In American football, an interception (INT), also known as a pick, occurs when a pass intended for a player of the same team is caught by an opposition player, who then gains possession for their team. The National Football League (NFL) did not begin keeping official records until the 1932 season and did not begin tracking interceptions until 1940. As a result of the AFL–NFL merger, league record books also recognize statistics from the American Football League (AFL), which operated from 1960 to 1969 before being absorbed into the NFL in 1970.
There have been 39 players who have recorded at least 50 interceptions. Paul Krause is the all-time leader, with 81 interceptions. Due to rule changes and increasingly detailed offensive schemes, among other factors, the rate of interceptions has dropped considerably from 1971 (5.78%) to 2018 (2.37%). As of 2025, no active player has at least 40 interceptions, with free agent Patrick Peterson the active career leader at 36.
References.
 ;templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" / ;