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74.5k voters

The Best Football Players Ever

Originally by Ranker Community

Updated April 9, 2020 1.1m votes 74.5k voters 997.8k views1.3k items

List RulesOnly pro football players. Please vote for the players based on his career accomplishments.

One of the hot topics of debate not only among NFL fans but pundits as well is who is the best football player of all time. Fans will also enjoy the best NFL coaches of all time and the best NFL quarterbacks currently in the league. It's a very difficult question to answer and one that can't be answered very easily. Would you rank a quarterback above an offensive lineman or a defensive end versus a wide receiver? Many of the players on this list have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, so this is a list of the best of the best NFL players.

All time greats like Jim Brown and Jerry Rice and legends like Joe Montana and Lawrence Taylor deserve to be on this list. These players were famous stars in the league when they played, causing chaos on the field, terrorizing opponents, and breaking their fans' hearts. Fans of American football can agree that regardless of position, the players on this list should be considered among the best football players ever. These players' stats and overall influence on the way the game was played factor into why they're considered the 100 best ever.

Vote for the football player you consider to be the greatest of all time. It's not an easy choice and you pretty much can't go wrong with any of these superstar NFL players. There's a reason why they're considered the best football players ever and this your chance to choose who is the best of the best.

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1
16,892
6,735
Lawrence Taylor
Linebacker
Birthplace: Williamsburg, Virginia, United States of America
Age: 61
Teams: North Carolina Tar Heels football, New York Giants
2
12,530
5,511
Deion Sanders
Cornerback, Punt returner
Birthplace: Fort Myers, Florida, United States of America
Age: 53
Teams: Florida State Seminoles baseball, Washington Redskins, San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Falcons
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#130 of 149 The Greatest New York Yankees Of All Time#29 of 106 The Best Atlanta Braves Of All Time
3
25,549
13,384
Tom Brady
Quarterback
Birthplace: San Mateo, California, United States of America
Age: 43
Teams: New England Patriots
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The Funniest Tom Brady Memes For Football Fans#3 of 150 Athletes You Didn't Know Were Conservative
4
11,704
5,964
Randy Moss
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Rand, West Virginia
Age: 43
Teams: Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings
5
7,709
3,462
Drew Brees
Quarterback
Birthplace: Austin, Texas, United States of America
Age: 41
Teams: New Orleans Saints
6
10,164
4,722
Bo Jackson
Running back
Birthplace: Bessemer, Alabama, United States of America
Age: 57
Teams: Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Raiders, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
7
10,085
5,235
Ray Lewis
Linebacker
Birthplace: Bartow, Florida, United States of America
Age: 45
Teams: Baltimore Ravens

8
5,877
2,917
Larry Fitzgerald
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
Age: 37
Teams: Arizona Cardinals
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#20 of 53 Who Is the Best Wide Receiver in the NFL Right Now?#3 of 58 The Best College Football Wide Receivers of All Time
9
22,775
12,472
Jerry Rice
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Crawford, Mississippi, United States of America
Age: 57
Teams: Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers
10
9,232
4,941
Emmitt Smith
Running back
Birthplace: Pensacola, Florida, United States of America
Age: 51
Teams: Florida Gators football, Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys
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#957 of 1,816 The Best Athletes Of All Time#427 of 583 The Greatest Entertainers of All Time
11
18,996
10,494
Barry Sanders
Running back
Birthplace: Wichita, Kansas, United States of America
Age: 52
Teams: Oklahoma State Cowboys football, Detroit Lions
12
8,931
4,831
Joe Greene
Defensive Tackle
Birthplace: Elgin, Texas, United States of America
Age: 74
Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, North Texas Mean Green football
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#1 of 83 The Greatest Defensive Tackles of All Time#6 of 432 The Greatest Defenders in NFL History
13
6,270
3,253
Calvin Johnson
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Newnan, Georgia
Age: 34
Teams: Detroit Lions
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#21 of 322 People Who Should Be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame#4 of 214 The Best Wide Receivers of All Time
14
4,047
2,039
Gale Sayers
Running back, Return specialist
Birthplace: Wichita, Kansas, United States of America
Age: 77
Teams: Chicago Bears, Kansas Jayhawks football
15
4,420
2,280
Ed Reed
Free Safety
Birthplace: St. Rose, Louisiana
Age: 42
Teams: Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets
16
15,124
8,460
Jim Brown
Running back, Fullback
Birthplace: St. Simons, Georgia, United States of America
Age: 84
Teams: Cleveland Browns, Syracuse Orange football
17
4,916
2,543
Tony Gonzalez
Tight end
Birthplace: USA, California, Torrance
Age: 44
Teams: California Golden Bears football, Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs
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#5 of 87 The Greatest Tight Ends Of All Time#1 of 57 The Best College Football Tight Ends of All Time
18
8,317
4,589
Dick Butkus
Linebacker, Center
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Age: 73
Teams: Chicago Bears
19
4,320
2,243
Charles Woodson
Cornerback, Return specialist
Birthplace: Sebring, Ohio, United States of America
Age: 43
Teams: Michigan Wolverines football, Oakland Raiders, Green Bay Packers
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#7 of 83 The Best Heisman Trophy Winners of All Time#44 of 106 The Fastest NFL Players of All Time
20
3,547
1,875
Jim Thorpe
Running back, Punter
Birthplace: Oklahoma, United States of America
Age: Died at 65 (1888-1953)
Teams: Cleveland Indians, Oorang Indians, Canton Bulldogs, Arizona Cardinals, Rock Island Independents
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The Life And Legacy Of Jim Thorpe#450 of 753 People We Wish Were Still Alive
21
2,425
1,232
Anthony Muñoz
Offensive tackle
Birthplace: Ontario, California
Age: 62
Teams: USC Trojans football, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cincinnati Bengals
22
18,728
10,697
Walter Payton
Running back
Birthplace: Columbia, Mississippi, United States of America
Age: Died at 45 (1954-1999)
Teams: Chicago Bears
23
7,696
4,359
Ronnie Lott
Cornerback, Safety
Birthplace: Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
Age: 61
Teams: USC Trojans football, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs
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#2 of 104 The Best USC Trojans Players of All Time#78 of 173 The Best Oakland Raiders Of All Time
24
4,059
2,143
Troy Polamalu
Strong Safety
Birthplace: Garden Grove, California, United States of America
Age: 39
Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers
25
4,469
2,482
Jack Lambert
Linebacker
Birthplace: Mantua, Ohio
Age: 68
Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, Kent State Golden Flashes football
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#53 of 77 The Best Athletes Who Have Used Performance Enhancing Drugs#3 of 154 The Greatest Linebackers of All Time