The 100 Greatest NFL Players of All Time Pt. 5
Players No. 70–61
Hello, and welcome to the journey as I reveal my top 100 players of all-time! In today’s article, I will reveal numbers 70–61, but first, if you missed any of the previous articles, you can find them here:
Without further ado, here are numbers 70–61!
#70: Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings/Saints/Cardinals/Redskins/Lions(2007-Present)
Adrian Peterson is nearly the end of his difference-making career. If the 2020 regular season turns out to be the last season of Peterson’s career, then Peterson should hang his cleats up feeling satisfied with the legacy he has left!
In a career mostly spent with the Vikings, Adrian Peterson was able to become a seven-time Pro Bowler, make four First-team All-Pro appearances, and add a staggering MVP season to his resume.
Peterson’s career wasn’t all smooth sailing though. In fact, during his career, Peterson dealt with a lot of rejection. In 2017, the Vikings didn’t pick up Peterson’s 2017 option.
That free agency Peterson decided to join the Saints, only to be traded to the Cardinals midway through the same season. Following the 2017 season, the Cardinals cut Peterson altogether.
If that wasn’t enough of a roller coaster for Peterson, he would join the 2018 Redskins team and then be cut two years later after producing over 1,800 rushing yards in two years with the team.
Currently, Peterson resides with the Detriot Lions, but I get the feeling that Peterson is just about done physically and mentally after his past few dramatic years.
However, when his career is over, I won’t remember Peterson as someone who was being bumped around from team-to-team during the last few years of his career. Instead, I will remember Peterson as the running back, who has nearly 15,000 career rushing yards, who averaged 4.9 yards per carry in his ten years with the Vikings, and who rushed for over 2,000 yards in 2012, while averaging 6 yards per carry.
Ultimately, when Adrian Peterson was at his peak there were no running backs better than him and that makes Peterson worthy of a spot on this list!
#69: Mike Haynes, CB, Patriots/Raiders(1976–1989)
Mike Haynes was able to have a fantastic career and it didn’t matter what team he was on or who he was defending! Quarterbacks always knew to stay away from Mike!
Haynes’s career was split evenly between two teams. He spent his first seven years with the Patriots and then went on to join the Raiders in 1983, where he would play until his retirement.
His tenure with the Patriots was all about accolades for Haynes! Haynes was able to make a whopping six Pro Bowls appearances in New England during his seven years there! Additionally, Haynes caught 28 out of his 46 career interceptions in this span!
Despite this, when Haynes entered the free agency pool following the 1982 season, Haynes wanted to go to a team where he could expect to win. Cue the Raiders!
When Mike Haynes signed with the Raiders, he would team up with already dynamic cornerback Lester Hayes. Together, they would become arguably the greatest cornerback tandem of all-time!
In just his second season with the Raiders, Haynes would win his first and only Super Bowl as the Raiders won in blowout fashion! Haynes also made his First-team All-Pro for the first time in 1984!
Haynes’s career was filled with accolades and a Super Bowl title! By proving he could dominate on two separate teams, it became evident that Haynes is an all-time great!
#68: Rob Gronkowski, TE, Patriots/Buccaneers(2010-Present)
The Gronk! Does Rob Gronkowski even need an introduction? His larger-than-life personality and his top-tier career production make him a household name!
There is no target or receiver that Tom Brady has been more attached to over the years. Their kinship has proven so strong that Brady persuaded Rob Gronkowski to come out of retirement this season to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with him!
Gronkowski may collectively have been Brady’s biggest toy on offense throughout the years and a beneficiary of Brady’s greatness, but that doesn’t take away from the career that Gronkowski has had.
Gronkowski is only in his tenth NFL season, but somehow has produced over 8,000 receiving yards to this point and over 85 touchdowns! This is due in large part to Gronkowski’s historic 2011 season!
In 2011, Gronkowski recorded ninety receptions for 1,327 yards and a league-high 17 receiving touchdowns!
None of his career stats take into account how dominant Gronkowski has been in the postseason though! In sixteen playoff games to this point, Gronkowski has over 1,100 receiving yards with one of his better games coming in his most recent Super Bowl.
Against the Rams in the 2018 Super Bowl, Rob Gronkowski scored the game-winning touchdown and won his third career Super Bowl!
Rob Gronkowski has “spiked” himself onto this list while playing alongside his partner-in-crime Tom Brady!
#67: Troy Polamalu, S, Steelers(2003–2014)
If you look up the best interceptions of all-time, there is a good chance that some of Polamalu’s interceptions will show up! Polamalu had a natural knack for football and constantly found ways to make plays in his career!
Polamalu’s distinct look combined with a play that was truly his own with the Steelers! Troy Polamalu’s distinct look consisted of long black hair and a Hawaiian heritage!
Meanwhile, on the field his play consisted of making interceptions, forcing fumbles, and get to the quarterback occasionally. Polamalu had a little bit of it all on the football field, which made him a unique and fun player to watch!
Two of Polamalu’s more notable seasons came in 2008 and 2010, both of which he made First-team All-Pro! In each of these two seasons, Polamalu managed to record seven interceptions, which is good enough to lead the NFL in interceptions some years!
Overall, Polamalu made eight Pro Bowls and won two Super Bowls with the Steelers, while producing 32 interceptions, 14 forced fumbles, 12 sacks, and 783 tackles. With an impressive career like that, his spot on this list was inevitable!
#66: Champ Bailey, CB, Redskins/Broncos(1999–2013)
Champ Bailey’s first name is actually Roland, but it wasn’t a surprise that people started calling him by his middle name “Champ” when he started playing football. Bailey truly lived up to the name “Champ” and his play was nothing short of the quality needed from a champ!
Following the 1999 NFL Draft, where the Redskins selected Champ Bailey with the seventh overall pick, Bailey would find immediate success in the NFL.
Despite not making the Pro Bowl in his rookie season, Bailey still had a strong season with five interceptions. Improving on his success, Bailey would follow this season with four consecutive Pro Bowl appearances with the Redskins!
After spending his first five years in the NFL with the Washington Redskins, Bailey found his true home with Denver Broncos! Bailey would spend his final ten seasons with the Broncos and make the First-team All-Pro along with the Pro Bowl during the first three years of his tenure there.
His best season with the Broncos came in 2006, where Bailey had a league-high ten interceptions! In this season, Bailey recorded the most interceptions in a single-season since 1981! Pretty remarkable if you ask me!
What is also remarkable is the twelve Pro Bowl appearances that Bailey had over his career! His twelve Pro Bowl appearances rank tied for tenth all-time!
With Bailey’s 52 career interceptions and practically record-setting statistics and accolades, there are only a handful of cornerbacks that I view better than Bailey!
#65: Larry Wilson, S, Cardinals(1960–1972)
The year 2020 took the lives of a lot of famous people and this includes the great safety that was Larry Wilson! Wilson had a fantastic career but is often underrated. I’m here to set the record straight on Wilson’s greatness!
Wilson edged out spot sixty-six on this list, Champ Bailey, by the skin of his teeth. Similarly, like Bailey, Larry Wilson also had 52 career interceptions! However, he produced these interceptions in thirteen seasons compared to Bailey’s fifteen seasons. Additionally, Wilson only played in 169 career games in comparison to Bailey’s 215 career games.
It’s important to realize that Wilson played in a time period, where interceptions were more frequent and the quarterback play was less advanced, but I still decided to give Wilson the nod over Bailey!
Ironically, Larry Wilson also had a league-leading ten interceptions in his best season like Champ Bailey, but unlike Bailey, his top season came decades earlier in 1966.
The 1966 season started a string of extremely impressive seasons for Wilson! This season was the first of five consecutive seasons, where Wilson made both the Pro Bowl and First-team All-Pro!
Throughout the entirety of his career, Larry Wilson was a complete free safety for the then St. Louis Cardinals. In addition to his 52 interceptions, Wilson recovered fourteen fumbles, scored seven defensive touchdowns, and had 800 interception return yards!
Due to his successful career, Larry Wilson was named to the NFL’s 75th and 100th Anniversary All-Time Team! Larry Wilson will be missed, but his legacy will still be carried on!
#64: Randall McDaniel, OG, Vikings/Buccaneers(1988–2001)
Coming out of college, it didn’t take long for Randall McDaniel to make a good impression! In fact, McDaniel had already caught the eye of the NFL world before he even entered the league!
For many prospects, the 40-yard dash makes or breaks their draft status. It is considered the most worshipped event in the entire NFL combine! Luckily, for McDaniel, his draft stock went through the roof following his blazing fast 4.68 forty-yard dash time for an offensive lineman!
McDaniel’s time makes him unquestionably one of the fastest offensive linemen of all-time! His speed, strength, and natural athleticism translated flawlessly to the NFL level!
Throughout his star-studded career, McDaniel made an outlandish twelve Pro Bowl appearances, which is tied for tenth all-time!
Equally impressive, McDaniel made seven First-team All-Pro appearances, which is current tied for thirteen all-time!
These two accomplishments alone make him an all-time great! If one thing is for sure, McDaniel showed no signs of slowing down in his career and only missed two Pro Bowls and three games in his career! Plus, McDaniel started 192 consecutive regular-season games over twelve seasons to end his career!
If I had to compile my dream NFL left guard, it would look almost identical to Randall McDaniel!
#63: Jim Parker, OT/OG, Colts(1957–1967)
At spot sixty-three, Jim Parker is the oldest player to be revealed on the countdown so far! His legacy has stood the test of time and Parker was able to become a two-time NFL champion!
In his career, Parker was the driving force that kept the Baltimore Colts offense intact! Parker had the difficult responsibility of protecting the legendary Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas.
Johnny Unitas played eighteen years in the NFL, but if he didn’t have Jim Parker protecting his blind side, there would have been a good chance that Unitas’s career would have ended a lot sooner. Instead, Jim Parker’s protection allowed Unitas and the Colts to find massive success!
Jim Parker’s career ultimately culminated in eight Pro Bowl appearances, while also being selected to the First-team All-Pro in all of those seasons! Parker currently ranks tied for fifth all-time for his eight career First-team All-Pro appearances, which is a true testament to the great career he was able to have!
#62: Michael Strahan, DE, Giants(1993–2007)
A lot of people know Strahan not for his tremendous football career, but for his television personality. Even though Strahan has a great presence as a television personality who currently co-hosts “Good Morning America”, Strahan’s football career is also worth talking about!
Most people may not realize this, but Strahan actually ranks sixth all-time in NFL sacks. His 141.5 sacks in a span of fifteen NFL seasons is quite remarkable!
Two of Strahan’s seasons in particular led the league in sacks and helped him reach his career total of 141.5 sacks!
The first being in 2001, where Michael Strahan broke the record for most sacks in a single-season with 22.5 sacks. As of now, that record still stands!
Meanwhile, two years later in 2003, Strahan would have a season almost as impressive with 18.5 sacks!
In both of these career years for Strahan and in 2005, Strahan would lead the league in tackles for loss, which was a stats first recorded officially in 1999!
All in all, Michael Strahan made seven Pro Bowls, won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2001, and was able to win a Super Bowl! There is not much more you could ask for as a player!
#61: Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers(2005-Present)
The last player to be revealed in this article is the master of the hail mary and the discount double-check! His name is Aaron Rodgers!
At the age of 37 years old, Rodgers is the youngest quarterback on this list and has the opportunity to soar even higher on this list in the years to come! During just this year(2020), Rodgers has had one of his best seasons to date and is on his way to a potential third NFL MVP award!
Through sixteen weeks of the 2020 NFL season, Rodgers has thrown for over 4,000 passing yards, 44 touchdowns, and completed over 70 percent of his passes! Sounds like an MVP-caliber season to me!
Yet, Aaron Rodgers isn’t on this list based on this year alone or what he could do in the years to come. Aaron Rodgers is on this list because of what he already has done and the greatness that he has already showcased!
The 2020–21 season marks Rodgers's ninth Pro Bowl appearance in his career! It should come as no surprise either that he has made nine Pro Bowls so far! Overall to this point, Rodgers has passed for over 51,000 passing yards and thrown 408 touchdown passes to a measly 89 interceptions!
As of now, Rodgers also has a 103.7 career passing rating, which ranks first out of quarterbacks who have played in ten or more seasons.
His best single-season passer rating came in 2011, where he finished 14–1 as a starter and posted an absurd 122.5 passer rating! This single-season passer rating ranks first all-time and even outduels all of Peyton Manning’s and Tom Brady’s seasons.
Additionally, Rodgers's 119.4 passer rating through sixteen weeks of this current 2020–21 season is projected to rank third all-time! Aaron Rodgers is as efficient of a quarterback as it gets!
Now Rodgers just needs to add on to his one Super Bowl title to keep climbing the ladder on this list!
That wraps up players 70–61 on my all-time list! Next time on my countdown, three legendary wide receivers will be revealed as I reveal the final ten players outside of my top fifty!
Let me know what you thought of the rankings revealed to this point in the comments section below! Do you agree or disagree with my rankings?
