List of NFL annual receiving touchdowns leaders
In American football, passing, along with running, is one of the two main methods of advancing the ball down the field. Passes are typically attempted by the quarterback, but any offensive player can attempt a pass provided they are behind the line of scrimmage. To qualify as a passing play, the ball must have initially moved forward after leaving the hands of the passer; if the ball initially moved laterally or backwards, the play would instead be considered a running play. A receiving touchdown is scored when a player catches the ball in the field of play and advances it into the end zone, or catches it while already being within the boundaries of the end zone.
The National Football League did not begin keeping official records until the season. Since the adoption of the 14-game season in, only one season has had a receiving touchdowns league leader record fewer than 10 touchdown catches. The record for receiving touchdowns in a season is 23, set by Randy Moss during the 2007 season; only one other player has recorded 20 or more receiving touchdowns in a season. In addition to the overall NFL receiving touchdown leaders, league record books recognize the receiving touchdown leaders of the American Football League, which operated from 1960 to 1969 before being absorbed into the National Football League in 1970. The NFL also recognizes the statistics of the All-America Football Conference, which operated from 1946 to 1949 before three of its teams were merged into the NFL, since 2025.
Don Hutson led the league in receiving touchdowns nine times, the most of any player in league history; Rice ranks second with six league-leading seasons. Hutson also holds the record for the two longest streaks leading the league in receiving touchdowns, doing so for four consecutive seasons and then doing it for five consecutive years from to.
NFL annual receiving touchdowns leaders
| Symbol | Meaning |
| Leader | The player who recorded the most receiving touchdowns in the NFL |
| TDs | The total number of receiving touchdowns the player had |
| GP | The number of games played by a player during the season |
| Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
| ^ | Active player |
| * | Set the single-season receiving touchdowns record |
| Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list |
AFL annual receiving touchdowns leaders
| Symbol | Meaning |
| Leader | The player who recorded the most receiving touchdowns in the AFL |
| TDs | The total number of receiving touchdowns the player had |
| GP | The number of games played by a player during the season |
| Pro Football Hall of Fame member | |
| * | Player set the single-season receiving touchdowns record |
| Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list |
| Season | Leader | Team | |||
| 1960 | 14* | 14 | New York Titans | ||
| 1961 | 17* | 14 | Houston Oilers | ||
| 1962 | 12 | 14 | Dallas Texans | ||
| 1963 | 16 | 14 | Oakland Raiders | ||
| 1964 | 13 | 14 | San Diego Chargers | ||
| 1965 | 14 | 14 | San Diego Chargers | ||
| 1965 | 14 | 14 | New York Jets | ||
| 1966 | 13 | 14 | San Diego Chargers | ||
| 1967 | 11 | 14 | Denver Broncos | ||
| 1967 | 11 | 14 | Kansas City Chiefs | ||
| 1968 | 11 | 14 | Miami Dolphins | ||
| 1968 | 11 | 14 | Oakland Raiders | ||
| 1969 | 14 | 14 | Oakland Raiders |
AAFC annual receiving touchdowns leaders
| Symbol | Meaning |
| Player | The player who recorded the most receiving touchdowns in the AAFC |
| TDs | The total number of receiving touchdowns the player had |
| GP | The number of games played by the player during the season |
| AAFC record | |
| * | Last time the record was set |
| Denotes the number of times a player appears in this list |
| Season | Player | Team | |||
| 1946 | 10 | 14 | San Francisco 49ers | ||
| 1947 | 10 | 13 | San Francisco 49ers | ||
| 1948 | 14* | 14 | San Francisco 49ers | ||
| 1949 | 12 | 12 | San Francisco 49ers |