The Greatest Football Players of All-Time

The Overflow

*Does not include active players

Troy AikmanT. McDonaldNick MangoldLee Roy Jordan
Ken AndersonArt MonkKevin MawaeD. Johnson
Len DawsonHerman MooreJon MorrisV. Johnson
Boomer EsiasonStanley MorganTom NalenWillie Lanier
Dan FoutsDrew PearsonBart OatesGreg Lloyd
Roman GabrielAndre ReedJim OttoW. Marshall
Bob GrieseSterling SharpeM. PounceyC. Matthews Jr.
S. JurgensenDel ShofnerJim RingoC. Matthews Sr.
Jim KellyJimmy SmithJeff SaturdayK. Mecklenberg
D. LamonicaSteve SmithD. StephensonSam Mills
Bobby LayneJohn StallworthMark StepnoskiH. Nickerson
Sid LuckmanLynn SwannMick TingelhoffRay Nitschke
Eli ManningCharley TaylorGeno AtkinsTommy Norbis
D. McNabbLionel TaylorB. BaumhowerKen Norton Jr.
Warren MoonPaul WarfieldRoger BrownJohn Offerdahl
Joe NamathReggie WayneBuck BuchananBryce Paup
Cam NewtonHines WardMichael CarterJulian Peterson
Phillip RiversWes WelkerRay ChildressJoey Porter
B.RoethlisbergerDave CasperFletcher CoxIsiah Robertson
Matt RyanT. ChristensenCurley CulpDave Robinson
Kenny StablerMike DitkaArt DonovanAndy Russell
Bart StarrAntonio GatesLa’Roi GloverChris Spielman
Roger StaubachJimmy GrahamCasey HamptonMike Stratton
Fran TarkentonKeith JacksonGary JohnsonTerrell Suggs
Joe TheismanJohn MackeyHenry JordanPat Swilling
YA TittleOzzie NewsomeAlex KarrasD. Thomas
N. Van BrocklinJay NovacekCortez KennedyZach Thomas
Kurt WarnerCharlie SandersJoe KleckoAndre Tippett
S. AlexanderS. SharpeGerald McCoyJ. Trotter
Marcus AllenKellen WinslowS. McMichaelJesse Tuggle
Ottis AndersonJason WittenC. McGlocktonDave Wilcox
Tiki BarberW. AndersonKeith MillardPatrick Willis
Le’Veon BellTony BoselliHaloti NgataAl Wilson
Jerome BettisBob BrownLeo NomelliniHerb Adderley
Jamal CharlesDuane BrownM. Dean PerryEric Allen
Dutch ClarkLomas BrownTrevor PryceRonde Barber
Roger CraigR. BrownFred SmerlasErich Barnes
Larry CsonkaWinston HillErnie StautnerLem Barney
Terrell DavisChris HintonNdamukong SuhBobby Boyd
Tony DorsettCal HubbardTed WashingtonWillie Brown
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. HenniganGene UpshawLance BriggsJake Scott
Devin HesterBrian WatersKeith BrookingD. Sharper
Elroy HirschS. WisniewskiNick BuonicontiDonnie Shell
Torry HoltMarshal YandaHarry CarsonDennis Smith
Don HutsonMatt BirkMike CurtisHarrison Smith
Michael IrvinBob DeMarcoL. FletcherJack Tatum
Harold JacksonD. DawsonJoe FortunatoEarl Thomas
Andre JohnsonMel HeinBill GeorgeEmlen Tunnell
Calvin JohnsonJay HilgenbergR. GradisharEric Weddle
Chad JohnsonKent HullL. GranthamAdrian Wilson
Charlie JoinerRyan KalilChris HanburgerWillie Wood
Steve LargentJason KelceJames HarrisonDarren Woodson
James LoftonOlin KreutzJustin HoustonA. Viniatieri
B. MarshallJim LangerChuck HowleyShane Lechler
Don MaynardAlex MackRickey 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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