Butkus vs Thomas
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Butkus wins: Dominance, Peak
Thomas wins: Longevity, Statistics
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Showing full careers. Pick a window to recalculate the selected period.
Category radar
Verdict
Butkus leads in 3 of 5 weighted categories. Eight Pro Bowls in nine seasons and the most feared tackler of his time.
Category breakdown
Season form · Touchdowns per season
Career timeline · Touchdowns per season
Cumulative output season by season — the shape of each career against the other.
GOAT pace tracker
Career stage · GOAT pace
Through season 5 · Touchdowns per season| Ghost race · career day | 30 | 100 | 365 | 1000 | 1825 | 3650 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 Butkus | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 18 | 26 |
| 🇺🇸 Thomas | 0 | 0 | 881 | 2,125 | 4,829 | 10,762 |
Careers are aligned at debut, so a rookie's first 5 seasons are measured against the same window in a legend's career — Yamal against Messi at the same age-stage, a tour rookie against Tiger Woods in 1996.
| Metric | ButkusRetired | ThomasRetired |
|---|---|---|
| Pro Bowls | 8 | — |
| All-Pro First Teams | 5 | — |
| Interceptions | 22 | — |
| Fumble recoveries | 27 | — |
| Defensive Player of the Year | 2 | — |
| Hall of Fame inductions | 1 | — |
| NFL MVP awards | — | 1 |
| Pro Bowl selections | — | 5 |
| Super Bowl appearances | — | 4 |
| Career rushing yards | — | 12,074 |
| Career touchdowns | — | 88 |
| Dominance w25% | 86 | 76 |
| Peak w20% | 92 | 88 |
| Longevity w20% | 72 | 78 |
| Honours w20% | 82 | 82 |
| Statistics w15% | 86 | 88 |
Fan vote — data vs the people
What do you think?
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