains the only player to take the opening kickoff of the Super Bowl back for a touchdown.

Who has the best returns in NFL history?

Brian Mitchell has the record for the most return yards in NFL history with 14,014. Mitchell played for the Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Giants. His 607 kickoff returns are almost 100 more than anyone else.

Has a QB ever returned a kick?

Yes. Several quarterbacks have returned kicks. Taysom Hill is the most recent QB to do so, but several others have throughout NFL history, including Tom Matte and Joe Webb.

Who has the longest kickoff return in the NFL?

Cordarrelle Patterson holds the record for the longest kickoff return in NFL history. Patterson went endzone to endzone against the Green Bay Packers in 2013, recording a 109-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Who has the longest kickoff return touchdown in Super Bowl history?

Jacoby Jones returned a kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLVII. It is the longest kickoff return in Super Bowl history, and helped the Baltimore Ravens win the Big Game 34-31.