In the 104 years of the NFL, there have been some legendary athletes. From Jim Brown becoming the first player to ever win an MVP award with the Cleveland Browns to Josh Allen winning last year's trophy after a great season with the Buffalo Bills, there are many players that could stake their claim to being the greatest of all time.
But who is truly the best? Here are the top 20 NFL players of all time as voted for by the fans.
20 greatest NFL players of all time ranked by fans (20-11)
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10 Dick Butkus
Super Bowls: 0
Dick Butkus
Despite never winning the Lombardi Trophy, Dick Butkus will still go down as one of the best linebackers of all time. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 1965 NFL draft, and the Chicago-native spent his entire career with the Bears. He is known for making the middle linebacker position what it is today, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.
He also made the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time team and in 1994 his number 51 was retired by the Bears. Butkus was one of the most intimidating players of all time, often crushing his opponents and recording over 1,000 tackles in the NFL.
9 Joe Greene
Super Bowls: 4
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Mean Joe Greene.
Another player known for his toughness, "Mean" Joe Greene was a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year winner as well as a five-time first team All-Pro. Greene was the fourth pick in the 1969 draft, and stayed with the Pittsburgh Steelers until he retired in 1981.
He helped turn the Steelers from a losing franchise to four-time Super Bowl champions, with his ferocious style defining his game, and he was also known for his amazing durability, playing 181 out of a possible 190 games. His number 75 jersey was retired by the Steelers in 2014 as he went down as one of the best defensive players of all time, and arguably the best player in the NFL during the 1970s.
8 Deion Sanders
Super Bowls: 2
Deion Sanders
Another man that won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Sanders retired as one of the greatest defenders to ever play the game. He is the only man to play in both the Super Bowl and the MB World Series, winning the Lombardi Trophy in 1995 and 1996, winning it in back-to-back years with two different teams in the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys. He scored 19 defensive and return touchdowns, which at the time was an NFL record, and he was selected into eight Pro Bowls over the course of his career.
7 Randy Moss
Super Bowls: 0
Minnesota Vikings (84) Randy Moss in action against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
The first offensive player on this list, Randy Moss appeared in two Super Bowls with the 49ers and the Patriots; However, he won neither. Moss is ranked second in career touchdown receptions and fourth in career receiving yards. He was the 21st pick of the 1998 draft, being selected by the Minnesota Vikings, and he stayed there until 2005, when he moved to the then-Oakland Raiders.
Moss was a five-time receiving touchdowns leader and holds the record for the most receiving touchdowns in a season with 23 as part of the Patriots in 2007. He is a four-time first-team All-Pro, and he will go down as one of the greatest wide receivers of all time.
6 Lawrence Taylor
Super Bowls: 2
Lawrence Taylor New York Giants LB
Widely regarded as the best defensive player of all time, Lawrence Taylor competed for 13 years for the New York Giants, winning two Super Bowls in that time. He played as a linebacker, and his speed and power made him one of the most feared players in the NFL. He redefined the outside linebacker position and was named as the MVP in 1986. He retired in 1993 and ended his career with 1,088 tackles and 142 sacks. He received a Giants Ring of Honour and his number 56 was retired in 1994.
5 Walter Payton
Super Bowls: 1
Walter Payton Chicago Bears Running Back
Walter Paton is a Chicago Bears icon, playing for them for 12 years and winning a Super Bowl. The running back was the fourth pick of the 1975 draft, and his motto of "Never Die Easy" shows the type of player that he was. He was resilient and durable, holding the NFL record for the most consecutive starts by a running back with 170.
His Super Bowl came in 1986 at Super Bowl XX, as the Bears thrashed the Patriots 46-10 with what is still the Bears' only Lombardi Trophy. Payton set several Bears records, including most career rushing yards, receptions, touchdowns, and touchdown passes by a running back. His number 34 was retired by the Bears as he went down as the greatest Bears player of all time.
4 Jim Brown
Super Bowls: 0
Jim Brown Running The Ball In 1965
Jim Brown has no Super Bowls, however, that is because he played before the Super Bowl existed. He did win one NFL Championship in 1964 with the Cleveland Browns, who he played for during his entire career between 1957 and 1965.
He was the sixth pick in the 1957 draft, and went on to become a three-time MVP, a five-time rushing touchdown leader, and an eight-time first-team All-Pro. He holds NFL records for the highest average career rushing yards per game (104.3), the most yards per carry in a season (5.22), and the most games with four or more touchdowns (6). He also remains the only player to ever win the Rookie of the Year and the MVP award in the same year.
3 Barry Sanders
Super Bowls: 0
Barry Sanders Detroit Lions RB 1995
Barry Sanders played for the Detroit Lions for 10 years, and during that time, gained a reputation as one of the most evasive runners the league has ever seen. He was the third pick in the 1989 draft, and went on to become a Lions legend. He never played in a Super Bowl with the Lions, however, he became a two-time Offensive Player of the Year and the 1997 MVP, as well as six First-Team All-Pro nominations and 10 Pro Bowl nominations, as well as leading the team to their first play-off win in decades.
He holds multiple NFL records for rushing, including the most consecutive games with 100 or more rushing yards (14), and the most seasons with over 1,500 rushing yards (5). He is arguably the greatest running back the league has ever seen.
2 Jerry Rice
Super Bowls: 3
Jerry Rice 49ers vs Falcons October 1990
Just missing out on top spot is Jerry Rice. He played in the NFL for 20 years as a wide receiver, most notably with the San Francisco 49ers, where he won three Lombardi Trophies. He is the most prolific wide receiver of all time, with a long list of records including the most career receiving yards, most career receptions, most career touchdown receptions, and most Super Bowl receptions.
His 1,256 career points make him the second-highest-scoring non-kicker ever, and he won two Offensive Player of the Year awards in 1987 and 1993. He was known for his catching ability and being one of the best players in the big moments, winning the Super Bowl MVP at Super Bowl XXIII. He retired in August 2006, signing a one-day contract worth $1.9 million so that he could officially retire as a Niner, and his number 80 jersey was retired in 2010. He is an undisputed great, but not the greatest ever...
1 Tom Brady
Super Bowls: 7
The GOAT. In NFL history, there has never been a better and more inevitable player than Tom Brady. He is best known for his time with the Patriots, where he won five Super Bowls. He is one of two quarterbacks to win the Lombardi with multiple franchises, also winning it with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is also the only man to win the Super Bowl MVP with two different franchises, winning the award five times.
Over his 22-year career, Brady became the face of the NFL and the biggest franchise player the sport has ever seen. He has a long list of records, and is arguably the most dominant athlete ever. He holds the record for most career wins, most division titles, most passing yards, pass competitions, touchdown passes, and so much more. If you think of any QB stat, Brady is at the top of it. Unlike the other players on this list, Brady was drafted in the sixth round by the Patriots, but the league will never see a player as dominant as him ever again.
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