1. QB Tom Brady (1900–2022): When Brady ended the debate as the best player in the NFL is difficult to say. After rallying the Patriots from a deficit against Seattle in Super Bowl XLIX, he assertively joined the discussion. After the Patriots and Brady pulled off the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history against Atlanta, Brady moved into the category of “arguably the greatest”. His final two championships, particularly the one he won at age 43 with the Buccaneers, solidified his reputation as the greatest player and winner in sports history.
2. WR Jerry Rice (1985–04): When it comes to the all-time greats in the NFL, Rice belongs on any Mount Rushmore. An NFL field’s worth of records are on his list. Rice, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the 49ers, scored his eighth touchdown in Super Bowl history with the Raiders at the age of forty. With 22,895 receiving yards in his career, he has more than 5,000 yards more than the next-closest wide receiver, Larry Fitzgerald. Despite only participating in 12 games, Rice set a record in 1987 by catching 22 touchdowns, a mark that remained in place for 20 years.
3. The RB Jim Brown (1957–1965): The extent of Brown’s dominance over his nine seasons with the Cleveland Browns is difficult to measure. Along with Babe Ruth, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Wilt Chamberlain, Cheryl Miller, Serena Williams, Jesse Owens, and Michael Phelps, he is among the few sportsmen who dominated their competition. Eight times, Brown was the NFL’s top rusher. In 1964, he guided the Browns to their final league championship. His 104.3 yards per game lifetime average is still the most of any player in NFL history.
4. Robert Walter Payton (1975–1987): How much of a hit was “Sweetness?” He is so good that there is a real debate about whether or not he is the NFL’s all-time greatest running back. He is without a doubt the best since the merger in 1970. Maybe the bravest player of all time, Payton regularly faced eight-man fronts from subpar Bears teams. Later in his career, after accumulating over 2,000 all-purpose yards for the Super Bowl XX champions, Payton led the Bears to a championship when they finally became competitive. In addition to his outstanding rushing ability, Payton was a superb receiver, blocker, and all-around football player.
5. Quarterback Peyton Manning, 1998–2015: In this legendary quarterback rivalry, Manning is Arnold Palmer if Brady is Jack Nicklaus. Although Brady has more championships, Manning has his own special distinction as the first starting quarterback to win two Super Bowls with different teams and a record five league MVPs. In addition, Manning has been a major NFL ambassador both while he was playing and after retirement, much like Palmer did with golf.
6. Lawrence Taylor, LB (1981–1993): Taylor’s debut season was so outstanding that he was named both the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year and the Defensive debut of the Year. Five years later, Taylor led the Giants to their first Super Bowl victory and was named league MVP. Taylor’s vicious pass rush transformed the game and elevated left tackle to a position of great importance in the league.
7. Delawarean Reggie White (1985–1998–2000): With the Eagles and Packers, the “Minister of Defense” amassed a Hall of Fame career. In addition to being a frightening pass rusher, White created history in 1993 when, after joining the Packers, he became the first star player to sign a free agent contract. Following three years, White lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy in celebration of Green Bay’s first Super Bowl victory in 29 years, recording three sacks.
8. Robert Barry Sanders (1989–1998): It’s difficult to put into words what it was like to watch Barry Sanders play football unless you were there. The former top player for the Detroit Lions ran in a way that had never been witnessed before or after. Sanders was a football wizard who made the seemingly impossible seem ordinary. He frequently converted what looked like five-yard losses into big runs that the Pro Football Hall of Fame currently plays continuously. With the help of his distinctive running technique, Sanders had a stellar career that spanned ten seasons and produced 15,259 career rushing yards and four rushing crowns.
9. LB Dick Butkus (1965–1973): In sports, the word “legend” is frequently used haphazardly, but this is not the case for Butkus. Throughout his nine-year playing career, the legendary linebacker for the Chicago Bears instilled fear in the hearts of opposing offenses. Butkus was a fierce tackler who excelled in pass coverage as well. Throughout his career, he has intercepted at least one pass, and in his outstanding rookie season, he caught five.
10. QB Joe Montana (1979–1994): Before Tom Brady arrived, Montana had the title of all-time great quarterback. While leading the 49ers to four Super Bowl victories in the 1980s, “Cool Joe” became the first MVP to win the game three times. Montana was a master in big games; he recorded some of the best individual efforts in Super Bowl history and threw zero interceptions in four Super Bowls. After masterminding the 49ers’ historic 92-yard game-winning drive in Super Bowl XXIII, Montana cemented his place in history.
