Yards After Catch YAC
YAC stands for yards after catch in football. Receiving yards a player gained after the ball was in his hands: the run after the catch.
How YAC is calculated
YAC = receiving yards − yards at the catch (how far past the line of scrimmage the ball was caught).
A receiver whose yards are mostly YAC is getting short throws and making people miss; one whose yards come at the catch is winning deep. ESPN tracks it from about 2006.
What counts as a good YAC?
Half of the 204 qualified NFL players in 2025 were at or below 209. Clearing 427.5 put a season in the top tenth of the league.
- Median
- 209
- Top 10%
- 427.5
- Leader
- 857
By position, the median was 301 for RB, 221 for TE and 161 for WR.
Qualified: 4+ games, 30+ TGTS, non-zero, 2025 regular season.