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#6 in NFL Players of All Time
of 20 ranked entries
Defensive End · Eagles, Packers · 1985–2000
“The Minister of Defense” retired with 198 career sacks, second only to Bruce Smith, generated by a combination of power and first-step quickness offensive tackles of his era simply had no answer for. Recorded specifics: position Defensive End, primary team Philadelphia Eagles, debut 1985. Panel highlighted 198 career sacks, second all-time, two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and anchored a Packers defense to a Super Bowl title in 1996. The reservation on record is his most statistically dominant seasons came before sacks were fully standardised as a stat.
Score breakdown
Each criterion is scored independently, then combined using the weights published on NFL Players of All Time.
On the record
| Position | Defensive End |
|---|---|
| Primary team | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Debut | 1985 |
| Championships | 1 |
| Rating | 9.3 |
Panel verdict
What it gets right
Where it gives ground
1 appearance
From the same list
Quarterback · Patriots, Buccaneers · 2000–2022
Seven Super Bowl rings — more than any single franchise other than the Patriots has won — spread across two decades and two teams, retiring with the career passing yardage and touchdown records still standing untouched.
Wide Receiver · 49ers, Raiders · 1985–2004
The all-time leader in receiving yards and touchdowns by a margin so wide the next name on either list is barely a rival. Twenty seasons of route-running precision that never noticeably slowed with age.
Running Back · Cleveland Browns · 1957–1965
Walked away at 29, still the league’s active rushing leader, after eight rushing titles in nine professional seasons. No back since has combined that level of statistical dominance with a career this short by choice.
Linebacker · New York Giants · 1981–1993
Redefined the outside linebacker as a full-time pass rusher and forced offensive coordinators to redesign protection schemes around him. Still the only primarily defensive player to win NFL MVP in the Super Bowl era.
Quarterback · Colts, Broncos · 1998–2015
Five NFL MVPs, the most any player has won, built on a pre-snap command of opposing defenses that occasionally looked like the defense was running his script instead of its own.
Quarterback · 49ers, Chiefs · 1979–1994
Four Super Bowl appearances, four Super Bowl wins, three Super Bowl MVPs — a perfect record on the sport’s biggest stage that “Joe Cool” built on a calm that never seemed to register the moment as pressure.
Running Back · Chicago Bears · 1975–1987
“Sweetness” held the career rushing record for nearly two decades and missed almost nothing along the way, playing through injuries that would have ended a less durable career several times over.
Cornerback · Falcons, 49ers, Cowboys · 1989–2005
“Prime Time” was covered so effectively that offenses simply stopped throwing to his side of the field, a form of dominance the box score barely captures. The only athlete ever to appear in both a Super Bowl and a World Series.
Top 49 rankings are editorial. Scores are produced from the published criteria on each list and are refreshed on the cadence stated there. Figures shown across this section are curated demonstration data.