6 players that have made a claim to the title of greatest NFL player of all time
Thousands of players have played for the NFL in its nearly 100 year history. Is it possible to narrow that list down to just one ‘greatest player’ – we are not sure it is. The game has changed so much over the last century that it is nearly impossible to compare those early players to the men playing today.
Instead of picking one player, we have settled for 6 men we think have a claim to the title of greatest ever NFL player.
Here are 6 NFL MVPs we think could be the greatest players of all time:
#6 – Lawrence Taylor
Taylor was a linebacker for the New York Giants between 1981-1993. During that time he won 2 Super Bowls, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year 3 times, and made it onto 8 All-Pro teams.
He is a member of the 100 Sack Club and was named on both the 75th and the 100th anniversary NFL teams.
#5 – Jerry Rice
Rice played wide receiver for 20 seasons in the NFL for the 49ers, the Raiders, the Seahawks, and for the Broncos. He is a 3-time Super Bowl champion and was the Super Bowl MVP in 1987. He was named on the Pro Bowl team 13 times, as well as on the 75th and the 100th anniversary NFL teams.
Rice holds the scoring record for non-kicking players in the NFL with a total of 1256 points. He still holds the NFL record for most career yards received.
#4 – Peyton Manning
Manning is a 2-time Super Bowl Champion, Super Bowl MVP, 5-time NFL MVP, and 14-time Pro Bowl team member. Manning was the first quarterback to reach 200 career wins. Manning was also the first quarterback to beat all 31 other teams in the NFL (Tom Brady achieved it later that day and Brett Favre did the same a week later).
However, Manning will be remembered for his tactical genius more than his achievements. The way that he played over his 20+ years in the NFL will change the way Quarterbacks play from now on. Manning was able to read the field and spot gaps no one else could.
#3 – Tom Brady
It might be a bit premature to put Brady on this list considering he is still active and has yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame – but the man has earned a spot on this list, there’s no arguing about that.
Brady holds the record for most career wins, most Super Bowl championships (7, with 5 Super Bowl MVP titles to go with that), most career touchdown passes, and the longest touchdown pass. He has been in 14 Pro Bowl teams and is a 3-time NFL MVP. Brady has too many career achievements for us to fit into one article.
He was unanimously voted into the 100th anniversary NFL team.
#2 – Jim Brown
Jim Brown was named in the 50th, 75th, and 100th anniversary NFL teams. He was the Cleveland Browns’ fullback from 1957-1965.
He was invited to the Pro-Bowl in every single season that he played in (and he is the only person in NFL history that can claim this).
Brown was the first player ever to achieve 100 rushing touchdowns. Brown won the Super Bowl with his team and was NFL MVP 3 times.
Brown managed to achieve all of the above, despite retiring before he turned 30.
#1 – Otto Graham
Otto Graham had retired before Jim Brown joined the Browns, but we would have loved to see the pair play together. Graham was named in the 75th anniversary team.
Graham was a 3-time Super Bowl champion and a 3-time Super Bowl MVP. While Graham was playing with the Browns they went 29 games undefeated (between 1947 and 1949).
Graham still holds the record for average yards gained per pass attempted and the highest win percentage of starting quarterbacks.
Between the years of 1946 and 1955, Graham and his team played in every single championship final. This is one of the best runs in NFL history.
Do you agree? Who do you think is the greatest NFL player of all time?
