Thomas vs Butkus
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 Thomas | 0 | 0 | 881 | 2,125 | 4,829 | 10,762 |
| 🇺🇸 Butkus | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 18 | 26 |
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 | ThomasRetired | ButkusRetired |
|---|---|---|
| NFL MVP awards | 1 | — |
| Pro Bowl selections | 5 | — |
| Super Bowl appearances | 4 | — |
| Career rushing yards | 12,074 | — |
| Career touchdowns | 88 | — |
| Pro Bowls | — | 8 |
| All-Pro First Teams | — | 5 |
| Interceptions | — | 22 |
| Fumble recoveries | — | 27 |
| Defensive Player of the Year | — | 2 |
| Hall of Fame inductions | — | 1 |
| Dominance w25% | 76 | 86 |
| Peak w20% | 88 | 92 |
| Longevity w20% | 78 | 72 |
| Honours w20% | 82 | 82 |
| Statistics w15% | 88 | 86 |
Fan vote — data vs the people
What do you think?
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