Peyton Hillis: The Man, the Myth, the Legend

If you’re a fan of NFL football, then chances are you know who Peyton Hillis is. For those who don’t, Peyton Hillis is a former NFL running back who played for several teams during his eight-year career. He’s best known for his time with the Cleveland Browns, where he had a breakout season in 2010 that saw him named the NFL’s “Comeback Player of the Year.”

Since retiring from the NFL in 2016, Hillis has kept a low profile. Peyton Hillis’ post-NFL career has been just as successful as his playing days.

It’s been a long time since Peyton Hillis was a household name in the NFL. After all, it’s been seven years since he graced the cover of Madden NFL 12. But for those who followed his career closely, it’s been impossible to forget about the bruising running back who seemed to come out of nowhere to become one of the league’s most exciting players.

Hillis was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2008 and quickly made an impact as a versatile runner and receiver out of the backfield. He became a fan favorite in Denver for his hard-nosed running style, and he even earned a spot on the cover of Madden NFL 12 after being voted there by fans.

The following year, Hillis was traded to the Cleveland Browns, where he would have the best season of his career. In 2010, Hillis ran for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns while also catching 61 passes for 477 yards and two more touchdowns. He was named First-Team All-Pro and helped lead the Browns to their first winning season since 2007.

Unfortunately, injuries limited Hillis over the next few seasons and he was never able to regain his pre-injury form. He bounced around from team to team before eventually retiring from the NFL in 2017.

Looking back on his career, it’s easy to see why Hillis captivated fans with his unique blend of power and versatility. He was one of the rare players who could do it all on offense, and he did it with a smile on his face and a joy for the game that was infectious. There will never be another player quite like Peyton Hillis, and fans will always remember him as one of the most unlikely stars in NFL history.

Peyton Hillis was one of the most electric players in the NFL during his brief time in the league. A bruising running back with surprising speed and agility, Hillis was a fan favorite wherever he went. From his days with the Denver Broncos to his breakout season with the Cleveland Browns, Hillis thrilled fans with his physical style of play and willingness to do whatever it took to help his team win. Though injuries ultimately ended his career prematurely, fans will always remember Peyton Hillis as one of the most fun-to-watch players in NFL history.

Peyton Hillis at Arkansas

Darren McFadden and Felix Jones may have gotten much of the glory during their time at Arkansas, but fellow teammate Peyton Hillis made just as big an impact.
His 118 catches broke Gary Anderson’s (1979-82) career record for receptions by a running back, while his 537 receiving yards in 2007 set a school single-season mark too. Not to mention that he added 12 rushing TDs across 44 games!
What’s more is that through it all Hillis helped pave the way for both Darren McFadden and FelixJones’ All American run – not bad going considering how renowned those two were on campus!

Peyton Hillis Stats

College Stats

		Rushing	Receiving	Scrimmage
Year	School	Conf	Class	Pos	G	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD	Plays	Yds	Avg	TD
2004	Arkansas	SEC	FR	RB	10	63	240	3.8	6	12	97	8.1	2	75	337	4.5	8
2005	Arkansas	SEC	SO	RB	11	65	315	4.8	3	38	402	10.6	4	103	717	7.0	7
*2006	Arkansas	SEC	JR	RB	10	13	57	4.4	1	19	159	8.4	0	32	216	6.8	1
*2007	Arkansas	SEC	SR	RB	13	62	347	5.6	2	49	537	11.0	5	111	884	8.0	7
Career	Arkansas					203	959	4.7	12	118	1195	10.1	11	321	2154	6.7	23

Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 12/14/2022.

NFL Stats

	Games	Rushing	Receiving	Total Yds
Year	Age	Tm	Pos	No.	G	GS	Rush	Yds	TD	1D	Lng	Y/A	Y/G	A/G	Tgt	Rec	Yds	Y/R	TD	1D	Lng	R/G	Y/G	Ctch%	Y/Tgt	Touch	Y/Tch	YScm	RRTD	Fmb	AV
2008	22	DEN	RB	22	12	6	68	343	5	25	19	5.0	28.6	5.7	19	14	179	12.8	1	9	47	1.2	14.9	73.7%	9.4	82	6.4	522	6	0	4
2009	23	DEN	RB	22	14	2	13	54	1	4	13	4.2	3.9	0.9	6	4	19	4.8	0	0	6	0.3	1.4	66.7%	3.2	17	4.3	73	1	1	0
2010	24	CLE	RB	40	16	14	270	1177	11	58	48	4.4	73.6	16.9	77	61	477	7.8	2	25	47	3.8	29.8	79.2%	6.2	331	5.0	1654	13	8	10
2011	25	CLE	RB	40	10	9	161	587	3	33	24	3.6	58.7	16.1	34	22	130	5.9	0	5	52	2.2	13.0	64.7%	3.8	183	3.9	717	3	2	3
2012	26	KAN	RB	40	13	2	85	309	1	19	18	3.6	23.8	6.5	14	10	62	6.2	0	2	15	0.8	4.8	71.4%	4.4	95	3.9	371	1	2	2
2013	27	NYG	RB	44	7	1	73	247	2	13	27	3.4	35.3	10.4	21	13	96	7.4	0	5	16	1.9	13.7	61.9%	4.6	86	4.0	343	2	2	2
2014	28	NYG	RB	33	9	0	26	115	0	4	16	4.4	12.8	2.9	16	10	87	8.7	0	2	26	1.1	9.7	62.5%	5.4	36	5.6	202	0	0	1
Career				81	34	696	2832	23	156	48	4.1	35.0	8.6	187	134	1050	7.8	3	48	52	1.7	13.0	71.7%	5.6	830	4.7	3882	26	15	22
2 yrs	CLE			26	23	431	1764	14	91	48	4.1	67.8	16.6	111	83	607	7.3	2	30	52	3.2	23.3	74.8%	5.5	514	4.6	2371	16	10	13
2 yrs	DEN			26	8	81	397	6	29	19	4.9	15.3	3.1	25	18	198	11.0	1	9	47	0.7	7.6	72.0%	7.9	99	6.0	595	7	1	4
2 yrs	NYG			16	1	99	362	2	17	27	3.7	22.6	6.2	37	23	183	8.0	0	7	26	1.4	11.4	62.2%	4.9	122	4.5	545	2	2	3
1 yr	KAN			13	2	85	309	1	19	18	3.6	23.8	6.5	14	10	62	6.2	0	2	15	0.8	4.8	71.4%	4.4	95	3.9	371	1	2	2

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/7/2022.