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Top 15 Football Players of All Time

Football is a competitive game, and it’s normal for fans to take on that competitiveness. Whether it’s rooting for their favorite teams on Sunday or engaging in debates with other fans about who the best players are, NFL fans love putting their hearts on their sleeves when it comes to their favorite sports league. One of the biggest debates over time has been the discussion over who the greatest player of all-time—the GOAT, if you will—is. And while deciding who the No. 1 GOAT is in the NFL might not be as difficult as deciding the No. 1 GOAT in a league like the MLB or NBA, expanding the conversation to who the top 15 players in league history are becomes a much more spirited debate. Read on to find out who we think are the top 15 NFL players of all-time.

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The 15 Greatest Football Players of All Time

Below, you’ll find our selections for the 15 best football players of all-time. This subjective list takes into account the player’s overall accolades as well as team success and the legacy the player left behind.

15. Deacon Jones

DOB: 12/9/1938
Position: Defensive End
Teams: Rams, Chargers, Commanders
Titles: 0
Awards: NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2X), First Team All-Pro (5X), Second Team All-Pro (3X), Pro Bowl (8X)

Considered by some to be the best defensive end in NFL history, Jones led the NFL in sacks five times, though the stat wasn’t officially recognized and tracked until 1982. Pro Football Reference went back in 2021 to confirm his numbers, where he was found to have 173.5 sacks over the course of his career, third on the all-time list. He had two seasons with over 20 sacks. Jones was such a destructive defender that he’s actually credited with inventing the phrase “sacking the quarterback.

Jones was originally drafted in the 14th round of the 1961 NFL Draft after playing two college seasons—one at South Carolina State and the other at Mississippi Valley State. He was drafted by the Rams, who discovered him while scouting opposing running backs. He played for the Rams until 1972, when he was traded to the Chargers. He finished his NFL career in Washington.

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14. Deion Sanders

DOB: 8/9/1967
Position: Defensive Back
Teams: Falcons, 49ers, Cowboys, Commanders, Ravens
Titles: 2
Awards: NFL Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Pro (6X), Second Team All-Pro (2X), Pro Bowl (8X)

The current head coach at Colorado, Deion Sanders has been around football for a long time as a player, media member and now as a coach. Prior to arriving at Colorado, Sanders won two SWAC titles as the coach at Jackson State.

As a player, Sanders began his career at Florida State, where he was a two-time All-American and the winner of the Jim Thorpe Award in 1988. He had 14 interceptions during his college career. All that contributed to Sanders being the No. 5 overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft for the Falcons.

During his career, Sanders also juggled the NFL and a professional baseball career. Selected in the 30th round of the 1988 MLB Draft by the Yankees, Sanders made his MLB debut in 1989. He played in both leagues at the same time, including hitting a home run and scoring a touchdown in the same week in 1989. He also played for the Braves, Reds, Giants and then the Reds again.

Sanders had 53 interceptions in his 188 NFL games, returning nine of them for touchdowns. He forced 10 fumbles. He also spent some time on offense, catching 60 passes for 784 yards and three touchdowns.

13. Anthony Munoz

DOB: 8/19/1958
Position: Offensive Tackle
Teams: Bengals
Titles: 0
Awards: First Team All-Pro (9X), Second Team All-Pro (2X), Pro Bowl (11X)

One of the greatest offensive linemen of all-time, Munoz was the No. 3 overall pick in the 1980 NFL Draft despite concerns about knee injuries in college. He wound up proving those doubters wrong, spending 13 seasons with the Bengals and earning All-Pro honors in all but two of those seasons. He missed just three games during his first 12 ears in the leaugue.

Munoz also caught four touchdowns during his career, as the Bengals used him on tackle-eligible pass plays at various times. Munoz was tied for most Pro Bowl selections by an offensive lineman when he retired and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

12. Ronnie Lott

DOB: 5/8/1959
Position: Defensive Back
Teams: 49ers, Raiders, Jets
Titles: 4
Awards: First Team All-Pro (4X), Pro Bowl (10X)

While Lott never won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, the totality of his career makes him one of the top players of all-time. Lott, who led the NFL in interceptions twice, revolutionized the safety position.

The No. 8 pick by the 49ers in the 1981 NFL Draft, Lott started at cornerback as a rookie and played that position until 1985, when he switched to safety. As a rookie, Lott recorded seven interceptions, including three pick sixes and was second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Lawrence Taylor.

Lott won four Super Bowls in San Francisco before signing with the Raiders in 1991, where he played two seasons. Overall, Lott had 63 interceptions during his NFL career and 17 fumble recoveries.

11. Joe Greene

DOB: 9/24/1946
Position: Defensive Tackle
Teams: Steelers
Titles: 4
Awards: NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2X), NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, First Team All-Pro (5X), Second Team All-Pro (3X), Pro Bowl (10X)

“Mean” Joe Greene spent his entire NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he helped the team win four Super Bowls. One of the best defenders in NFL history, Greene is also known for his role in the famous “Hey Kid, Catch!” Coca-Cola commercial that aired during the 1980 Super Bowl.

Greene played college football at the University of North Texas, where he earned his nickname, since the football team adopted the nickname “Mean Green” during his time there.

Once in the NFL, Greene recorded 77.5 sacks and 16 fumble recoveries. He played 181 of the 190 possible games during his time with the Steelers

10. Barry Sanders

DOB: 7/16/1968
Position: Running Back
Teams: Lions
Titles: 0
Awards: NFL Most Valuable Player, NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2X), NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, First Team All-Pro (6X), Second Team All-Pro (4X), Pro Bowl (10X), Heisman Trophy

Sanders didn’t have the longest NFL career, but he made the most of his time in the league, making the Pro Bowl in all 10 of his seasons and leading the NFL in rushing yards four times.

Before entering the NFL, Sanders played college football at Oklahoma State, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1988 after rushing for 2,628 yards and finishing with 3,248 all-purpose yards. He scored 37 rushing touchdowns and two return touchdowns that season.

In the NFL, Sanders rushed for 15,269 yards, including 2,053 yards in 1997, making him one of just eight players with a 2,000-yard rushing season to his name. Despite his regular season success, the Lions struggled during much of his time, and Sanders played just six playoff games.

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9. Walter Payton

DOB: 7/25/1953
Position: Running Back
Teams: Bears
Titles: 1
Awards: NFL Most Valuable Player, NFL Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Pro (5X), Second Team All-Pro (3X), Pro Bowl (9X)

Like Barry Sanders, Walter Payton spent his entire career with one team, playing for the Bears from 1975 until 1987. He led the league in rushing yards and touchdowns in 1977, the same year he won the MVP award.

Honestly, the debate between Sanders and Payton is really about personal preference. Both had elite careers, but Payton had a little more longevity.

Payton attended Jackson State, where he won Black College Player of the Year twice and set the school record for rushing touchdowns.

Payton held the all-time rushing yardage record until he was passed by Emmitt Smith in 2002 and held the single game record until 2000, when Corey Dillon surpassed him. Overall, Payton ran for 16,726 yards and 110 touchdowns during his NFL career, averaging 4.4 yards per carry.

8. Johnny Unitas

DOB: 5/7/1933
Position: Quarterback
Teams: Colts, Chargers
Titles: 4*
Awards: NFL Most Valuable Player (3X), First Team All-Pro (5X), Second Team All-Pro (3X), Pro Bowl (10X)

One of the best players of the pre-merger era, Unitas led the Colts to three NFL Championships, plus one Super Bowl win. Defining how many titles he won is a little tricky, since his third NFL Championship win came before the merger, but also came after the Super Bowl was introduced.

Unitas played college football at Louisville and was a ninth round pick of the Steelers in 1955, but he was released before the start of the season. He signed with the Colts the next season and went on to lead the lead in passing yards four times and touchdowns four times as well. He finished his career with 290 touchdown passes and led 27 fourth-quarter comebacks.

7. Reggie White

DOB: 12/19/1961
Position: Defensive End
Teams: Eagles, Packers, Panthers
Titles: 1
Awards: NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2X), First Team All-Pro (8X), Second Team All-Pro (5X), Pro Bowl (13X)

White took an interesting path to the NFL, as he played two seasons in the USFL and was drafted in the 1984 Supplemental Draft. He went on to become a 13-time All-Pro.

Across his career, White recorded 198 sacks, which was the most in the NFL at the time he retired. He had 19 fumble recoveries and set an NFL record for consecutive seasons with at least 10 sacks with nine.

6. Peyton Manning

DOB: 3/24/1976
Position: Quarterback
Teams: Colts, Broncos
Titles: 2
Awards: Super Bowl MVP, NFL Most Valuable Player (5X), First Team All-Pro (7X), Second Team All-Pro (3X), Pro Bowl (14X)

For years, there was a debate about who was better between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, and while Brady ultimately pulled away, that shouldn’t take away from how good Manning was. The No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft led two different teams to Super Bowl victories and won MVP five times during his career.

Manning set a number of records in his career, including most consecutive seasons with at least 25 touchdown passes with 15. He’s the only player to throw at least six touchdowns in a game three times, and has won more MVP awards than anyone else. Manning threw 539 touchdown passes during his career.

5. Joe Montana

DOB: 6/11/1956
Position: Quarterback
Teams: 49ers, Chiefs
Titles: 4
Awards: Super Bowl MVP (3X), NFL Most Valuable Player (2X), NFL Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Pro (3X), Second Team All-Pro (2X), Pro Bowl (8X)

Montana might not have had the most sustained success of other quarterbacks, as he only made eight Pro Bowls, but at his peak, he was one of the best passers the league had ever seen, including leading the 49ers to four Super Bowl titles.

He led the NFL in passing touchdowns twice and completion percentage five times. In 1990, Montana threw for a career-high 3,944 yards, but missed 1991 and most of 1992 with an elbow injury. He eventually wound up traded to the Chiefs, where he played two final seasons, taking the Chiefs to the playoffs both years, including an AFC Championship Game appearance.

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4. Jim Brown

DOB: 2/17/1936
Position: Running Back
Teams: Browns
Titles: 1
Awards: NFL Most Valuable Player (3X), NFL Rookie of the Year, First Team All-Pro (8X), Second Team All-Pro, Pro Bowl (9X)

As seems to be the theme for running backs on this list, Brown had a relatively short career, but he made the most of his nine seasons in the league, making the Pro Bowl all nine seasons and leading the NFL in rushing yards in eight of those years. That’s a lot of years to finish with the most rushing yards in the league, and it wasn’t just because of volume, as Brown averaged 5.2 yards per carry, the third-best mark in league history. He’s the only player to average 100 or more rushing yards per game for his career.

Brown retired as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher despite his short career and he still ranks 11th on the all-time list. He’s still the all-time leading rusher for the Cleveland Brown.

3. Jerry Rice

DOB: 10/13/1962
Position: Wide Receiver
Teams: 49ers, Raiders, Seahawks
Titles: 3
Awards: Super Bowl MVP, NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2X), First Team All-Pro (10X), Second Team All-Pro, Pro Bowl (13X)

At some positions, there’s a ton of debate who the best ever is. At wide receiver, there isn’t: it’s Jerry Rice.

Rice led the NFL in receiving yards six times and receiving touchdowns six times as well. He’s the NFL’s all-time leader in most receiving stats: career receptions, career receiving yards and career receiving touchdowns.

And it isn’t necessarily close. Rice had 22,895 receiving yards. Second on the list is Larry Fitzgerald with 17.492.

2. Lawrence Taylor

DOB: 2/4/1959
Position: Linebacker
Teams: Giants
Titles: 2
Awards: NFL Defensive Player of the Year (3X), NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, First Team All-Pro (8X), Second Team All-Pro (2X), Pro Bowl (10X)

LT is arguably the greatest defensive player in NFL history. His combination of speed and power made him a revolution in the way linebacker was played.

Taylor recorded 142 sacks during his career, including 20.5 of them in 1986. He forced 56 fumbles and picked off nine passes. His career was cut short by a ruptured Achilles in 1992—he returned to play in 1993 but wasn’t the same player, recording six sacks, the fewest he had in a full season.

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1. Tom Brady

DOB: 8/3/1977
Position: Quarterback
Teams: Patriots, Buccaneers
Titles: 7
Awards: Super Bowl MVP (5X), NFL Most Valuable Player (3X), NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2X), First Team All-Pro (3X), Second Team All-Pro (3X), Pro Bowl (15X)

You knew this was coming, right?

Tom Brady might have only made six All-Pro teams during his career, but his overall resume gives him the best GOAT resume. He’s led his teams to seven Super Bowl victories, more than any other player, and he holds multiple NFL records: most career passing yards, most career passing touchdowns and most career wins for a quarterback, among others.

Brady was able to win titles with multiple teams and remained an elite player into his 40s, showcasing unheard of longevity. He did all this despite being a sixth round pick by the Patriots in the 2000 NFL Draft.

Here’s your NFL GOAT: Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr.

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