Last Updated on 18 September 2023

The following list is the Official Definitive List of the 250 best NFL players ever. I averaged 25 different ranked lists of “best NFL players of all time” to get this definitive compilation.  See my Methodology page for the research process that was used, including the full spreadsheet and links to all 25 lists that were averaged.

  1. Tom Brady
  2. Jerry Rice
  3. Jim Brown
  4. Lawrence Taylor
  5. Joe Montana
  6. Walter Payton
  7. Peyton Manning
  8. Reggie White
  9. Barry Sanders
  10. Dick Butkus
  11. Johnny Unitas
  12. Joe Greene
  13. Ray Lewis
  14. Ronnie Lott
  15. John Elway
  16. Deion Sanders
  17. Emmitt Smith
  18. Dan Marino
  19. Randy Moss
  20. Anthony Muñoz
  21. Brett Favre
  22. Deacon Jones
  23. Bruce Smith
  24. Gale Sayers
  25. Otto Graham
  26. Tony Gonzalez
  27. Aaron Rodgers
  28. Drew Brees
  29. Rod Woodson
  30. Don Hutson
  31. Jack Lambert
  32. LaDainian Tomlinson
  33. Alan Page
  34. Terrell Owens
  35. Ed Reed
  36. Jim Thorpe
  37. Steve Young
  38. Sammy Baugh
  39. Bob Lilly
  40. Marshall Faulk
  41. Dick “Night Train” Lane
  42. Roger Staubach
  43. Mel Blount
  44. Eric Dickerson
  45. Earl Campbell
  46. Bo Jackson
  47. Aaron Donald
  48. Larry Fitzgerald
  49. O.J. Simpson
  50. Junior Seau
  51. Adrian Peterson
  52. Ray Nitschke
  53. Mike Singletary
  54. J.J. Watt
  55. Bronko Nagurski
  56. John Hannah
  57. Charles Woodson
  58. Bruce Matthews
  59. Calvin Johnson
  60. Gino Marchetti
  61. Fran Tarkenton
  62. Forrest Gregg
  63. Michael Strahan
  64. Terry Bradshaw
  65. Rob Gronkowski
  66. Marvin Harrison
  67. Bill Romanowski
  68. Lance Alworth
  69. Chuck Bednarik
  70. Mike Webster
  71. Merlin Olsen
  72. Bart Starr
  73. Jack Ham
  74. Michael Irvin
  75. Darrell Green
  76. Troy Polamalu
  77. Dick Lane
  78. Gene Upshaw
  79. Larry Allen
  80. John Mackey
  81. Brian Urlacher
  82. Raymond Berry
  83. Ollie Matson
  84. Sid Luckman
  85. Art Shell
  86. Mike Ditka
  87. Randy White
  88. Red Grange
  89. Warren Moon
  90. Kurt Warner
  91. Julius Peppers
  92. Tony Dorsett
  93. Walter Jones
  94. Jim Otto
  95. Bobby Bell
  96. Kellen Winslow, Sr.
  97. Jonathan Ogden
  98. Herschel Walker
  99. Jim Parker
  100. Willie Gault
  101. Franco Harris
  102. Derrick Brooks
  103. Adam Vinatieri
  104. Ted Hendricks
  105. Bob Hayes
  106. Orlando Pace
  107. Herb Adderley
  108. Joe Thomas
  109. Marcus Allen
  110. Derrick Thomas
  111. Willie Lanier
  112. Marion Motley
  113. Champ Bailey
  114. Mike Haynes
  115. Joe Namath
  116. Antonio Gates
  117. Willie Brown
  118. Curley Culp
  119. Patrick Mahomes
  120. Richard Sherman
  121. Troy Aikman
  122. Ernie Ladd
  123. Eli Manning
  124. Kevin Greene
  125. Robert Smith
  126. Tim Brown
  127. Jason Witten
  128. Charley Powell
  129. Emlem Tunnell
  130. DeMarcus Ware
  131. Stephen Neal
  132. Paul Warfield
  133. Darren Bennett
  134. Michael Vick
  135. Bobby Layne
  136. Frank Gore
  137. Willie Davis
  138. Odell Beckham Jr.
  139. Christian Ponder
  140. Devin Hester
  141. Edgerrin James
  142. Justin Tucker
  143. Lenny Moore
  144. Dez Bryant
  145. Steve Largent
  146. Vince Lombardi
  147. Jack Youngblood
  148. Ray Guy
  149. Fred Biletnikoff
  150. Howie Long
  151. Joe Schmidt
  152. Larry Csonka
  153. Sterling Sharpe
  154. John Riggins
  155. Terrell Davis
  156. Lynn Swann
  157. John Stallworth
  158. Jerome Bettis
  159. Julio Jones
  160. Shannon Sharpe
  161. Leo Nomellini
  162. Jim Kelly
  163. Mel Hein
  164. Bulldog Turner
  165. Buck Buchanan
  166. Von Miller
  167. Cris Carter
  168. Paul Krause
  169. Dave Casper
  170. Lee Roy Selmon
  171. Ed Jones
  172. Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch
  173. Ken Stabler
  174. Luke Kuechly
  175. L.C. Greenwood
  176. Steve Atwater
  177. John Randle
  178. Y.A. Tittle
  179. Doak Walker
  180. Jerry Kramer
  181. John Lynch
  182. Steve Smith
  183. Frank Gifford
  184. George Blanda
  185. Dan Fouts
  186. Sonny Jurgensen
  187. Charles Haley
  188. Jim Taylor
  189. Travis Kelce
  190. Paul Hornung
  191. Don Meredith
  192. Reggie Wayne
  193. Don Maynard
  194. Marshawn Lynch
  195. Rosey Grier
  196. Hines Ward
  197. Antonio Brown
  198. Clay Matthews III
  199. John Madden
  200. Dan Dierdorf
  201. Brian Dawkins
  202. Thurman Thomas
  203. Darrelle Revis
  204. Ben Roethlisberger
  205. Jim Plunkett
  206. Christian McCaffrey
  207. Warren Sapp
  208. Jack Tatum
  209. Drew Pearson
  210. Patrick Peterson
  211. Lyle Alzado
  212. Cliff Branch
  213. Ozzie Newsome
  214. Andre Johnson
  215. Richard Dent
  216. Art Monk
  217. Joe Klecko
  218. Len Dawson
  219. Sam Huff
  220. Daryle Lamonica
  221. Randall Cunningham
  222. Alex Karras
  223. Randy Gradishar
  224. Andre Reed
  225. Norm Van Brocklin
  226. Alan Faneca
  227. James Harrison
  228. A.J. Green
  229. Russell Wilson
  230. Rod Smith
  231. Gary Zimmerman
  232. Ben Davidson
  233. Steve Hutchinson
  234. Roman Gabriel
  235. Eddie George
  236. Nick Buoniconti
  237. Archie Manning
  238. Joe Staley
  239. Roger Craig
  240. Earl Thomas
  241. Mike Alstott
  242. Pat Tillman
  243. Ty Law
  244. Rodney Harrison
  245. Sean Taylor
  246. Wes Welker
  247. Terrell Suggs
  248. Dan Hampton
  249. Isaac Bruce
  250. Jackie Slater

Loading