# Justin Forsett
**Justin Forsett** is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league) (NFL) for nine seasons, playing for seven teams and earning a [Pro Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/pro-bowl) selection in 2014 with the [Baltimore Ravens](https://www.edgepedia.org/baltimore-ravens), when he rushed for a career-high 1,266 yards.[1](https://calbears.com/honors/california-athletics-hall-of-fame/justin-forsett/1337) • [2](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2024/BAL.pdf) He played college football for the California Golden Bears and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round (233rd overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft.[3](https://ras.football/2020/01/05/justin-forsett-ras/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position / size | Running back; listed at 5'8" and 198 pounds by Houston in 2012[4](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1579102279/patriots/mgy3wj38u0cinfdjgqlw.pdf) |
| Draft | Seattle Seahawks, 7th round, 233rd overall, 2008 NFL Draft, out of California[3](https://ras.football/2020/01/05/justin-forsett-ras/) |
| NFL teams | Indianapolis Colts (2008), Seattle Seahawks (2008–11), Houston Texans (2012), Jacksonville Jaguars (2013), Baltimore Ravens (2014–16), Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos (2016)[5](https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/justin-forsett/4547) |
| Career rushing | 122 games, 820 carries, 3,890 yards, 4.7 yards per carry, 19 touchdowns[6](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-forsett/stats/career) |
| Career receiving | 210 receptions, 1,351 yards, 1 touchdown[6](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-forsett/stats/career) |
| Peak season | 2014: 235 carries, 1,266 yards (fifth in the NFL), 5.4 average, 8 touchdowns, Pro Bowl[2](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2024/BAL.pdf) |
| College honors | Inducted into the California Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021[1](https://calbears.com/honors/california-athletics-hall-of-fame/justin-forsett/1337) |
## College career at California
Forsett enrolled at California in 2004 and saw action mostly as a gunner on the special-teams coverage units as a freshman.[7](https://www.nfl.com/draft/tracker/2008/rounds/7) He was not a full-time starter for most of his college career, but his senior season in 2007 made him one of the most productive runners in school history: he rushed for 1,546 yards, third all-time at Cal at the time, and tied the school season record with 15 rushing touchdowns on a school-record 305 attempts, earning first-team All-Pac-10 honors and Cal's Offensive MVP award.[1](https://calbears.com/honors/california-athletics-hall-of-fame/justin-forsett/1337)
His career totals placed him among the school's all-time leaders in 100-yard rushing games (tied for second, 15), rushing yards (third, 3,220), rushing touchdowns (sixth, 26), and all-purpose yards (tenth, 3,768).[1](https://calbears.com/honors/california-athletics-hall-of-fame/justin-forsett/1337) As a sophomore he posted a career-best 235 rushing yards against New Mexico State, a total that now stands fifth on the school's all-time list, and across the last two seasons of his college career he totaled 264 rushing yards with three scores in postseason wins against Texas A&M at the Holiday Bowl and Air Force at the Armed Forces Bowl.[1](https://calbears.com/honors/california-athletics-hall-of-fame/justin-forsett/1337) Cal inducted him into its Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021.[1](https://calbears.com/honors/california-athletics-hall-of-fame/justin-forsett/1337)
## Draft and early NFL years
Scouting reports focused on Forsett's height, and he fell to the seventh round of the 2008 draft, where Seattle selected him 233rd overall.[8](https://grantland.com/the-triangle/reexamining-2008-nfl-draft-class-running-backs/?print=1) • [3](https://ras.football/2020/01/05/justin-forsett-ras/) He appeared in 11 games for Seattle and 3 for [Indianapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis) as a rookie in 2008, then settled into a backup role in Seattle through 2011, with his heaviest workload coming in 2010, when he carried 118 times for 523 yards.[6](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-forsett/stats/career)
Even in a limited role he drew attention for his efficiency. [Pro Football Focus](https://www.edgepedia.org/pro-football-focus)'s Elusive Rating study, which attempts to evaluate a running back independent of his blocking, concluded that Seattle's Forsett narrowly edged [Jonathan Stewart](https://www.edgepedia.org/jonathan-stewart) as 2009's most elusive back in the NFL.[9](https://www.pff.com/news/elusive-rating-2010)
He then moved through short stops: Houston in 2012, where he averaged 5.9 yards on 63 carries with a long run of 81 yards, and Jacksonville in 2013, where he carried only 6 times.[6](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-forsett/stats/career)
## The 2014 season in Baltimore
Baltimore signed Forsett as a free agent before 2014, and head coach [Gary Kubiak](https://www.edgepedia.org/gary-kubiak) later said he went into that season unsure whether Forsett could serve as a lead back consistently.[10](https://media.denverbroncos.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Elway_John.pdf) After Ray Rice's departure, Forsett won the job and became the breakout story of the Ravens' year: 235 carries for 1,266 yards and 8 touchdowns on 5.4 yards per carry, the NFL's fifth-highest rushing total that season.[11](https://profootballrewind.com/teams/ravens/2014) • [2](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2024/BAL.pdf) His 5.4 average set a Ravens single-season record and ranked as the NFL's No. 1 mark among running backs, and he earned his first Pro Bowl selection.[12](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1578518158/patriots/wdclk8kmiod51mycxf02.pdf) • [2](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2024/BAL.pdf)
His big-play production was the league's best. Forsett's 17 runs of 20-plus yards led the NFL and set a Ravens single-season franchise record, breaking Jamal Lewis's mark of 16 from 2003.[12](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1578518158/patriots/wdclk8kmiod51mycxf02.pdf) • [2](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2024/BAL.pdf) His single-game high came on November 24, 2014 at New Orleans, where he ran for a career-best 182 yards and 2 touchdowns on 22 carries in a 34–27 win; the 182-yard game ranked as the NFL's fourth-best single-game mark that season.[12](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1578518158/patriots/wdclk8kmiod51mycxf02.pdf) He also caught 44 passes for 263 yards that year.[6](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-forsett/stats/career)
## Later seasons and retirement
Forsett remained with Baltimore through 2016 but played only 10 games in 2015, rushing 151 times for 641 yards, and appeared in 3 games for the Ravens in 2016 before finishing the season with Detroit and then Denver.[6](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-forsett/stats/career) His 2016 season in Denver was his least productive: 87 carries for 291 yards and 1 touchdown, with a 3.3-yard average and a 53.2 overall Pro Football Focus grade that ranked 53rd among 54 qualified running backs.[5](https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/justin-forsett/4547)
He announced his retirement after the 2016 season. PFF's retirement assessment noted that he had been a reliable pass blocker, allowing a sack, hit, or hurry only once every 14.1 pass-blocking attempts over his career.[13](https://www.pff.com/news/pro-veteran-rb-justin-forsett-announces-retirement)
## Playing style
Forsett's profile was defined by efficiency rather than volume. He never carried more than 235 times in a season, yet his career average of 4.7 yards per carry and his league-leading elusive rating in 2009 reflect a runner who produced when given touches.[6](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-forsett/stats/career) • [9](https://www.pff.com/news/elusive-rating-2010) His 2014 tape review with [Sports Illustrated](https://www.edgepedia.org/sports-illustrated) described a system fit under Gary Kubiak that suited his skill set, and his 5.9-yard average in Houston's 2012 offense and 5.4 average in Baltimore's 2014 offense both came in Kubiak-coached or Kubiak-system attacks.[14](https://www.si.com/nfl/2015/07/23/justin-forsett-tape-baltimore-ravens-gary-kubiak) • [6](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-forsett/stats/career) He also contributed as a receiver and returner, with 210 career receptions and 39 kick returns for 894 yards.[6](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-forsett/stats/career)
## References
1. [Justin Forsett (2021), California Athletics Hall of Fame, Cal Golden Bears Athletics](https://calbears.com/honors/california-athletics-hall-of-fame/justin-forsett/1337)
2. [2024 Baltimore Ravens Media Guide, NFL](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2024/BAL.pdf)
3. [Justin Forsett RAS, ras.football](https://ras.football/2020/01/05/justin-forsett-ras/)
4. [Texans Bios (2012), NFL club media](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1579102279/patriots/mgy3wj38u0cinfdjgqlw.pdf)
5. [Justin Forsett, PFF player page](https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/justin-forsett/4547)
6. [Justin Forsett Career Stats, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-forsett/stats/career)
7. [2008 NFL Draft Picks, Round 7, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/draft/tracker/2008/rounds/7)
8. [Revisiting, Revising, and Reexamining the 2008 Class of RBs, Grantland](https://grantland.com/the-triangle/reexamining-2008-nfl-draft-class-running-backs/?print=1)
9. [Elusive Rating 2010, Pro Football Focus (Sam Monson)](https://www.pff.com/news/elusive-rating-2010)
10. [Kubiak/Elway running back notes, Denver Broncos media](https://media.denverbroncos.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Elway_John.pdf)
11. [2014 Baltimore Ravens, Pro Football Rewind](https://profootballrewind.com/teams/ravens/2014)
12. [Ravens Player Notes, NFL club media](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1578518158/patriots/wdclk8kmiod51mycxf02.pdf)
13. [Veteran RB Justin Forsett announces retirement, Pro Football Focus](https://www.pff.com/news/pro-veteran-rb-justin-forsett-announces-retirement)
14. [Grading Justin Forsett's 2014 game tape, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/nfl/2015/07/23/justin-forsett-tape-baltimore-ravens-gary-kubiak)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Running backs › Retired NFL running backs › NFL running backs of the 2010s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license