GOAT Rank · 320

Greatest retired American Football Players

This ranking is led by Tom Brady, Jerry Rice and Lou Groza. GOAT Rank currently ranks 320 eligible American Football players using verified career records across dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.

Quick answer

According to GOAT Rank's current model, Tom Brady ranks #1 on this list with a GOAT Score of 97.2.

How the GOAT Score is calculated →

#AthleteGOAT Score

Tom Brady

97.2

Sport: American Football
Career: 2000–2022
Country: 🇺🇸 USA

Peak: 93.0
Dominance: 98.0
Statistics: 95.0
Honours: 99.0
Longevity: 100.0

Athlete: Tom Brady

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

Lou Groza

92.4

Sport: American Football
Career: 1946–1967
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Lou Groza

Sammy Baugh

92.3

Sport: American Football
Career: 1937–1952
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 92.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 92.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Sammy Baugh

Otto Graham

92.0

Sport: American Football
Career: 1946–1955
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 98.0
Dominance: 94.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 96.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Otto Graham

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

Tony Gonzalez

91.6

Sport: American Football
Career: 1997–2013
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Tony Gonzalez

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

Mel Blount

91.5

Sport: American Football
Career: 1970–1983
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 94.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Mel Blount

Gino Marchetti

91.3

Sport: American Football
Career: 1952–1966
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 92.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 92.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Gino Marchetti

Julius Peppers

90.9

Sport: American Football
Career: 2002–2018
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Julius Peppers

Peyton Manning

90.7

Sport: American Football
Career: 1998–2015
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 93.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 93.0
Honours: 90.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Peyton Manning

Deacon Jones

90.4

Sport: American Football
Career: 1961–1974
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Deacon Jones

Larry Fitzgerald

90.4

Sport: American Football
Career: 2004–2020
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Larry Fitzgerald

Ray Nitschke

90.4

Sport: American Football
Career: 1958–1972
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Ray Nitschke

Forrest Gregg

90.3

Sport: American Football
Career: 1956–1971
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 94.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Forrest Gregg

Ted Hendricks

90.2

Sport: American Football
Career: 1969–1983
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Ted Hendricks

Bob Lilly

90.1

Sport: American Football
Career: 1961–1974
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Bob Lilly

Alan Page

90.0

Sport: American Football
Career: 1967–1981
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Alan Page

Justin Tucker

90.0

Sport: American Football
Career: 2012–2024
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Justin Tucker

Franco Harris

90.0

Sport: American Football
Career: 1972–1984
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Franco Harris

Paul Krause

90.0

Sport: American Football
Career: 1964–1979
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 96.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 92.0

Athlete: Paul Krause

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

Herb Adderley

89.9

Sport: American Football
Career: 1961–1972
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 96.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Herb Adderley

Champ Bailey

89.8

Sport: American Football
Career: 1999–2013
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Champ Bailey

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

Shannon Sharpe

89.6

Sport: American Football
Career: 1990–2003
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 90.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Shannon Sharpe

Willie Davis

89.6

Sport: American Football
Career: 1958–1969
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 96.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Willie Davis

Don Maynard

89.6

Sport: American Football
Career: 1958–1973
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 90.0

Athlete: Don Maynard

Jack Lambert

89.5

Sport: American Football
Career: 1974–1984
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 94.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Jack Lambert

John Hannah

89.4

Sport: American Football
Career: 1973–1985
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: John Hannah

DeMarcus Ware

89.3

Sport: American Football
Career: 2005–2016
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: DeMarcus Ware

Randy White

89.3

Sport: American Football
Career: 1975–1988
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Randy White

Len Dawson

89.2

Sport: American Football
Career: 1957–1975
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 90.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Len Dawson

Bill George

89.2

Sport: American Football
Career: 1952–1966
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Bill George

Aaron Donald

89.1

Sport: American Football
Career: 2014–2023
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Aaron Donald

George Blanda

89.1

Sport: American Football
Career: 1949–1975
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 99.0

Athlete: George Blanda

Steve Largent

89.1

Sport: American Football
Career: 1976–1989
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 96.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 90.0

Athlete: Steve Largent

Derrick Brooks

89.0

Sport: American Football
Career: 1995–2008
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Derrick Brooks

Doug Atkins

89.0

Sport: American Football
Career: 1953–1969
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Doug Atkins

Leo Nomellini

89.0

Sport: American Football
Career: 1950–1963
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Leo Nomellini

Brian Dawkins

88.9

Sport: American Football
Career: 1996–2011
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Brian Dawkins

Chuck Bednarik

88.9

Sport: American Football
Career: 1949–1962
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Chuck Bednarik

Jim Parker

88.9

Sport: American Football
Career: 1957–1967
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 90.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Jim Parker

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

Mel Renfro

88.9

Sport: American Football
Career: 1964–1977
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Mel Renfro

Larry Allen

88.8

Sport: American Football
Career: 1994–2007
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Larry Allen

Tony Dorsett

88.8

Sport: American Football
Career: 1977–1988
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Tony Dorsett

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

#	Athlete	Sport	Country	Career	GOAT Score
1	Tom Brady	American Football	🇺🇸 USA	2000–2022	97.2
2	Jerry Rice	American Football	🇺🇸 USA	1985–2004	94.9
3	Lou Groza	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1946–1967	92.4
4	Sammy Baugh	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1937–1952	92.3
5	Otto Graham	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1946–1955	92.0
6	Bruce Matthews	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1983–2001	92.0
7	Tony Gonzalez	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1997–2013	91.6
8	Darrell Green	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1983–2002	91.6
9	Mel Blount	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1970–1983	91.5
10	Gino Marchetti	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1952–1966	91.3
11	Julius Peppers	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	2002–2018	90.9
12	Peyton Manning	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1998–2015	90.7
13	Deacon Jones	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1961–1974	90.4
14	Larry Fitzgerald	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	2004–2020	90.4
15	Ray Nitschke	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1958–1972	90.4
16	Forrest Gregg	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1956–1971	90.3
17	Ted Hendricks	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1969–1983	90.2
18	Bob Lilly	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1961–1974	90.1
19	Alan Page	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1967–1981	90.0
20	Justin Tucker	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	2012–2024	90.0
21	Franco Harris	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1972–1984	90.0
22	Paul Krause	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1964–1979	90.0
23	Cris Carter	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1987–2002	89.9
24	Herb Adderley	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1961–1972	89.9
25	Champ Bailey	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1999–2013	89.8
26	Randall McDaniel	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1988–2001	89.8
27	Shannon Sharpe	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1990–2003	89.6
28	Willie Davis	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1958–1969	89.6
29	Don Maynard	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1958–1973	89.6
30	Jack Lambert	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1974–1984	89.5
32	John Hannah	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1973–1985	89.4
33	DeMarcus Ware	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	2005–2016	89.3
34	Randy White	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1975–1988	89.3
35	Len Dawson	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1957–1975	89.2
36	Bill George	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1952–1966	89.2
37	Aaron Donald	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	2014–2023	89.1
38	George Blanda	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1949–1975	89.1
39	Steve Largent	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1976–1989	89.1
40	Derrick Brooks	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1995–2008	89.0
41	Doug Atkins	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1953–1969	89.0
42	Leo Nomellini	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1950–1963	89.0
44	Brian Dawkins	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1996–2011	88.9
45	Chuck Bednarik	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1949–1962	88.9
46	Jim Parker	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1957–1967	88.9
47	Richard Dent	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1983–1997	88.9
48	Mel Renfro	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1964–1977	88.9
49	Larry Allen	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1994–2007	88.8
50	Tony Dorsett	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1977–1988	88.8
51	Chris Doleman	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1985–1999	88.8
52	Kevin Greene	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1985–1999	88.8

Compare the leaders

Tom Brady vs Jerry Rice

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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