# Peyton Hillis
**Peyton Hillis** (born 1986 in [Conway, Arkansas](https://www.edgepedia.org/conway-arkansas)) is a former [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) running back who played seven seasons in the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league) for the Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, and New York Giants, and who is best known for his 1,177-yard rushing season with Cleveland in 2010 and his fan-voted selection as the cover athlete for the video game Madden NFL 12.[1](https://media.denverbroncos.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Denver_Broncos_Media_Guide_2008.pdf) • [2](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HillPe00.htm) • [3](https://www.nfl.com/_amp/browns-rb-hillis-beats-out-vick-for-madden-nfl-12-cover-09000d5d81f841d4)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1986, Conway, Arkansas[1](https://media.denverbroncos.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Denver_Broncos_Media_Guide_2008.pdf) |
| Draft | Denver Broncos, 7th round (227th overall), 2008 NFL Draft[2](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HillPe00.htm) |
| 2010 season | 270 carries for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns; 61 catches for 477 yards and 2 touchdowns[4](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/cle/2010.htm) |
| Madden NFL 12 | Won a fan vote for the cover, taking 66 percent against Michael Vick in the final[3](https://www.nfl.com/_amp/browns-rb-hillis-beats-out-vick-for-madden-nfl-12-cover-09000d5d81f841d4) |
| Career totals | 81 games, 696 carries, 2,832 rushing yards, 23 rushing touchdowns, 134 receptions for 1,050 yards and 3 touchdowns; last played in 2014[5](https://www.nfl.com/players/Peyton-Hillis/stats/) |
| January 2023 | Hospitalized in intensive care with kidney and lung problems after rescuing his children from drowning at Pensacola Beach, Florida; discharged on January 23, 2023[6](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/peyton-hillis-discharged-hospital-weeks-after-rescuing-kids-drowning-florida/) |
## College career at Arkansas
Hillis played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks, lettering from 2004 onward and sharing a backfield with future first-round picks [Darren McFadden](https://www.edgepedia.org/darren-mcfadden) and Felix Jones.[1](https://media.denverbroncos.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Denver_Broncos_Media_Guide_2008.pdf) As a true freshman in 2004 he played 10 games with 2 starts and rushed 63 times for 240 yards.[1](https://media.denverbroncos.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Denver_Broncos_Media_Guide_2008.pdf) His receiving production was the more distinctive part of his college record: he finished his Arkansas career tied for seventh in school history with 118 receptions, a total that later surpassed the previous program record of 94 set by [Gary Anderson](https://www.edgepedia.org/gary-anderson) in 1982, and his 537 receiving yards as a senior in 2007 set a single-season record for the Razorbacks program.[1](https://media.denverbroncos.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Denver_Broncos_Media_Guide_2008.pdf) • [7](https://www.profootballhistory.com/peyton-hillis/) Arkansas made two bowl appearances during his four seasons, the 2006 Capital One Bowl and the 2007 Cotton Bowl.[7](https://www.profootballhistory.com/peyton-hillis/)
## Denver and the trade to Cleveland
The Broncos selected Hillis in the seventh round of the 2008 draft, 227th overall.[2](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HillPe00.htm) He began the 2008 season as the starting fullback, but after an injury epidemic in the Denver backfield he became the team's number one tailback and led Denver in rushing as a rookie with 343 yards and 5 touchdowns on 68 carries.[8](https://www.nfl.com/news/with-hardesty-in-the-mix-hillis-numbers-could-take-plunge-09000d5d8200fc6b) • [5](https://www.nfl.com/players/Peyton-Hillis/stats/) His role shrank in 2009, when he carried 13 times for 54 yards.[5](https://www.nfl.com/players/Peyton-Hillis/stats/)
On March 14, 2010, the Broncos traded Hillis, a 2011 sixth-round draft choice, and a conditional 2012 selection to the [Cleveland Browns](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland-browns) for quarterback [Brady Quinn](https://www.edgepedia.org/brady-quinn).[7](https://www.profootballhistory.com/peyton-hillis/)
## The 2010 season in Cleveland
Hillis entered his first [Cleveland](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland) training camp as a backup running back, backup fullback, and short-yardage option in a crowded backfield.[9](https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2010/6/24/1535349/cleveland-browns-training-camp) He became the starter early in the season after an injury to the incumbent and turned the year into the best of his career: 270 carries for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns, plus 61 receptions for 477 yards and 2 touchdowns, for 1,654 scrimmage yards and 13 touchdowns from scrimmage.[4](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/cle/2010.htm) • [10](https://as.com/us/nfl/peyton-hillis-mejora-tras-salvar-a-sus-hijos-de-accidente-en-el-oceano-n/) His 1,177 rushing yards ranked among the top rushing seasons in the league that year, and he finished fourth among running backs in fantasy football points.[8](https://www.nfl.com/news/with-hardesty-in-the-mix-hillis-numbers-could-take-plunge-09000d5d8200fc6b)
That 11th touchdown placed him alongside Hall of Famers Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly as the only Cleveland running backs to that point to score that many in a season.[11](https://archives.nd.edu/Observer/v45/2010-12-02_v45-062.pdf)
## Madden NFL 12 cover
In April 2011, [EA Sports](https://www.edgepedia.org/ea-sports) and ESPN ran a tournament-style, head-to-head fan vote to determine the cover athlete for [Madden NFL](https://www.edgepedia.org/madden-nfl) 12, the first time the public decided the choice.[3](https://www.nfl.com/_amp/browns-rb-hillis-beats-out-vick-for-madden-nfl-12-cover-09000d5d81f841d4) • [12](https://www.newgamenetwork.com/news/2624/peyton-hillis-selected-for-the-cover-of-madden-nfl-12/) Hillis, a number 10 seed, beat Super Bowl XLV MVP Aaron Rodgers in the semifinal and then defeated [Philadelphia Eagles](https://www.edgepedia.org/philadelphia-eagles) quarterback Michael Vick in the final, with 66 percent of the vote.[3](https://www.nfl.com/_amp/browns-rb-hillis-beats-out-vick-for-madden-nfl-12-cover-09000d5d81f841d4) • [13](https://www.nfl.com/news/highlights-affirm-how-hillis-became-madden-cover-boy-09000d5d81f853f7) He became one of the few running backs to appear on the worldwide Madden cover, alongside Eddie George (2001), Marshall Faulk (2003), Shaun Alexander (2007), and later Christian McCaffrey (2024).[14](https://apnews.com/article/8304b564bdf4460b4afd6507d98c29f7) The cover deal itself was reported to be worth somewhere in the low six figures, because the fan-vote format meant its value was predetermined rather than negotiated.[15](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2011/08/29/Labor-and-Agents/Labor-and-Agents/)
## Later career
Hillis's production fell sharply after the Madden season. In 2011 he played 10 games and rushed 161 times for 587 yards and 3 touchdowns, a 3.6-yard average, and a former teammate, Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas, was quoted as saying Hillis's performance slipped after he put his desire for a new contract ahead of the team.[16](https://www.nfl.com/players/peyton-hillis/stats/career) • [17](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/02/83/15/03200/08-06-2013.pdf) He spent 2012 with the [Kansas City Chiefs](https://www.edgepedia.org/kansas-city-chiefs), where he played behind three-time 1,000-yard rusher [Jamaal Charles](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamaal-charles) and ran 85 times for 309 yards and 1 touchdown, again averaging a career-low 3.6 yards per carry.[17](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/02/83/15/03200/08-06-2013.pdf) He finished his career with the [New York Giants](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-giants) in 2013 and 2014, appearing in 16 games over two seasons.[5](https://www.nfl.com/players/Peyton-Hillis/stats/) His final career line was 2,832 rushing yards with 23 touchdowns and 1,050 receiving yards with 3 touchdowns across 81 games.[5](https://www.nfl.com/players/Peyton-Hillis/stats/)
Away from football, he starred in the 2021 independent horror film *The Hunting*, playing a detective investigating the discovery of a mutilated body in a forest.[10](https://as.com/us/nfl/peyton-hillis-mejora-tras-salvar-a-sus-hijos-de-accidente-en-el-oceano-n/)
## January 2023 rescue and hospitalization
In early January 2023, Hillis rescued his two children from drowning in rough water at [Pensacola Beach, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/pensacola-beach-florida), and was flown by helicopter to a hospital, where he spent weeks in intensive care with kidney and lung problems; his children were uninjured.[6](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/peyton-hillis-discharged-hospital-weeks-after-rescuing-kids-drowning-florida/) • [10](https://as.com/us/nfl/peyton-hillis-mejora-tras-salvar-a-sus-hijos-de-accidente-en-el-oceano-n/) His girlfriend, Angela Cole, announced on Instagram on January 12, 2023, that he no longer needed a ventilator.[10](https://as.com/us/nfl/peyton-hillis-mejora-tras-salvar-a-sus-hijos-de-accidente-en-el-oceano-n/) He was discharged from the hospital on January 23, 2023, and in February 2023, at age 37, he posted on Twitter that he expected a "100% recovery", thanking his family, fans, and the staff of Baptist Hospital in Pensacola.[6](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/peyton-hillis-discharged-hospital-weeks-after-rescuing-kids-drowning-florida/) • [18](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/peyton-hillis-former-nfl-player-full-recovery-after-rescuing-his-children-from-drowning/)
## References
1. [2008 Denver Broncos Media Guide](https://media.denverbroncos.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Denver_Broncos_Media_Guide_2008.pdf)
2. [Peyton Hillis Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HillPe00.htm)
3. [Browns RB Hillis beats out Vick for 'Madden NFL 12' cover, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/_amp/browns-rb-hillis-beats-out-vick-for-madden-nfl-12-cover-09000d5d81f841d4)
4. [2010 Cleveland Browns Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/cle/2010.htm)
5. [Peyton Hillis Stats Summary, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/Peyton-Hillis/stats/)
6. [Former NFL star Peyton Hillis discharged from hospital weeks after rescuing kids from drowning at Florida beach, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/peyton-hillis-discharged-hospital-weeks-after-rescuing-kids-drowning-florida/)
7. [What Happened To Peyton Hillis? (Story), Pro Football History](https://www.profootballhistory.com/peyton-hillis/)
8. [With Hardesty in the mix, Hillis' numbers could take plunge, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/with-hardesty-in-the-mix-hillis-numbers-could-take-plunge-09000d5d8200fc6b)
9. [Cleveland Browns Training Camp 2010: Running Back Preview, Dawgs By Nature](https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2010/6/24/1535349/cleveland-browns-training-camp)
10. [Peyton Hillis mejora tras salvar a sus hijos de accidente en el océano, AS](https://as.com/us/nfl/peyton-hillis-mejora-tras-salvar-a-sus-hijos-de-accidente-en-el-oceano-n/)
11. [Running back Hillis leads resurgent Browns, Notre Dame Observer, December 2, 2010](https://archives.nd.edu/Observer/v45/2010-12-02_v45-062.pdf)
12. [Peyton Hillis selected for the cover of Madden NFL 12, New Game Network](https://www.newgamenetwork.com/news/2624/peyton-hillis-selected-for-the-cover-of-madden-nfl-12/)
13. [Highlights affirm how Hillis became 'Madden' cover boy, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/highlights-affirm-how-hillis-became-madden-cover-boy-09000d5d81f853f7)
14. [49ers running back Christian McCaffrey gets honored with Madden cover, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/8304b564bdf4460b4afd6507d98c29f7)
15. ['Madden NFL 12' cover star Hillis makes another agent change, Sports Business Journal](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2011/08/29/Labor-and-Agents/Labor-and-Agents/)
16. [peyton hillis career stats | nfl.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/peyton-hillis/stats/career)
17. [Tampa Tribune clipping, August 6, 2013, UF Digital Collections](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/02/83/15/03200/08-06-2013.pdf)
18. [Former NFL star Peyton Hillis expected to make a "100% recovery", CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/peyton-hillis-former-nfl-player-full-recovery-after-rescuing-his-children-from-drowning/)
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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: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 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