Category profile
- Dominance
- 82
- Peak
- 90
- Longevity
- 92
- Honours
- 82
- Statistics
- 94
Career timeline · Touchdowns per season
| Season | Touchdowns per season | Share of career |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 45 | |
| 1979 | 55 | |
| 1980 | 65 | |
| 1981 | 75 | |
| 1982 | 85 | |
| 1983 | 95 | |
| 1984 | 90 | |
| 1985 | 85 | |
| 1986 | 80 | |
| 1987 | 75 | |
| 1988 | 70 | |
| 1989 | 65 | |
| 1990 | 60 | |
| 1991 | 55 | |
| 1992 | 50 | |
| 1993 | 45 |
Data sources
- Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Pro Football Reference
- NFL official records
Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method
Why James Lofton ranks #123 in American Football
James Lofton ranks 123rd among American Football athletes on GOAT Rank and 1917th of 4013 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 87.4 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 82, Peak 90, Longevity 92, Honours 82, Statistics 94. Those categories are normalised against the full American Football reference universe of 340 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.
The record covers 1978–1993 with 16 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1983, which sets the Peak component at 90. Statistics is the defining strength of the profile at 94 out of 100, and it carries 15% of the final score. The underlying career record includes receiving yards 14004, career receptions 764, pro bowls 8, seasons played 16.
Immediately ahead sits Jimmy Johnson on 87.4, a gap of 0.0 points. Directly behind is Paul Hornung on 87.4. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.
James Lofton GOAT Score explained
- Dominance82/100 · weight 25%
- Measures how far Lofton stood above the field while competing. Scored 82/100 against the full American Football cohort.
- Peak90/100 · weight 20%
- Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1983. Scored 90/100.
- Longevity92/100 · weight 20%
- Rewards staying at that level over time: 15 years of competition and 16 recorded seasons. Scored 92/100.
- Honours82/100 · weight 20%
- Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 82/100.
- Statistics94/100 · weight 15%
- Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 94/100.
Top Lofton comparisons
James Lofton — frequently asked
- Is James Lofton the GOAT?
- Not on the current data. James Lofton ranks 123rd in American Football with a GOAT Score of 87.4, behind Tom Brady on 97.2.
- What is James Lofton's GOAT Score?
- 87.4 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 82 (25%), Peak 90 (20%), Longevity 92 (20%), Honours 82 (20%), Statistics 94 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
- Where does James Lofton rank all time?
- 1917th of 4013 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 123rd within American Football.
- James Lofton vs Jimmy Johnson: who ranks higher?
- James Lofton, on 87.4 against Jimmy Johnson's 87.4 — a margin of 0.0 points.