Alfred Morris Continues Climbing up the All-Time Rushing Yards List Despite Less Than $9 Million in Earnings
New York Giants running back Alfred Morris is climbing up the all-time rushing list at an excellent pace.
At this point in his career, Morris — a two-time Pro Bowl selection in his first year with the New York Giants — will need a lot of help to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Considering he entered the league as a sixth-round pick, Morris has had a career worth celebrating, and his rising place in football history shows as much.
Alfred Morris started his career in a big way
A standout running back at Florida Atlantic University, Alfred Morris parlayed a stellar college career into an NFL opportunity.
The then-Washington Redskins used a sixth-round pick on Morris in the 2012 NFL draft. Earlier that week, Washington used the No. 2 overall pick on quarterback Robert Griffin III, and later used a fourth-round selection on Michigan State gunslinger Kirk Cousins.
The duo of Griffin and Morris immediately paid dividends. Griffin earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors — and if not for Griffin, it may have been Morris holding the award.
Morris totaled 1,613 yards and 13 touchdowns on 4.8 yards per carry. Washington gave Morris an eye-popping 335 carries in 16 games, and another 16 in the NFC wild-card round loss to Russell Wilson and the Seahawks.
Morris picked up 80 yards that night. He earned second-team All-Pro honors after the season.
Morris later became a servicable journeyman running back
Alfred Morris quickly proved that he wasn’t a one-year wonder.
Morris earned Pro Bowl honors in 2013, picking up 1,275 yards and seven touchdowns on 4.6 yards per carry. The 2014 season proved similar, with Morris again reaching the Pro Bowl thanks to 1,074 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
Morris’s numbers dipped in 2015, and he joined the rival Dallas Cowboys in 2016. Backing up Ezekiel Elliott, Morris ran for 243 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games.
Morris saw increased action in 2017, picking up 547 yards and a touchdown on 4.8 yards per attempt in 14 games and five starts. The veteran running back had over 400 yards in 2018 with the 49ers and had a 4-yard carry in his lone game with the Cardinals last year.
Alfred Morris keeps clawing up the all-time rushing list
Alfred Morris continued his journey around the NFC East Division when he joined the New York Giants earlier this year.
Morris ran for 137 yards on 4.7 yards per attempt in his first four games with the Giants. That included a 67-yard performance in a Week 9 victory over Alex Smith and the Washington Football Team.
Morris has been a busy bee in limited action this year. The former Pro Bowler passed 6,000 career rushing yards and has continued climbing the all-time rushing yards list.
Through Week 12 of the 2020 season, Morris had 6,072 career rushing yards to his name, good enough for 91st all-time. Atlanta Falcons running back Todd Gurley, who has 6,014 yards, is slightly behind him at 93rd overall.
With the right amount of carries and blocking, Morris may have a chance to sneak into the top-85; Ezekiel Elliott has 6,112 yards and is 85th overall, but he should soon pass Neal Anderson, who retired with 6,166 yards.
Only 94 running backs have topped 6,000 yards, and 64 have reached 7,000 in their careers. The fact that Morris has gotten this far as a sixth-round pick — and someone who, according to Spotrac, has earned roughly $8.4 million in his career — is an astounding feat.
All stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference. Contract figures courtesy of Spotrac.
