2024 NFL Fair Catch Percentage Leaders
The share of a punter's punts that the returner fair caught instead of running back. Public play-by-play does not record hang time, so the fair-catch rate is the best available stand-in: a punt that hangs long enough for the coverage team to arrive leaves the returner no choice but to wave for a fair catch.
Higher usually means better hang time, though a returner who is no threat also calls for more fair catches. College punts whose play text does not say how they ended are left out of the count. In 2024, Jamie Gillan (44.6%) led NFL punters in fair catch percentage, ahead of Rigoberto Sanchez (36.8%) and Matthew Hayball (36.0%). 30 punters qualify (minimum 30 punts). The median qualified punter had 28.5%.
Final 2024 regular-season numbers, updated October 23, 2026.
| Rk | Player | Team | FC % | Punts | Avg | Net | In 20 | In 20 % | TB % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie Gillan | New York Giants | 44.6% | 56 | 43.7 | 40.6 | 27 | 48% | 4% | +2.4 |
| 2 | Rigoberto Sanchez | Indianapolis Colts | 36.8% | 68 | 49.7 | 42.6 | 27 | 40% | 6% | −5.2 |
| 3 | Matthew Hayball | New Orleans Saints | 36.0% | 75 | 44.0 | 40.4 | 41 | 55% | 4% | −15.4 |
| 4 | Blake Gillikin | Arizona Cardinals | 34.2% | 38 | 49.7 | 44.3 | 19 | 50% | 3% | +1.6 |
| 5 | Matt Araiza | Kansas City Chiefs | 33.9% | 62 | 48.8 | 41.8 | 25 | 40% | 15% | +2.6 |
| 6 | J.K. Scott | Los Angeles Chargers | 33.3% | 72 | 46.7 | 41.9 | 28 | 39% | 6% | −9.5 |
| 7 | Bryan Anger | Dallas Cowboys | 32.3% | 62 | 48.5 | 42.0 | 24 | 39% | 5% | −1.0 |
| 8 | Riley Dixon | Denver Broncos | 31.2% | 77 | 46.7 | 42.2 | 33 | 43% | 6% | +9.8 |
| 9 | Jack Fox | Detroit Lions | 31.1% | 45 | 51.0 | 46.2 | 22 | 49% | 9% | +9.3 |
| 10 | Daniel Whelan | Green Bay Packers | 30.4% | 56 | 46.1 | 40.2 | 22 | 39% | 9% | +7.0 |
| 11 | Tommy Townsend | Houston Texans | 30.3% | 77 | 48.0 | 44.0 | 39 | 51% | 9% | +14.8 |
| 12 | Ryan Rehkow | Cincinnati Bengals | 30.2% | 53 | 49.1 | 42.9 | 25 | 47% | 9% | +7.0 |
| 13 | Bradley Pinion | Atlanta Falcons | 29.8% | 47 | 47.0 | 38.8 | 14 | 30% | 9% | −5.8 |
| 14 | Jordan Stout | Baltimore Ravens | 29.1% | 55 | 46.4 | 41.2 | 22 | 40% | 11% | +1.2 |
| 15 | Michael Dickson | Seattle Seahawks | 28.9% | 76 | 49.4 | 43.3 | 31 | 41% | 12% | +8.2 |
| 16 | Tory Taylor | Chicago Bears | 28.0% | 82 | 47.7 | 41.6 | 34 | 41% | 5% | +5.4 |
| 17 | Logan Cooke | Jacksonville Jaguars | 27.9% | 68 | 49.4 | 44.8 | 34 | 50% | 4% | +16.3 |
| 18 | Johnny Hekker | Carolina Panthers | 27.4% | 74 | 45.7 | 41.9 | 24 | 32% | 4% | −3.5 |
| 19 | Corliss Waitman | Pittsburgh Steelers | 24.6% | 65 | 46.4 | 41.9 | 27 | 42% | 8% | +23.2 |
| 20 | Bryce Baringer | New England Patriots | 24.3% | 70 | 49.8 | 41.7 | 31 | 44% | 11% | +4.6 |
| 21 | Sam Martin | Buffalo Bills | 24.1% | 55 | 46.7 | 40.2 | 25 | 45% | 9% | −7.6 |
| 22 | Tress Way | Washington Commanders | 24.0% | 50 | 46.9 | 43.1 | 22 | 44% | 4% | +9.3 |
| 23 | Thomas Morstead | New York Jets | 23.8% | 63 | 47.2 | 40.9 | 19 | 30% | 11% | +2.4 |
| 24 | AJ Cole | Las Vegas Raiders | 21.5% | 67 | 50.8 | 42.5 | 27 | 40% | 12% | −14.4 |
| 25 | Jake Bailey | Miami Dolphins | 19.6% | 57 | 47.1 | 40.5 | 22 | 39% | 9% | −5.0 |
| 26 | Corey Bojorquez | Cleveland Browns | 19.1% | 89 | 49.3 | 41.8 | 36 | 40% | 8% | +5.1 |
| 27 | Ethan Evans | Los Angeles Rams | 18.2% | 55 | 46.0 | 41.7 | 30 | 55% | 4% | −5.8 |
| 28 | Ryan Wright | Minnesota Vikings | 17.9% | 57 | 46.5 | 40.6 | 27 | 47% | 9% | −5.2 |
| 29 | Braden Mann | Philadelphia Eagles | 14.8% | 55 | 48.8 | 42.1 | 20 | 36% | 13% | +1.5 |
| 30 | Ryan Stonehouse | Tennessee Titans | 12.3% | 75 | 50.6 | 38.6 | 22 | 29% | 10% | −20.6 |
Fair Catch Percentage in other seasons: 2026 2025 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
More 2024 NFL punter leaderboards
- Punts
- Punting Yards
- Gross Punting Average
- Net Punting Average
- Punts Inside the 20
- Inside the 20 Percentage
- Longest Punts
- Punt Touchbacks
- Fair Catches Forced
- Punts Downed
- Punts Out of Bounds
- Punts Returned
- Punt Return Yards Allowed
- Average Punt Return Allowed
- Blocked Punts
- Punt Points Added
- Punt Points per 100 Punts
- Punt Touchback Percentage
- Touchbacks Avoided (STOP Rank)
- Punts Out of Bounds Percentage
- Punts Downed Percentage
- Punt Return Percentage
- Return Yards Allowed per Punt
- Opponent Starting Field Position
- Punts Inside the 10
- Punts of 50+ Yards
- 50+ Yard Punt Percentage
- Inside-20 to Touchback Ratio
- Net Average in Opponent Territory
- Net Average in Cold Weather
- Net Average in Wind
Other 2024 NFL rankings
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