The Greatest Football Players of All-Time

The Overflow

*Does not include active players

Troy AikmanArt MonkKevin MawaeLee Roy Jordan
Ken AndersonHerman MooreJon MorrisD. Johnson
Len DawsonStanley MorganTom NalenV. Johnson
Boomer EsiasonDrew PearsonBart OatesWillie Lanier
Dan FoutsAndre ReedJim OttoGreg Lloyd
Roman GabrielSterling SharpeM. PounceyW. Marshall
Bob GrieseDel ShofnerJim RingoC. Matthews Jr.
S. JurgensenJimmy SmithJeff SaturdayC. Matthews Sr.
Jim KellySteve SmithD. StephensonK. Mecklenberg
D. LamonicaJohn StallworthMark StepnoskiSam Mills
Bobby LayneLynn SwannMick TingelhoffH. Nickerson
Sid LuckmanCharley TaylorGeno AtkinsRay Nitschke
Eli ManningLionel TaylorB. BaumhowerTommy Norbis
D. McNabbPaul WarfieldRoger BrownKen Norton Jr.
Warren MoonReggie WayneBuck BuchananJohn Offerdahl
Joe NamathHines WardMichael CarterBryce Paup
Cam NewtonWes WelkerRay ChildressJulian Peterson
Phillip RiversDave CasperFletcher CoxJoey Porter
B.RoethlisbergerT. ChristensenCurley CulpIsiah Robertson
Matt RyanMike DitkaArt DonovanDave Robinson
Kenny StablerAntonio GatesLa’Roi GloverAndy Russell
Roger StaubachJimmy GrahamCasey HamptonChris Spielman
Fran TarkentonKeith JacksonGary JohnsonMike Stratton
Joe TheismanJohn MackeyHenry JordanTerrell Suggs
YA TittleOzzie NewsomeAlex KarrasPat Swilling
N. Van BrocklinJay NovacekCortez KennedyD. Thomas
Kurt WarnerCharlie SandersJoe KleckoZach Thomas
S. AlexanderS. SharpeGerald McCoyAndre Tippett
Marcus AllenKellen WinslowS. McMichaelJ. Trotter
Ottis AndersonJason WittenC. McGlocktonJesse Tuggle
Tiki BarberW. AndersonKeith MillardDave Wilcox
Le’Veon BellTony BoselliHaloti NgataPatrick Willis
Jerome BettisBob BrownLeo NomelliniAl Wilson
Jamal CharlesDuane BrownM. Dean PerryHerb Adderley
Dutch ClarkLomas BrownTrevor PryceEric Allen
Roger CraigR. BrownFred SmerlasRonde Barber
Larry CsonkaWinston HillErnie StautnerErich Barnes
Terrell DavisChris HintonNdamukong SuhLem Barney
Tony DorsettCal HubbardTed WashingtonBobby Boyd
Chuck ForemanJoe JacobyVince WilforkDeron Cherry
Eddie GeorgeMike KennKevin WilliamsA. Cromartie
Frank GiffordGeorge KunzKyle WilliamsCornell Green
Cookie GilchristJim LacheyBryant YoungDarrell Green
Frank GoreMatt LightJohn AbrahamS. Gilmore
Red GrangeJake LongJared AllenChris Harris
Ahman GreenOrlando PaceDoug AtkinsLester Hayes
Franco HarrisJason PetersElvin BetheaJimmy Johnson
Priest HolmesMarvin PowellCalais CampbellTy Law
Paul HornungDick SchafrathWillie DavisAlbert Lewis
Edgerrin JamesArt ShellRichard DentSam Madison
Chris JohnsonJackie SlaterChris DolemanLemar Parrish
M. Jones-DrewJoe StaleyElvis DumervilP. Peterson
Leroy KellyJim TyrerCarl EllerRichie Petitbon
Jamal LewisBob VogelLen FordMel Renfro
M. LynchR. WebbDwight FreeneyAsante Samuel
Curtis MartinA. WhitworthMarc GastineauR. Sherman
LeSean McCoyErik WilliamsL.C. GreenwoodAqib Talib
H. McElhennyRayfield WrightCharles HaleyE. Thomas
Lenny MooreRon YaryTamba HaliTroy Vincent
Marion MotleyG. ZimmermanDan HamptonEverson Walls
B. NagurskiRuben BrownBill HewittRoger Werhli
Ernie NeversDavid DeCastroC. HeywardA. Williams
Joe PerryJ.DeLamielleureC. HumphreyLouis Wright
John RigginsDan Dierdorf“Too Tall” JonesDick Anderson
Gale SayersJahri EvansC. JordanSteve Atwater
Darren SprolesDan FortmannHowie LongJoey Browner
T. ThomasGale GillinghamHarvey MartinLeRoy Butler
Jim TaylorKen GrayRobert MathisJ. Christiansen
Steve Van BurenRuss GrimmJerry MaysKenny Easley
Jim ThorpeGene HickersonLeslie O’NealDave Grayson
Ricky WattersS. HutchinsonAndy RobustelliMerton Hanks
Lance AlworthJerry KramerSimeon RiceCliff Harris
Fred BiletnikofB. KuechenbergLee Roy SelmanR. Harrison
Raymond BerryLarry LittleR. SeymourPaul Krause
Anquan BoldinTom MackJustin SmithCarnell Lake
Cliff BranchLogan MankinsNeil SmithJohn Lynch
Tim BrownMike MunchakJessie ArmsteadT. Mathieu
Isaac BruceNate NewtonBobby BellTim McDonald
H. CarmichaelJohn NilandMatt BlairEddie Meador
Cris CarterBilly ShawMaxie BaughanLawyer Milloy
Mark ClaytonChris SneeC.BennettJimmy Patton
Henry EllardWalt SweeneyN. BowmanJohnny Robinson
AJ GreenBob TalaminiRobert BrazileGeorge Saimes
C. HenniganBrian WatersLance BriggsJake Scott
Devin HesterS. WisniewskiKeith BrookingD. Sharper
Elroy HirschMarshal YandaNick BuonicontiDonnie Shell
Torry HoltMatt BirkHarry CarsonDennis Smith
Michael IrvinBob DeMarcoMike CurtisHarrison Smith
Harold JacksonD. DawsonL. FletcherJack Tatum
Andre JohnsonMel HeinJoe FortunatoEarl Thomas
Calvin JohnsonJay HilgenbergBill GeorgeEmlen Tunnell
Chad JohnsonKent HullR. GradisharEric Weddle
Charlie JoinerRyan KalilL. GranthamAdrian Wilson
Steve LargentJason KelceChris HanburgerWillie Wood
James LoftonOlin KreutzJames HarrisonDarren Woodson
B. MarshallJim LangerJustin HoustonA. Viniatieri
Don MaynardAlex MackChuck HowleyShane Lechler
T. McDonaldNick MangoldRickey JacksonRay Guy

Leave a Reply

Hi (hopefully) awesome reader! I welcome your comments. However, please be aware that I make all of my arguments using facts, statistics, and logic. Unfortunately, the average comment on a top-100 list goes something like this:

"UR StooPid. (Insert player) is trash. I've watched (pick a sport) for (pick a number of years) and (pick a player) is better than everyone. UR DUMB. HAHA6969."

–Some Jabroni

As cognitively stimulating as this species of comment is, it ends up being a missed opportunity to share a nuanced perspective. I reply to all comments that show even the most basic levels of thought and humility. The people who make the comments like the example above are under the assumption that the three seconds of thought that popped into their brains after reading the list is more than the 1000s of hours that I put into creating and maintaining the lists. I would be happy to defend any placement, or make an adjustment if one is warranted. If you are a jabroni, like the one above, then your comment will die in the lonely void of the unpublished comments section.

For everyone else, I look forward to your comments!

P.S. The theme of this site and the top-100 lists is that athletes from previous generations have historically been grossly overrated by sports publications in a way that is statistically improbable. Click on the "About" dropdown menu to see just how badly the average top-100 list disproportionately favors athletes from older generations when leagues were smaller, race quotas existed, and globalization wasn't a thing. Also, please consider reading "The History" section of the sport you are commenting on.

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