It’s one of the oldest barstool debates known to sports fans: who’s the greatest player of all time? With all the different players and styles of play throughout NFL history, how exactly are you supposed to measure that? Do you give it to the guy with the best stats? The guy with the most wins? Or the guy with the most Super Bowl rings? Is it Jim Brown or Barry Sanders? What about Jerry Rice or Joe Montana? How about Peyton Manning or Tom Brady?
With so many all-time greats to choose from, making this list wasn’t easy. While most fans would assume this list would be dominated by quarterbacks, you might be surprised to see who made the cut. Without further delay, here is our ranking of the 30 Greatest Players in NFL History.
Honorable Mention: Gale Sayers, Bears, 1965-71
After being drafted by the Bears in 1965, Sayers immediately took the NFL by storm. In his rookie season (14 games) Sayers scored 22 touchdowns and totaled 2,272 all-purpose yards (NFL records at the time). In perhaps the most memorable of his career, Sayers scored six touchdowns in a single game against the 49ers.
Unfortunately, multiple knee injuries limited Sayers to just 68 career games. If not for the injuries, NFL experts believe Sayers would have easily finished as one of the top players in NFL history — regardless of position.
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