Famous American Football Players

A record six-time Super Bowl champion, Tom Brady is regarded by many as the greatest quarterback ever. At the age of 41, he became the oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl in NFL history. Thanks to his good looks, he has also appeared in some television programs and commercial campaigns.

American football quarterback Peyton Manning played 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with the Denver Broncos, winning a Super Bowl with each, thus becoming the only person to achieve the feat. Also known as “The Sheriff,” the talented player has NFL records for passing yards and touchdowns.

Aaron Rodgers, who has the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in the history of the National Football League (NFL), is regarded by many as one of the greatest football quarterbacks ever. Also known for his humanitarian and charitable efforts, Aaron Rodgers is an ardent supporter of the MACC Fund, which is a fund-raising organization.

Widely regarded as the greatest tight end of all time, Rob Gronkowski is also considered one of the best American football players of his generation. Also one of the most popular players, thanks to his larger-than-life personality, Rob Gronkowski has set many National Football League (NFL) records as a tight end.

After 5 years with the San Diego Chargers, NFL quarterback Drew Brees joined the New Orleans Saints. In 2010, he was the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year and the co-chair of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition. Drew is considered one of the best passers in NFL.

American football player Deion Sanders is considered one of the strongest pass defenders of the game. He was an electrifying athlete and played in the National Football League for 14 seasons. He played for teams like Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens. He is now a coach and a sports analyst. He’s also a rapper.

Brett Favre is a former American football player who spent the majority of his National Football League career with the Green Bay Packers. Apart from being a retired player with several achievements and records under his belt, Favre is also a philanthropist; in 1996, he set up the Brett Favre Fourward Foundation, which has donated over $2 million to charities.

JJ Watt is an American football player who currently plays defensive end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He also plays defensive tackle in some situations. Sports Illustrated named him its Sportsperson of the Year in 2017. He is regarded as one of the greatest defensive ends in NFL history. Besides sports, he co-hosts the Fox game show, Ultimate Tag.

Michael Strahan is a journalist, television personality, and former professional American football player. Strahan helped the New York Giants, where he spent his entire 15-year National Football League (NFL) career, win the Super Bowl XLII. After retiring from football, Michael Strahan co-hosted the talk show Live with Kelly and Ryan, for which he received a couple of Daytime Emmy Awards.

Jerry Rice is a former American footballer. He played primarily for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Thanks to his several records and accomplishments, Rice is considered one of the greatest players and the greatest wide receiver in the history of NFL. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked him second on its Football's 100 Greatest Players list.

Adrian Peterson is an American football player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest running backs in the history of the National Football League (NFL), Peterson became the third-fastest player in NFL history to reach 10,000 rushing yards in 2013. He is currently playing for the Detroit Lions.

Ray Lewis is a former American football player who spent his entire 17-year career with the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Widely regarded as one of the greatest middle linebackers in the history of NFL, Ray Lewis helped his team win two Super Bowl championships. He is also regarded as the greatest player in Baltimore Ravens' history.

American footballer, Russell Wilson, plays for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and is considered one of the best players ever. In NFL history, he is one of two quarterbacks with a career passer rating over 100. In October 2020, he was inducted in an exclusive group, the Madden 99 club of the popular ‘Madden 21’ video game.

Terrell Owens is a former American football player who played for popular teams like San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) in a career spanning 16 years. Considered one of the greatest American footballers of his generation, Terrell Owens was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

Odell Beckham Jr. is an American football player who plays in the National Football League (NFL). With several NFL records under his belt, Beckham Jr. is widely regarded as one of the most popular and productive players of all time. His one-handed touchdown catch in a Sunday Night Football game is considered the greatest catch ever made in NFL history.

Jim Thorpe was an American athlete who was counted among the most versatile athletes of the modern era. Jim Thorpe won two gold medals at the 1912 Olympics and became the first Native American to give the United States an Olympic gold. He also played American football, professional baseball, and basketball. He was memorialized in the 1951 film Jim Thorpe – All-American.

American football quarterback for New England Patriots, Cam Newton shot to fame when he led Auburn Tigers to the 2010 BCS National Championship, won the Heisman Trophy and was selected by Carolina Panthers in the 2011 NFL draft. In the subsequent nine seasons with the Panthers, he emerged as star player and even bagged NFL’s top player spot in 2016.

Known to his fans as the “Big Ben,” Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had captained his high-school basketball, baseball, and football teams. The multitalented 2004 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year stunned everyone when he became the youngest starting quarterback to score a Super Bowl victory in 2006.

NFL quarterback Eli Manning, brother of Peyton Manning, is one of only five players to have won multiple Super Bowl MVP honors. He initially played for the University of Mississippi and eventually led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl victories. He is known for his match-winning Helmet Catch.

Barry Sanders is a former professional American footballer who spent all his playing years with the Detroit Lions of NFL. Widely considered one of the greatest running backs in the history of National Football League, Barry Sanders has been made an inductee to Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, and the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.

Lamar Jackson is an American football player who currently plays for the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL. In 2018, he became the youngest football quarterback to start a playoff game and helped his team win the AFC North division title. In 2019, Lamar Jackson became only the fourth African-American quarterback to win the prestigious Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award.

Emmitt Smith is a former American footballer who helped the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League win three Super Bowl championships between 1993 and 1996. He remains NFL's all-time leading rusher and is the only running back to win a Super Bowl. A humanitarian, Smith is credited with founding a nonprofit organization called the Pat & Emmitt Smith Charities.

Michael Vick is a former American football player who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons during which he represented successful teams like the Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Jets. Michael Vick is also known for his philanthropic efforts; he has established a couple of nonprofit organizations namely The Vick Foundation and Michael Vick Foundation.  

Former professional baseball and football player Bo Jackson has the distinction of being the only professional athlete in history to be named an All-Star in both the sports. Considered one of the greatest athletes of all time, he pursued his other interests following his retirement from sports in the 1990s. He has acted in a few TV shows, playing minor characters.

Son of famous actor, Denzel Washington, John David Washington is a former professional footballer who played in the NFL Europe and the United Football League (UFL). He co-produced a film, The Book of Eli, and rose to fame as an actor with HBO drama series, Ballers. He later starred in critically acclaimed films, such as BlacKkKlansman and Tenet.

Tony Romo is a former American football player. Romo played as a quarterback and represented the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League for 14 seasons. After his retirement, which was caused mainly by a back injury, Tony Romo became the lead color analyst for CBS Sports' NFL telecasts.

Carl Weathers began his career as a football player, playing for the NFL team Oakland Raiders and the CFL team B.C. Lions. He stepped into acting with Arthur Marks’s blaxploitation films. He is best known as Apollo Creed from the Rocky films and as Greef Karga from The Mandalorian.

Pat Tillman was an American football player who represented the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. Tillman's decision to join the US Army after the September 11, 2001 attacks proved to be costly as he died in Afghanistan as a result of friendly fire. He became the first football player since Bob Kalsu to be killed in combat.