GOAT Rank · 45

Greatest American Football Players who debuted in the 1980s

This ranking is led by Jerry Rice, Bruce Matthews and Darrell Green. GOAT Rank currently ranks 45 eligible American Football players who debuted in the 1980s using verified career records across dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.

Quick answer

According to GOAT Rank's current model, Jerry Rice ranks #1 on this list with a GOAT Score of 94.9.

How the GOAT Score is calculated →

#AthleteGOAT Score

Jerry Rice

94.9

Sport: American Football
Career: 1985–2004
Country: 🇺🇸 USA

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 96.0
Statistics: 99.0
Honours: 90.0
Longevity: 96.0

Athlete: Jerry Rice

Bruce Matthews

92.0

Sport: American Football
Career: 1983–2001
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 96.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 98.0

Athlete: Bruce Matthews

Darrell Green

91.6

Sport: American Football
Career: 1983–2002
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 90.0
Longevity: 98.0

Athlete: Darrell Green

Cris Carter

89.9

Sport: American Football
Career: 1987–2002
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 96.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 90.0

Athlete: Cris Carter

Randall McDaniel

89.8

Sport: American Football
Career: 1988–2001
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 90.0

Athlete: Randall McDaniel

Richard Dent

88.9

Sport: American Football
Career: 1983–1997
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Richard Dent

Chris Doleman

88.8

Sport: American Football
Career: 1985–1999
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Chris Doleman

Kevin Greene

88.8

Sport: American Football
Career: 1985–1999
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Kevin Greene

Art Monk

88.6

Sport: American Football
Career: 1980–1995
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 90.0
Longevity: 90.0

Athlete: Art Monk

Reggie White

88.5

Sport: American Football
Career: 1984–2000
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 87.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 90.0

Athlete: Reggie White

Tim Brown

88.3

Sport: American Football
Career: 1988–2004
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 92.0

Athlete: Tim Brown

Lawrence Taylor

88.1

Sport: American Football
Career: 1981–1993
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Lawrence Taylor

Marcus Allen

88.1

Sport: American Football
Career: 1982–1997
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Marcus Allen

Eric Dickerson

88.1

Sport: American Football
Career: 1983–1993
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Eric Dickerson

Morten Andersen

87.8

Sport: American Football
Career: 1982–2007
Country: 🇩🇰 Denmark

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 96.0

Athlete: Morten Andersen

113

Rickey Jackson

87.6

Sport: American Football
Career: 1981–1995
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Rickey Jackson

115

Bruce Smith

87.5

Sport: American Football
Career: 1985–2003
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 92.0

Athlete: Bruce Smith

121

Dermontti Dawson

87.4

Sport: American Football
Career: 1988–2000
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Dermontti Dawson

123

Dan Marino

87.3

Sport: American Football
Career: 1983–1999
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 93.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Dan Marino

145

Deion Sanders

86.7

Sport: American Football
Career: 1989–2005
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Deion Sanders

157

Barry Sanders

86.5

Sport: American Football
Career: 1989–1998
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Barry Sanders

158

Steve Young

86.5

Sport: American Football
Career: 1984–1999
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Steve Young

161

Michael Irvin

86.5

Sport: American Football
Career: 1988–1999
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Michael Irvin

165

Steve McMichael

86.4

Sport: American Football
Career: 1980–1994
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Steve McMichael

178

Eric Allen

86.3

Sport: American Football
Career: 1988–2001
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Eric Allen

184

John Elway

86.1

Sport: American Football
Career: 1983–1998
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: John Elway

192

Ronnie Lott

85.9

Sport: American Football
Career: 1981–1994
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Ronnie Lott

204

Rod Woodson

85.6

Sport: American Football
Career: 1987–2003
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 90.0

Athlete: Rod Woodson

222

Russ Grimm

85.4

Sport: American Football
Career: 1981–1991
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 90.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Russ Grimm

227

Charles Haley

85.3

Sport: American Football
Career: 1986–1999
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 94.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Charles Haley

234

Sam Mills

85.2

Sport: American Football
Career: 1986–1997
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Sam Mills

236

Mike Munchak

85.1

Sport: American Football
Career: 1982–1993
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Mike Munchak

238

Andre Reed

85.0

Sport: American Football
Career: 1985–2000
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Andre Reed

243

Anthony Muñoz

84.8

Sport: American Football
Career: 1980–1992
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Anthony Muñoz

245

Jim Kelly

84.8

Sport: American Football
Career: 1986–1996
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Jim Kelly

250

Roger Craig

84.7

Sport: American Football
Career: 1983–1993
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Roger Craig

270

Howie Long

84.1

Sport: American Football
Career: 1981–1993
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Howie Long

281

Mike Singletary

83.7

Sport: American Football
Career: 1981–1992
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Mike Singletary

292

Steve Atwater

83.2

Sport: American Football
Career: 1989–1999
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Steve Atwater

310

Dwight Stephenson

82.3

Sport: American Football
Career: 1980–1987
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 62.0

Athlete: Dwight Stephenson

318

Thurman Thomas

81.8

Sport: American Football
Career: 1988–2000
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Thurman Thomas

320

Kenny Easley

81.8

Sport: American Football
Career: 1981–1987
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 62.0

Athlete: Kenny Easley

323

Sterling Sharpe

81.7

Sport: American Football
Career: 1988–1994
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 62.0

Athlete: Sterling Sharpe

327

Troy Aikman

81.4

Sport: American Football
Career: 1989–2000
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 82.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Troy Aikman

331

Jim Covert

79.7

Sport: American Football
Career: 1983–1990
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 64.0

Athlete: Jim Covert

#	Athlete	Sport	Country	Career	GOAT Score
2	Jerry Rice	American Football	🇺🇸 USA	1985–2004	94.9
6	Bruce Matthews	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1983–2001	92.0
8	Darrell Green	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1983–2002	91.6
23	Cris Carter	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1987–2002	89.9
26	Randall McDaniel	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1988–2001	89.8
47	Richard Dent	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1983–1997	88.9
51	Chris Doleman	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1985–1999	88.8
52	Kevin Greene	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1985–1999	88.8
56	Art Monk	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1980–1995	88.6
59	Reggie White	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1984–2000	88.5
70	Tim Brown	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1988–2004	88.3
74	Lawrence Taylor	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1981–1993	88.1
75	Marcus Allen	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1982–1997	88.1
78	Eric Dickerson	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1983–1993	88.1
94	Morten Andersen	American Football	🇩🇰 Denmark	1982–2007	87.8
113	Rickey Jackson	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1981–1995	87.6
115	Bruce Smith	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1985–2003	87.5
121	Dermontti Dawson	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1988–2000	87.4
123	Dan Marino	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1983–1999	87.3
145	Deion Sanders	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1989–2005	86.7
157	Barry Sanders	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1989–1998	86.5
158	Steve Young	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1984–1999	86.5
161	Michael Irvin	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1988–1999	86.5
165	Steve McMichael	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1980–1994	86.4
178	Eric Allen	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1988–2001	86.3
184	John Elway	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1983–1998	86.1
192	Ronnie Lott	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1981–1994	85.9
204	Rod Woodson	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1987–2003	85.6
222	Russ Grimm	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1981–1991	85.4
227	Charles Haley	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1986–1999	85.3
234	Sam Mills	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1986–1997	85.2
236	Mike Munchak	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1982–1993	85.1
238	Andre Reed	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1985–2000	85.0
243	Anthony Muñoz	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1980–1992	84.8
245	Jim Kelly	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1986–1996	84.8
250	Roger Craig	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1983–1993	84.7
270	Howie Long	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1981–1993	84.1
281	Mike Singletary	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1981–1992	83.7
292	Steve Atwater	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1989–1999	83.2
310	Dwight Stephenson	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1980–1987	82.3
318	Thurman Thomas	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1988–2000	81.8
320	Kenny Easley	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1981–1987	81.8
323	Sterling Sharpe	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1988–1994	81.7
327	Troy Aikman	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1989–2000	81.4
331	Jim Covert	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1983–1990	79.7

Compare the leaders

Jerry Rice vs Bruce Matthews

Read the full methodology

Sport lists use the raw In-Sport GOAT Score. Cross-sport lists use the official competition-depth adjustment. No scores are recalculated for this page.

Read the full methodology

Frequently asked questions

How is this ranking calculated?

Five verified components are weighted consistently: dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.

Who is included?

According to GOAT Rank's current data model, only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible. Rank and score are read live.

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