The Index · Legend

LaDainian TomlinsonNew York Jets · #21

Running Back · 5'10", 215 lb · Rosebud, Texas · Age 47

LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 13,684 yards and 145 touchdowns and added 624 receptions across 11 seasons with the Chargers and Jets. His 2006 MVP season set NFL records with 28 rushing and 31 total touchdowns, and he entered the Hall of Fame in 2017.

New York Jets roster More Running Backs

Running BackDrafted 200111-yr veteran

⚖ Quick compare

Analysis by Beau Thoutt · Balladex · Updated Aug 20, 2026

★ Legendary

New York Jets · #21 · Running Back

LaDainian Tomlinson

Season avg280 rush yds · 1 td · 42 rec

Career avg13,684 rush yds · 145 td · 624 rec

IMPACTBalladex Impact 56 — Rotation piece tierINDEXLaDainian Tomlinson · New York JetsIMPACTBalladex Impact 56 — Rotation piece tierINDEXLaDainian Tomlinson · New York Jets

Scouting report

LaDainian Tomlinson — the report card

Read his whole game at a glance, then dive into any skill. Grades are percentiles vs every active player at his position.

B+

Running Back · Rotation piece · Impact 56

LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 13,684 yards and 145 touchdowns and added 624 receptions across 11 seasons with the Chargers and Jets. His 2006 MVP sea

B-

Rushing

A-

Receiving

C+

Scoring

B-

Rushing volume

Strong · offense

tap for the data ↓

C+

Scoring

Solid · offense

tap for the data ↓

A+

Receiving

Elite · offense

tap for the data ↓

All-purpose

Excellent · offense

tap for the data ↓

Volume share

Elite · offense

tap for the data ↓

Act II

Where LaDainian Tomlinson stands

Live ladders from the Balladex models, and what he's chasing. Rankings recompute nightly from real production, accolades, and search demand.

The laddersmodel · recomputes nightly

✦ Balladex Consensus: Rotation piece tier — a blend of Impact, production and résumé.

Futures & chases

—MVP odds

56Impact index

1880Star score

Career scoring average0.0 ppg

Seasons in the index0

Accolades on file5

NFL MVP · Offensive POY

Stat explorer

LaDainian Tomlinson — every number, three levels deep

Headline → metric → the raw history behind it. Real career data; tracking-only metrics labeled.

B-

Rushing

280 YDS

drill in ↓

C+

Scoring

1 TD

drill in ↓

A+

Receiving

449 YDS

drill in ↓

All-purpose

729 YDS

drill in ↓

The engine

How the model sees LaDainian Tomlinson

Projection = recency-weighted per-season production, nudged along a position aging curve, banded by his year-to-year volatility. No black box — every number shows its work.

Projected 2012 modeled

464

rush yds

211–718

-1–8

rec

21–47

306

rec yds

188–424

games

13–15

Bands widen as confidence drops. Derived live from the real 11-season history below.

What moves the rush yds line vs last season

Last season 280 → projected 464 rush yds

Baseline (recency-weighted)

+286.3

Age curve

-101.9

Net vs last season+184.4 rush yds

Everything it reads

📊

11 seasons of real box production

every game line, verified

real

⚖

Recency × games weight

recent, healthy years anchor the baseline

auto

📈

Year-over-year trend

his own trajectory, season to season

+dev

🕰

Position aging curve

age 47 — applied to the projection

curve

🏈

Role & usage context

target / carry share and snaps fold in

+ctx

🏥

Availability signal

games last 3: 14 / 15 / 14

health

The real history it trains onsource: Pro-Football-Reference / ESPN · verified

LaDainian Tomlinson career stats, season by season

Career stats by season
Season	G	Rush	TD	Rec	Rec yds	Scrim
2001	16	1,236	10	59	367	1,603
2002	16	1,683	14	79	489	2,172
2003 100 rec	16	1,645	13	100	725	2,370
2004	15	1,335	17	53	441	1,776
2005	16	1,462	18	51	370	1,832
2006 MVP	16	1,815	28	56	508	2,323
2007	16	1,474	15	60	475	1,949
2008	16	1,110	11	52	426	1,536
2009	14	730	12	20	154	884
2010	15	914	6	52	368	1,282
2011	14	280	1	42	449	729
Career	170	13,684	145	624	4,772	18,456

Source: Pro-Football-Reference. Backtested against completed player-seasons in the index. The same engine powers the report-card percentiles and the DNA radar — one model, asked different questions. Illustrative.

Act III

The Lab

Every number, live and interactive. Real career data; models labeled.

Gold = award / milestone season · hover any bar. Real season totals.

Player DNA + compssimilarity model

Closest comps

Bucky Irving 99%Tyjae Spears 99%Omarion Hampton 99%Woody Marks 99%Aaron Jones Sr. 98%Chuba Hubbard 98%

⚖ Overlay a rival →

Context

Are the New York Jets built to win?

Team projection rolled up from the roster + last-season baselines — and what it means for his role.

9–8proj record

59off index

87def index

+12net

58%playoff odds

73roster

Roster delta · what changed

Offense grades C (59), defense A- (87) by our position-percentile roster model. QB play indexes at 47, pass rush 88, coverage 86.

How his role moves

Projected 9–8 on a 17-game slate — modeled from the current roster's production percentiles, not a calibrated Vegas line. His snaps, target/carry share and usage move with roster health.

Balladex Impact

56 of 99

Rotation piece tier.

Rarity

◆ Legendary

Rank #15 of 2316 in NFL.

Résumé

5 accolades

NFL MVP · Offensive POY · 3× First-Team All-Pro

Act IV

The Ballad of LaDainian Tomlinson

Birth to now — the making of a legend, narrated and scored.

1979-06-23

The beginning

LaDainian Tomlinson was the NFL's most dynamic dual-threat back of the 2000s, whose record-setting 2006 season carried the San Diego Chargers.

New York Jets

Turning pro

Drafted 2001, Round 1 (#5 overall) as a Running Back.

true

Caught 100 passes as a running back in 2003

Chapter

Set the single-season TD record in 2006

Chapter

Won 2006 MVP and Offensive Player of the Year

▶

Tomlinson's story

The documentary, narrated

Highlights

▶ LaDainian Tomlinson Top 50 Most Electrifying Plays!▶ LaDainian Tomlinson career highlights ▶ LaDainian Tomlinson: The Man Who Led The CHARGE In San Diego..▶ LaDainian Tomlinson's SECRET to the perfect STIFF-ARM

Off the court

Measurables

Height: 5'10"
Weight: 215 lb
Draft: 2001, Round 1 (#5 overall)
Born: Rosebud, Texas
Age: 47
Jersey: #21

Off the Field

Since retiring, Tomlinson has worked as an NFL Network analyst and a Chargers special assistant, and is active in youth and community charitable work.

The person

Tomlinson combined explosive versatility with a thoughtful, team-first leadership style that made him the face of the Chargers.

VersatileElite as both a runner and a receiver out of the backfield.

ExplosiveRecord 28 rushing TDs in a single season.

Leader2006 Walter Payton Man of the Year and team captain.

Verified profiles & sources

Wikipedia Pro-Football-Reference NFL.com

FAQ

LaDainian Tomlinson — frequently asked

The questions people ask most about LaDainian Tomlinson, answered.

What records did LaDainian Tomlinson set in 2006?

He set NFL single-season records with 28 rushing touchdowns and 31 total touchdowns while winning MVP and Offensive Player of the Year.

Was Tomlinson a good receiver?

Yes. He caught 624 passes for 4,772 yards, including a 100-catch season in 2003, making him an elite dual threat.

Did LaDainian Tomlinson win a Super Bowl?

No. His Chargers reached the AFC Championship after the 2007 season but he never played in a Super Bowl.

LaDainian Tomlinson career stats & accolades are real, and team projections and recent-game home/away splits are computed from real production. DNA ratings, grades, tonight's projection, ladders, live win probability and simulator outputs are Balladex model output. Not affiliated with the NBA.