It’s a pass-happy league, and no position dominated the NFL over the last decade more than the quarterback. As a result, a full 10 of my 50 best players to qualify for this list were quarterbacks. Your usual end-of-the-year awards weighed heavily in making this ranking – Pro Bowl selections, All-Pro nominations, and MVP awards.
I also valued durability and consistency, as well as length of career throughout the decade. Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson have been unstoppable since taking over as starters, but a combined three seasons of starts (even with two of those resulting in MVPs) just isn’t enough to overtake players that suited up 16 games year after year.
As we’ve seen from the recent NFL, a surprisingly high number of players on this list have already retired. In all, 11 of my 50 weren’t on an active roster by the end of 2019, whether by means of early retirement (Andrew Luck), injuries that shortened their career (NaVorro Bowman), or self-inflicted destruction (Antonio Brown).
We’ll start with 10 players that just missed the cut:
60. Fletcher Cox, DT, 2012-2019: The NFL’s first $100 million defensive player to win a Super Bowl. Gets constant pressure form the defensive tackle position.
59. Jahri Evans, G, 2010-2017: Kept Drew Brees standing tall for most of the decade. Five-time Pro Bowler who started 119 games in eight years.
58. Justin Houston, OLB, 2011-2019: Came within half a sack of setting the NFL’s single-season sack record in 2014. Even a slow second half of the decade can’t keep him out of the top 60.
57. Lavonte David, OLB, 2012-2019: An unheralded superstar off-ball linebacker who curiously has been named to just one Pro Bowl but stuffs the stat sheet on an annual basis.
56. Aqib Talib, CB, 2010-2019: A pick-six machine (10 over an eight-year span) whose teams won everywhere he went.
55. Travis Frederick, C, 2013-2019: His surprising retirement at age 29 doesn’t hurt his rank on this list but probably will keep the five-time Pro Bowler out of the Hall of Fame.
54. Frank Gore, RB, 2010-2019: Defies everything that would slow down a normal RB: age, a high workload, and a slew of high-drafted running backs in his way. Came within a few games of 10,000 rushing yards for the decade.
53. Harrison Smith, S, 2012-2019: To this day, he remains one of the league’s most underrated safeties. Can do everything in the secondary.
52. Chandler Jones, DE/OLB, 2012-2019: Trading him away remains Bill Belichick’s worst GM decision to date. Chandler Jones has 60 sacks and 17 forced fumbles in four years in Arizona.
51. Cameron Jordan, DE, 2011-2019: Just the sixth defensive linemen in league history to go 144-for-144 in games played in his first nine seasons. Has averaged 11 sacks per year since 2012.
And now the official top 50:
50. Travis Kelce, TE, 2013-2019
Stats: 95 games, 507 receptions, 6,465 receiving yards, 37 rec TD
Honors: 5 Pro Bowls, 2x All-Pro
After missing the first season of his NFL career due to microfracture knee surgery, Travis Kelce has put together a six-year run that compares favorably against any tight end in league history. He’s averaged 85 catches and 1,078 yards during that span, hauling in touchdowns from four different quarterbacks. He caught four touchdowns in the 2019 postseason, helping the Kansas City Chiefs earn their first Super Bowl win in 50 years. Kelce is neck-and-neck with George Kittle for distinction of the best tight end in the game, and at just 30 years old, he has a chance to one day put himself in the discussion for GOAT at his position.
49. Eric Berry, S, 2010-2018
Stats: 89 games, 14 INT, 4 FF, 2 FR, 5.5 sacks, 445 tackles, 5 TD
Honors: 5 Pro Bowls, 3x All-Pro
It was a roller coaster of a career for Eric Berry, who burst onto the scene with a Pro Bowl season as a rookie and spent the next decade battling a bout with cancer, an ACL injury, and an Achilles tear. By the time he was released by Kansas City after 2018, Berry had missed 55 games due to various ailments over nine years.
It’s what he did when he was on the field though that put him on this list; Berry made the Pro Bowl in every season in which he started double-digit games. His 2013 campaign was arguably his finest as a pro – 3.5 sacks, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and two defensive touchdowns.
48. Cam Newton, QB, 2011-2019
Stats: 125 games, 59.6 completion percentage, 29,041 passing yards, 182 TD, 108 INT, 86.1 passer rating; 4,806 rushing yards, 58 rushing TD
Honors: 3 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro, 1 MVP
We’ve arguably never before seen a quarterback like Cam Newton, and even if his days as a starter are over, he’s been a highlight reel to watch since his Auburn days. There have been running quarterbacks like Michael Vick, Steve Young, and Randall Cunningham, but we’ve never quite seem a QB serve as his own goal line back quite like Supercam.
He’s pounded in 58 touchdowns in roughly eight seasons so far, taking a world of physical abuse in the process. He peaked with his 2015 MVP campaign, accounting for 45 total scores and taking Carolina to the Super Bowl. Even if it’s all over for him with the Panthers, it’s been a tremendous run.
47. Gerald McCoy, DT, 2010-2019
Stats: 139 games, 59.5 sacks, 6 FF, 4 FR, 334 tackles
Honors: 6 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro
One of the steadiest and most productive three-tech defensive tackles of the last decade, Gerald McCoy has a sneaky Hall of Fame case. He’s been to six Pro Bowls, racked up five or more sacks in eight straight seasons, and heading into 2020, he’s missed just eight games due to injury since ’12. And the most amazing part of McCoy is that he probably wasn’t even the best Oklahoma lineman (Trent Williams) or best defensive tackle (Ndamukong Suh) from the first five picks of his draft class.
46. Le’Veon Bell, RB, 2013-2019
Stats: 77 games, 6,125 rushing yards, 4.2 yards per carry, 38 rushing TD; 378 receptions, 3,121 receiving yards, 8 rec TD; 9,246 scrimmage yards, 46 total TD
Honors: 3 Pro Bowls, 2x All-Pro
It’s been an unconventional career for Le’Veon Bell, whose ill-fated holdout in 2018 probably didn’t go as planned yet still got him a four-year deal worth $35 million in guaranteed money from the New York Jet
In his prime, Bell is a do-all running back capable of running between the tackles and catching 80+ passes per season out of the backfield. Three times he’s gained more than 1,800 scrimmage yards per year, and his career average of 120 scrimmage yards per game is an all-time NFL record.
45. NaVorro Bowman, ILB, 2010-2017
Stats: 99 games, 5 INT, 9 FF, 6 FR, 14 sacks, 1 TD, 798 tackles
Honors: 3 Pro Bowls, 4x All-Pro
It’s hard to discuss NaVorro Bowman’s career without reflecting on the gruesome injury he suffered in the 2013 NFC Championship Game – one of the more horrific images I’ve seen in my multiple decades of watching football. He tore both his ACL and MCL, missed the entire ’14 campaign, and then miraculously rebounded to play all 16 games in 2015, lead the NFL in tackles, and earn a First-Team All-Pro selection.
Bowman’s NFL tenure was short yet spectacular. He’s the only player in the modern era (since 1970) to earn four First-Team All-Pro selections without even appearing in 100 games. With the Pro Football Hall of Fame having recently opened its doors to Terrell Davis and Kenny Easley, there remains reason for optimism for Bowman.
44. Andrew Luck, QB, 2012-2018
Stats: 86 games, 60.8 completion percentage, 23,671 passing yards, 171 TD, 83 INT, 89.5 passer rating; 1,590 rushing yards, 14 rushing TD
Honors: 4 Pro Bowls, 1 Comeback Player of the Year
It’s still difficult to believe Andrew Luck walked away from the NFL at the age of 29, joining the likes of all-time greats like Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, and Calvin Johnson who retired while still in the prime of their careers. Unlike those players though, Luck set a precedent as arguably the most talented quarterback to retire while still so young.
Luck was the league’s most sought-after quarterback prospect since John Elway and fulfilled those lofty expectations by inheriting a 2-14 Indianapolis team and taking them to the playoffs in his first year. The Colts played big boy football with Luck from the start – he threw 45 passes in his NFL debut, averaged 38 per game for his seven-year career, and he did this with a rushing offense that never ranked in the top 10 in the league. It’s easy to (accurately) look at the Colts and say they did Luck a grave injustice by failing to surround him with a better running game, better defense, and a stronger offensive line. When he played though, he was a Hall of Fame talent and the rare quarterback who could overcome multiple team deficiencies to win games.
43. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, 2013-2019
Stats: 110 games, 632 receptions, 8,602 receiving yards, 54 rec TD
Honors: 4 Pro Bowls, 3x All-Pro
If it seems like DeAndre Hopkins has flown under the radar to Antonio Brown and Julio Jones, his numbers back up his dominance. Hopkins is coming off of three consecutive First-Team AP All-Pro selections, and he’s averaged a 105/1,372/10 statline during that span. That’s the kind of production every GM in the league except Bill O’Brien would love to have.
42. Khalil Mack, EDGE, 2014-2019
Stats: 94 games, 61.5 sacks, 20 FF, 7 FR, 2 INT, 2 TD, 398 tackles
Honors: 5 Pro Bowls, 3x All-Pro, 1 Defensive Player of the Year
Nothing speaks of Khalil Mack’s raw talent more than the fact that the Chicago Bears gave up two first-round draft picks to acquire him before the 2018 season, and then signed him to a contract worth north of $20 million per year. Mack has been a one-man wrecking crew at both defensive end and outside linebacker, averaging over 10 sacks and close to three forced fumbles per season and winning the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year award. The only factor keeping him from ranking higher on this list is a shortened career when compared to others on the All-Decade team.
41. Maurkice Pouncey, C, 2010-2019
Stats: 121 games
Honors: 8 Pro Bowls, 2x All-Pro
It’s difficult to play 10 seasons in the league, make eight Pro Bowls, and still be overshadowed, but such is the case for the career of Maurkice Pouncey. While Pittsburgh’s offense has been known by Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown, it’s been Pouncey who has been the rock up the middle
Pouncey missed 15 of 16 games in 2013 due to a torn ACL/MCL and the entire 2015 season due to a broken leg, which means he’s made the Pro Bowl every single year in which he’s been healthy.
40. Joe Staley, OT, 2010-2019
Stats: 181 games
Honors: 6 Pro Bowls
At this point in his career, only four players have started more games in a San Francisco 49ers uniform than Joe Staley. Even when you only look at Staley’s career for the 2010s, he’s been a rock solid force for the Niners, blocking for quarterbacks from Alex Smith to Colin Kaepernick to Jimmy Garoppolo. Twice his stellar blocking has helped SF reach the Super Bowl, and his six Pro Bowl selections put him in the Hall of Fame conversation when he does decide to hang up his cleats.
39. Eric Weddle, S, 2010-2019
Stats: 157 games, 25 INT, 8 FF, 6 FR, 6.0 sacks, 687 tackles, 3 TD
Honors: 6 Pro Bowls, 2x All-Pro
Eric Weddle was a do-everything safety who transitioned from a ballhawk big-play machine to that of a box safety who would tackle and stop the run. Durability was his best attribute, as he suited up for all 16 games in nine of 10 seasons this past decade, playing 98 percent of the games in all. Weddle recorded 25 interceptions and recovered six fumbles, and he made three Pro Bowls for two different teams (San Diego Chargers/Baltimore Ravens).
38. Ben Roethlisberger, QB, 2010-2019
Stats: 131 games, 64.8 completion percentage, 37,243 passing yards, 236 TD, 110 INT, 95.1 passer rating; 659 rushing yards, 7 rushing TD
Honors: 5 Pro Bowls
Few quarterbacks have seen their game transform over the years as much as Ben Roethlisberger. He was a caretaking quarterback as a rookie whose job was to hand the ball to Jerome Bettis and let the defense do the work. By the time 2018 rolled around, he threw for an NFL-high 5,129 yards in an offense that forced him to throw the ball over 40 times per game with Le’Veon Bell having departed.
Roethlisberger has seemingly never been completely healthy, but he’s almost always good for 12-15 starts. Six times this decade he’s taken the Steelers to the playoffs. And over the last half-decade (before missing almost all of 2019 due to injury), he’s taken his game to a whole other level: Roethlisberger led the league in passing yards per game three times in a five-year span and averaged 29 passing touchdowns per season.
37. A.J. Green, WR, 2011-2019
Stats: 111 games, 602 receptions, 8,907 receiving yards, 63 receiving TD
Honors: 7 Pro Bowls
A.J. Green’s best years are very likely behind him, and his struggles with injuries the last two years may cost him the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But he’s still had a heck of a career, averaging 79/1,173/8 over his first seven years and becoming just the third skill position player since the NFL-AFL merger to start his career with seven straight Pro Bowl selections. If it seems like Green always flew under the radar, it’s probably because he did. He’s never been a First-Team AP All-Pro or led the league in a single receiving statistic. All he’s done for the entirety of the decade is just produce at an extremely high level.
36. Trent Williams, OT, 2010-2019
Stats: 120 games
Honors: 7 Pro Bowls
A stellar career in Washington hit an all-time low in 2019 when dispute with management led to Trent Williams sitting out the entire season. Still, he’s one of three offensive tackles in the decade to make at least seven Pro Bowl squads, and he did it while blocking for a myriad of different quarterbacks. Remarkably, the former No. 4 overall pick is still just 31 years old and theoretically should have plenty left in the tank.
35. Jason Peters, OT, 2010-2019
Stats: 125 games
Honors: 6 Pro Bowls, 2x All-Pro
Quite possibly the most athletic man to ever suit up at left tackle, Jason Peters continues to defy expectations as he’s set to enter his age-38 season. He’s rebounded from a double Achilles tendon tear (2012) and torn ACL (2017), made the Pro Bowl with three different head coaches in Philadelphia, and will likely go down as a Hall of Famer when he finally retires. Even with his having missed the entire Super Bowl campaign, he came back strong in 2018 and played in his first-ever postseason win in a Wild Card win over Chicago.
34. Andrew Whitworth, OT, 2010-2019
Stats: 157 games
Honors: 4 Pro Bowls, 2x All-Pro
A run of offensive tackles concludes with the ageless Andrew Whitworth who just inked a three-year contract extension at age 38. Trent Williams and Jason Peters have arguably been more dominant players in their prime, but Whitworth played almost two more full seasons’ worth of games this decade.
Here are his Pro Football Focus positional rankings this decade, starting with 2010: 1st, 10th, 13th, 16th, 3rd, 4th, 3rd, 5th, 8th, and 23rd. That’s a ridiculously impressive streak of dominance, and it’s largely done unnoticed because he spent most of the decade buried on a one-and-done Cincinnati Bengals team.
33. Terrell Suggs, EDGE, 2010-2019
Stats: 139 games, 59.5 sacks, 6 FF, 4 FR, 334 tackles
Honors: 4 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro, 1 DPOY award, 2 rings
What a decade it was for Terrell Suggs, who packed a Defensive Player of the Year award, two Super Bowl rings (one with Baltimore and one with Kansas City), and five double-digit sack seasons into a stretch that saw him solidify his Hall of Fame case. T-Sizzle debuted primarily as a pass-rushing specialist back in 2003 but blossomed into the leader of the Ravens once Ray Lewis retired and Ed Reed departed.
Arguably his most impressive accomplishment was returning in just 5 ½ months from an Achilles tendon tear in 2012 and then recording two sacks of Peyton Manning in the upset victory in the AFC Divisional Playoffs win.
32. Julius Peppers, EDGE, 2010-2018
Stats: 139 games, 59.5 sacks, 6 FF, 4 FR, 334 tackles
Honors: 4 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro, 1 DPOY award, 2 rings
It’s hard to believe how productive Julius Peppers was this decade. Before retiring after 2018, he suited up for 144 of a possible 144 games as an edge rusher – not bad considering he started the ‘10s as a 30-year-old player with eight full seasons on his resume already.
There aren’t too many players in league history with Peppers’ physical gifts, and he used them to his advantage in an unbelievable way. His peak years came during the previous decade, but he was still a four-time Pro Bowler in the 2010s. His first year in Green Bay (2014) was a thing of beauty – Peppers had seven sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, two pick-sixes, and a ridiculous 11 passes defensed from the edge rush position. He even went back to Carolina for his age-37 and 38 seasons, playing all 32 games and picking up 16 sacks.
31. Marshawn Lynch, RB, 2010-2015, 2017-2019
Stats: 108 games, 7,812 rushing yards, 4.3 yards per carry, 68 rushing TD; 194 receptions, 1,551 receiving yards, 8 rec TD; 9,363 scrimmage yards, 76 total TD
Honors: 4 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro, 1 ring
It took a midseason trade from Buffalo to Seattle for Marshawn Lynch to kickstart his NFL career, but once he got rolling, Beast Mode was an absolutely unstoppable force capable of wrecking defenders for 60 minutes. He put together four straight 1,200/10 rushing campaigns and led Seattle to a Super Bowl title over Denver in 2013, but it’s what didn’t happen that he’s arguably most known for.
Lynch famously never got the ball on the goal line against New England in the 2014 Super Bowl, and it’s likely that Seattle would have won back-to-back championships had he gotten the handoff. Lynch will still go down as a borderline Hall of Fame player and one of the greatest postseason performers of all-time, racking up 12 total touchdowns in 13 career playoff games.
30. LeSean McCoy, RB, 2010-2019
Stats: 144 games, 10,434 rushing yards, 4.6 yards per carry, 69 rushing TD; 463 receptions, 3,489 receiving yards, 16 rec TD; 13,923 scrimmage yards, 85 total TD
Honors: 6 Pro Bowls, 2x All-Pro, 1 ring
The decade’s leader in rushing yards (10,434) is the closest thing we’ve seen to Barry Sanders since Barry Sanders himself. LeSean McCoy’s best ability was his gift of stopping on a dime and making defenders miss, but he was also an underrated pass catcher who hauled in over 50 in five different seasons. Along the way, McCoy set the Philadelphia Eagles’ single-season record for total touchdowns (20 in 2011), won a rushing title in 2013, and carried on his dominance with three straight Pro Bowl selections in Buffalo.
29. Philip Rivers, QB, 2010-2019
Stats: 160 games, 65.2 completion percentage, 44,320 passing yards, 291 TD, 153 INT, 94.8 passer rating
Honors: 6 Pro Bowls
Despite finishing the 2010s with a losing record as a starter (77-83), Philip Rivers has had a remarkable run of success. He’s just a shade under 45,000 yards and 300 touchdown passes, and he was the only offensive player to start all 160 games. Once you get past his unconventional method of essentially shotputting the football downfield, the numbers support him as a borderline Hall of Fame player.
28. Zack Martin, G, 2014-2019
Stats: 94 games
Honors: 6 Pro Bowls, 4x All-Pro
Remember when Jerry Jones wanted to select Johnny Manziel over Zack Martin? It’s safe to say the Martin selection worked out pretty well.
Six years into his NFL career, Martin has had a clean sweep of Pro Bowl invitations, he’s been arguably the best guard in the league, and he’s likely headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he retires. In fact, Martin is one of only three offensive linemen in the modern NFL to earn four First-Team AP All-Pro selections in his first six years. The others? Anthony Munoz and Larry Allen, each of whom has a strong case as the best ever at their position.
27. Adrian Peterson, RB, 2010-2019
Stats: 118 games, 9,732 rushing yards, 4.6 yards per carry, 71 rushing TD; 206 receptions, 1,536 receiving yards, 5 rec TD; 11,268 scrimmage yards, 76 total TD
Honors: 4 Pro Bowls, 2x All-Pro, 1 MVP
Running backs historically have a short shelf life, but don’t tell that to Adrian Peterson. All Day started the decade with over 900 carries to his name and ended up putting together a decade in which he finished just a shade under 10,000 rushing yards. And this despite a torn ACL (2011), a nearly year-long suspension (2014), and a torn meniscus (2016).
AP’s 2012 season is still the last year in which we’ve seen a running back win the NFL MVP award, and the most amazing aspect of his 2,097 rushing yards was that he was just nine months removed from his torn ACL. Twice this decade he won the rushing crown, four times he scored double-digit touchdowns, and he ended the 2010s making 31 of 32 starts for the Washington Redskins – as a mid-thirties running back.
26. Darrelle Revis, CB, 2010-2017
Stats: 97 games, 15 INT, 3 FF, 9 FR, 1.0 sacks, 243 tackles, 1 TD
Honors: 5 Pro Bowls, 3x All-Pro, 1 ring
For the peak of his career, there’s arguably no one who was better than Darrelle Revis. Revis Island was a pure shutdown corner capable of eliminating an entire side of the field with no safety help, and the Pro Football Focus advanced metrics support this. Revis’ 2011 season was arguably his finest work – he didn’t allow a single reception in three consecutive games and finished the year allowing a miniscule 45.6 passer rating.
Revis also was the first NFL player to market himself as an independent contractor, at one point making the Pro Bowl for three different teams in three years (2013 Tampa Bay/2014 New England/2015 NY Jets), winning a Super Bowl with the Patriots in between. The only thing keeping him from ranking higher is that some of his best work came in the previous decade.
25. Matt Ryan, QB, 2010-2019
Stats: 159 games, 66.3 completion percentage, 44,830 passing yards, 283 TD, 122 INT, 96.1 passer rating; 1,142 rushing yards, 7 rushing TD
Honors: 4 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro, 1 MVP
Only a midseason ankle injury last year kept Matt Ryan from making the 2010s a clean sweep in terms of games started. Still, 159 of 160 is pretty solid, and his consecutive games streak (154 straight) ranks fifth all-time for quarterbacks.
No matter what you think of Ryan – and the opinions are all over the place – his numbers are pretty ridiculous. He’s completed nearly two-third of his passes for an entire decade and he’s just a shade under averaging 4,500 passing yards per season. Winning the 2016 league MVP and averaging an absurd 9.3 yards per attempt (an NFL record for a QB making 16 starts) is his crowning achievement. And if Devonta Freeman had just picked up the block on a blitzing Dont’a Hightower in the Super Bowl, we’d probably be looking at Ryan as a future Hall of Famer.
24. Calais Campbell, EDGE, 2010-2019
Stats: 154 games, 81.0 sacks, 12 FF, 11 FR, 3 TD, 459 tackles
Honors: 5 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro
It’s pretty easy to make a case for Calais Campbell as the most underrated player of the decade. He’s a 6’8”, 300-pound beast who plays every game at multiple positions on the defensive line, and like a fine wine, he seems to get better with age.
He was the only player to record at least five sacks in every year of the 2010s, and by virtue of being an adept run stopper, he also added 50 tackles in each season. He’ll soon cruise past 100 sacks, giving him a sneaky Hall of Fame case.
23. Geno Atkins, DT, 2010-2019
Stats: 153 games, 75.5 sacks, 8 FF, 2 FR, 1 TD, 383 tackles
Honors: 8 Pro Bowls, 2x All-Pro
Pressure up the middle is the scariest type for quarterbacks, and that’s what has made Geno Atkins one of the best defensive players of the decade. The start of his career coincided with the beginning of the 2010s, and he’s been a dominating presence for the largely hapless Cincinnati Bengals.
Other than a torn ACL that sidelined him for half of 2013, Atkins has never missed a game in a decade. He’s averaged 7.5 sacks from the three-technique spot, twice earning distinction as a First-Team All-Pro.
22. Patrick Peterson, CB, 2011-2019
Stats: 138 games, 25 INT, 2 FF, 12 FR, 4.0 sacks, 438 tackles, 1 TD
Honors: 8 Pro Bowls, 3x All-Pro
Until last year, Patrick Peterson had as flawless of a start to his career as anyone has had – eight seasons, 128 of 128 games started, and eight Pro Bowl selections. Peterson has been a rare true No. 1 corner capable of covering the opposition’s best wide receiver, and he’s also excelled as a return man, running back four punts for touchdowns as a rookie. Impressively enough, he’s still just 29 years old and should have a handful of prime years left.
21. Ndamukong Suh, DT, 2010-2019
Stats: 158 games, 58.5 sacks, 4 FF, 8 FR, 3 TD, 519 tackles
Honors: 5 Pro Bowls, 3x All-Pro
Ndamukong Suh splashed onto the scene as a dominating presence in his rookie year, registering 10 sacks, an interception, and a fumble recovery touchdown, and he went on to play 158 of 160 games for the decade of the 2010s. Suh’s play has never been without controversy, as he was suspended for two games in ’11 for an on-field altercation involving Green Bay’s Evan Dietrich-Smith. Remarkably though, Suh has never missed a single game due to injury.
He was once the highest-paid defensive player in league history, and even though he’s been on a multitude of teams, he’s a lock for 16 starts and a strong interior pass rush every year.
20. Tyron Smith, OT, 2011-2019
Stats: 131 games
Honors: 7 Pro Bowls, 2x All-Pro
The best indicator of Tyron Smith’s abilities as a player are that Dallas once signed him to an eight-year extension worth over $100 million – and no one batted an eye. Smith is the prototype of a perfect left tackle, standing at 6’5”, 320 pounds, and reportedly bench pressing well over 600 pounds. He’s so dominant that he was once named NFC Offensive Player of the Week as an offensive lineman, and he’s been to seven straight Pro Bowls to date.
19. Bobby Wagner, MLB, 2012-2019
Stats: 119 games, 10 INT, 5 FF, 9 FR, 19.5 sacks, 4 TD, 1,075 tackles
Honors: 6 Pro Bowls, 5x All-Pro, 1 ring
For the first few years of his career, Bobby Wagner flew under the radar in Seattle, playing second fiddle to Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, and the legendary Legion of Boom secondary. It wasn’t until he received an MVP vote in 2014 that people started to take note nationally of Wagner’s outstanding play from the middle linebacker position.
Wagner has been even better since Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas left Seattle, earning the incredible distinction of being named a First-Team AP All-Pro every year since 2016. In 2017, he didn’t miss a single tackle in the first 13 games of the year (per PFF), finishing with an absurd 108 tackles of 111 attempts.
18. Earl Thomas, S, 2010-2019
Stats: 140 games, 30 INT, 12 FF, 6 FR, 2.0 sacks, 713 tackles, 3 TD
Honors: 7 Pro Bowls, 3x All-Pro, 1 ring
Safeties historically have a difficult time getting into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but the recent inductions of Brian Dawkins and Troy Polamalu suggests Earl Thomas may walk in on the first ballot when he’s done playing. He’s been an integral part of the famed Seattle defense, recording 27 interceptions and 32 takeaways, and then making the Pro Bowl in his first year in Baltimore in 2019. Only two players had more interceptions for the decade than Thomas did.
17. Marshal Yanda, G, 2010-2019
Stats: 140 games
Honors: 8 Pro Bowls, 2x All-Pro, 1 ring
What a way for the recently-retired Marshal Yanda to go out – as a road-grading offensive lineman for a team that set the all-time single-season record for rushing yards. During his career, Yanda has played every position on the line except center, and he’s blocked for immobile pocket passers like Joe Flacco as well as electrifying scramblers like Lamar Jackson.
An interesting Hall of Fame case awaits for Yanda, who made eight Pro Bowls, was twice named First-Team All-Pro at guard, and helped the Baltimore Ravens win the 2012 Super Bowl.
16. Peyton Manning, QB, 2010-2015
Stats: 74 games, 66.4 completion percentage, 21,812 passing yards, 173 TD, 70 INT, 99.4 passer rating
Honors: 4 Pro Bowls, 2x All-Pro, 1 MVP, 1 ring
No player to make my top 50 players of the 2010s has played in fewer games than Peyton Manning; in fact, he’s a full 10 games below anyone else. But what Manning did in four full seasons is enough to earn him this spot on the list.
He was a legitimate MVP candidate in four different seasons. After taking a 2010 Indianapolis Colts team with a 23rd-ranked defense to a 10-6 record, he missed the entire next year while his team went 2-14. Manning re-emerged with the Denver Broncos, putting together arguably the greatest three-year run of any quarterback ever – averaging close to 5,000 passing yards, 44 touchdowns, and a 107.8 passer rating.
Even riding Denver’s defense to a Super Bowl title in 2015 can’t overshadow Manning’s annual dominance. He could make any system, any team, and any group of weapons work – in this decade alone, he took three different head coaches and two different teams to the postseason.
15. Calvin Johnson, WR, 2010-2015
Stats: 90 games, 538 receptions, 8,548 receiving yards, 62 receiving TD
Honors: 6 Pro Bowls, 3x All-Pro
Purely from a physical standpoint, Calvin Johnson is arguably the greatest receiver to ever play the game. He was blessed with an uncanny ability of size (6’5”, 237), strength, speed (4.35 40-yard dash), and leaping ability. Any jump ball within his vicinity wasn’t a 50/50 ball; it was more like 75/25.
Megatron’s peak saw him earn three First-Team AP All-Pro selections, lead the league in receiving yards twice, and shatter Jerry Rice’s single season record for yards by 116. He once torched Dallas for 329 yards in a game and averaged 187 over a four-game stretch.
The fact that Calvin Johnson put up 296 yards and two touchdowns in two postseason contests but never won a playoff game says a lot more about the futility of Detroit as a franchise than Johnson.
14. Larry Fitzgerald, WR, 2010-2019
Stats: 158 games, 855 receptions, 10,016 receiving yards, 61 receiving TD
Honors: 7 Pro Bowls
The ageless Larry Fitzgerald enters the 2020s continuing his climb up the all-time receiving record books. All he did last decade was play 158 of 160 games, seamlessly transition from outside receiver to the slot, and average 85/1,000/6 despite playing with no fewer than 12 quarterbacks.
Carson Palmer was the best of the bunch and Kyler Murray has a bright future, but Fitz made seven Pro Bowls and secured a Hall of Fame legacy while catching passes from the likes of Drew Stanton, Ryan Lindley, Josh Rosen, Kevin Kolb, John Skelton, Sam Bradford, and Max Hall.
13. Russell Wilson, QB, 2012-2019
Stats: 128 games, 64.5 completion percentage, 29,734 passing yards, 227 TD, 68 INT, 101.2 passer rating; 3,993 rushing yards, 19 TD
Honors: 6 Pro Bowls, 1 ring
Every time it seems like Russell Wilson has taken his game to new highs, he finds a way to surpass those highs and get even better. He’s completely broken the mold on sub-6’0” quarterbacks, he’s proven running quarterbacks can win a Super Bowl, and while the pieces around him keep on leaving – Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Marshawn Lynch – Wilson continues to win football games.
At this point, a future trip to Canton, Ohio is inevitable. When Seattle wants to lean on Wilson more and run the ball less, he leads the NFL in touchdown passes (34 in 2017). He’s never had a losing record as a starting quarterback. He’s never missed a single game due to injury despite running the ball close to 100 times per season. And over the last three years, he’s transitioned from being one of the five or so best quarterbacks in the game to being arguably the best player not named Patrick Mahomes.
12. Von Miller, EDGE, 2011-2019
Stats: 135 games, 106.0 sacks, 26 FF, 9 FR, 2 INT, 2 TD, 490 tackles
Honors: 8 Pro Bowls, 3x All-Pro, 1 ring, 1 Super Bowl MVP
The most surprising aspect of Von Miller’s decade-long sustained greatness is that he never won Defensive Player of the Year. But he’s been a perennial All-Pro force off the edge, averaging 11.5 sacks and three forced fumbles since Denver drafted him second overall in 2011.
His career looked like it might have hit a crossroads in year three. He was suspended for six games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, then tore his ACL upon returning and missed Denver’s Super Bowl appearance. But he’s since rebounded to make six straight Pro Bowls, play every game but one, and he recorded 2.5 sacks of Cam Newton to win Super Bowl MVP in Denver’s title following the 2015 season.
11. Julio Jones, WR, 2011-2019
Stats: 126 games, 797 receptions, 12,125 receiving yards, 57 receiving TD
Honors: 7 Pro Bowls, 2x All-Pro
When Atlanta gave up a king’s ransom to move up and draft Julio Jones sixth overall in the 2011 NFL draft, it seemed like too much to pay for one wide receiver, even in a pass-happy league. And while the Falcons haven’t won a Super Bowl since drafting Jones, he’s been arguably the best receiver in football over the last near-decade.
Three times he’s led the league in receiving yards per game, twice he’s been a First-Team All-Pro, and he’s averaged an absurd 104 catches and 1,565 receiving yards since 2014. He’s been even better in the postseason, averaging over 100 yards per game and making one of the most insane catches we’ve ever seen in the Super Bowl against New England.
10. Richard Sherman, CB, 2011-2019
Stats: 134 games, 35 INT, 5 FF, 6 FR, 2.0 sacks, 466 tackles, 3 TD
Honors: 5 Pro Bowls, 3x All-Pro, 1 ring
For the duration of his NFL career, Richard Sherman been the outspoken and unquestioned best corner in the game, capable of shutting down mediocre and even great receivers. The Legion of Boom wouldn’t have been half of what it was without Sherman, whose intense bravado and playmaking skills helped Seattle to two Super Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl championship.
Sherman made three straight First-Team AP All-Pro selections with Seattle, then tore his Achilles tendon in 2017 and was released. Revenge had to be sweet for Sherman when he signed with division rival San Francisco and was PFF’s No. 1 rated cornerback in 2019 while leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl.
9. Aaron Donald, DT, 2014-2019
Stats: 94 games, 72.0 sacks, 15 FF, 5 FR, 312 tackles
Honors: 6 Pro Bowls, 5x All-Pro, 2x Defensive Player of Year, 1 Defensive Rookie of Year
It’s easy to look back and say this now – but how did Aaron Donald possibly fall to 13th in the 2014 NFL draft? He was a unanimous All-American at Pittsburgh and then ran the fastest 40 ever by a defensive tackle (4.68) while also putting up a staggering 35 bench reps.
Since entering the NFL, Donald has absolutely destroyed opposing offensive lines. He’s taken the trophy from J.J. Watt as the league’s best defensive player, averaging 12 sacks and 2.5 forced fumbles per year, but doing it from a three-technique position. He’s officially been named Defensive Player of the Year twice but he’s probably deserved it three or four times. And the scariest thing for the rest of the league is that he’s still just 28 years old.
8. Luke Kuechly, MLB, 2012-2019
Stats: 118 games, 18 INT, 7 FF, 9 FR, 12.5 sacks, 2 TD, 1,092 tackles
Honors: 7 Pro Bowls, 5x All-Pro, 1 Defensive Player of Year, 1 Defensive Rookie of Year
True three down linebackers are increasingly rare in the modern NFL, so Luke Kuechly’s phenomenal eight years before retiring this past spring should be enough to get him into the Hall of Fame. Kuechly led the league in tackles and was Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2012, then followed it up by earning the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award the next year. Here’s the complete list of players to win Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in their first two seasons: Lawrence Taylor and Kuechly.
Kuechly’s most impressive achievement was pick-sixing Russell Wilson and Carson Palmer in consecutive playoff games. If he hadn’t suffered a bout of concussions that forced him to hang up his cleats at just age 28, we’d probably one day be talking about him as a top-five linebacker of all-time.
7. Joe Thomas, OT, 2010-2017
Stats: 119 games
Honors: 7 Pro Bowls, 5x All-Pro
It’s tough to find statistics for offensive linemen but how about this one for the legendary Joe Thomas? Until tearing his triceps midway through the 2007 season, Thomas had played all 10,363 snaps in his NFL career.
Quality left tackles are worth their weight in gold, and Thomas was a remarkably study of durability and consistency. He’s the only offensive linemen in history to make 10 straight Pro Bowls to start his career, and even with ‘only’ seven of those coming in this decade, he’s still done enough to warrant a top-10 spot on this list.
6. Rob Gronkowski, TE, 2010-2018
Stats: 115 games, 521 receptions, 7,861 receiving yards, 79 rec TD
Honors: 5 Pro Bowls, 4x All-Pro, 3 rings, 1 Comeback Player of Year
A legitimate case could be made for Rob Gronkowski as the most unstoppable one-man offensive force in NFL history. There was Jerry Rice’s precise route running and Marshall Faulk’s versatility all over the field and Randy Moss’ deep ball prowess, but Gronk was a size/speed freak and the offensive catalyst for the second half of New England’s dynasty.
Five times Gronk hauled in double-digit touchdowns. He holds the single-season tight end record with 17 in 2011. He was First-Team All-Pro four times and he’s not just your fantasy football tight end who catches passes but can’t block; Gronk was frequently used as a lead blocker and demolished cornerbacks and safeties in his way.
Perhaps the greatest testament to his dominance is what he did in the playoffs. The best players elevate their game in the postseason. Michael Jordan averaged 33.4 points in the playoffs. Joe Montana threw 11 touchdowns to no interceptions in four Super Bowls. Babe Ruth was a .326/.470/.744 hitter in 10 World Series. And Gronk? Well, he hauled in three touchdown catches in four different playoff runs, and it’s probably not a coincidence that New England saw its earliest postseason exit in a decade in his first year after retiring.
5. J.J. Watt, EDGE, 2011-2019
Stats: 112 games, 96.0 sacks, 23 FF, 15 FR, 1 INT, 2 TD, 479 tackles
Honors: 5 Pro Bowls, 5x All-Pro, 3x Defensive Player of the Year
On a per-play basis, it’s not out of the question to call J.J. Watt the most talented defensive player who ever lived. Even with injuries derailing the second half of his career, what he’s accomplished in 112 games is enough to make him a slam dunk first-ballot inductee in Canton one day.
Three separate times Watt was voted the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year. He essentially broke the Pro Football Focus scoring system, to the point that the graders had to rework their system to fit Watt’s grades. He’s the only player ever with multiple 20-sack seasons, and remarkably, he did it from a 3-4 end position, one in which ends usually spend more time playing multiple gaps in the run game.
His 2014 season is arguably the best ever by a non-quarterback – he registered 20.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries including a touchdown, an 80-yard pick-six, 29 tackles for a loss, 51 quarterback hits, a safety, and three receiving touchdowns as a goal line tight end.
4. Antonio Brown, WR, 2010-2019
Stats: 131 games, 841 receptions, 11,263 receiving yards, 75 rec TD
Honors: 7 Pro Bowls, 4x All-Pro
Focusing solely on what Antonio Brown did as a player, he was close to unstoppable in his NFL prime. Brown isn’t your prototypical receiver in terms of size but he’s lightning quick with good hands and supreme route running ability. Over a six-year span from 2013-2018, Brown averaged 114 catches, 1,523 receiving yards, and 11 touchdowns. From a fantasy football standpoint, he had close to the highest in-game floor you’ll ever find for a player, at one point going an entire season with five catches and 50 yards in every single game.
Twice he led the league in receptions and twice more in receiving yards. He once posted a 17/284 receiving line in a single game. He was used as a returner early on, adding five return touchdowns via punts and kicks. Even if he never plays again, Brown’s on-field performances make him a top-10 receiver of all-time.
3. Aaron Rodgers, QB, 2010-2019
Stats: 142 games, 64.7 completion percentage, 38,145 passing yards, 305 TD, 63 INT, 103.6 passer rating; 2,552 rushing yards, 19 rushing TD
Honors: 7 Pro Bowls, 2x All-Pro, 2x MVP, 1 ring, 1 Super Bowl MVP
The start of the 2010s coincided with Aaron Rodgers’ rise to arguably the greatest quarterback in the game and since then we’ve seen an unprecedented run of dominance. He’s won two league MVPs, a Super Bowl MVP, and posted a staggeringly effective TD:INT ratio. There’s no throw he can’t make on the field, and it took Rodgers to turn a seemingly once-impossible throw (a Hail Mary) into a realistic late-game option. On top of all that, he’s a competent runner as well.
Injuries have twice shortened his seasons and the advanced stats suggest he’s been much closer to a top-10 quarterback than a top-five quarterback since 2015. Still, simply having Rodgers on the Packers is enough to usually get them to the postseason.
2. Drew Brees, QB, 2010-2019
Stats: 153 games, 69.5 completion percentage, 46,770 passing yards, 345 TD, 127 INT, 102.9 passer rating; 272 rushing yards, 16 TD
Honors: 9 Pro Bowls
Drew Brees will never be revered the way Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are in football lore (he didn’t even make the NFL.com 52-man 2010s All-Decade Team!), but he’s had 98 percent of the career they’ve had, and when Brees finally retires, he’s going to have a strong argument as the best to ever play his position.
In this decade alone, he’s led the league in completion percentage or passing yards every year except one – and the one year in which he didn’t, he completed 68.6 percent of his passes while throwing for 5,162 yards. His 46,770 passing yards are an all-time record for a calendar decade, as are his 345 touchdown passes. And while he’s just 4-6 as a starter in the postseason this decade, his 97.4 playoff passer rating is higher than either Tom Brady or Peyton Manning.
1. Tom Brady, QB, 2010-2019
Stats: 156 games, 64.2 completion percentage, 43,727 passing yards, 316 TD, 80 INT, 99.6 passer rating; 460 rushing yards, 16 TD
Honors: 9 Pro Bowls, 2x All-Pro, 2x MVP, 3 rings, 2x Super Bowl MVP
It’s probably not hyperbole to say Tom Brady’s 2010s was the most dominant decade-long performance of any football player of all-time. You could certainly take Joe Montana in the 1980s or maybe Peyton Manning in the 2000s, but Brady’s accomplishments stack up against them handily.
He made the Pro Bowl every year until the last. Twice he was the NFL’s MVP. He played every game except for a questionable four-game suspension, which in all amounts to an insanely productive run of health for a quarterback who started the decade at 33 years old. It’s difficult to pick his finest moment – he threw two fourth quarter touchdown passes to beat the Legion of Boom in Super Bowl XLIX and then engineered a 25-point comeback in Super Bowl LI two years later. And three rings, five Super Bowl appearances, and eight consecutive trips to the AFC Championship Game is pretty memorable.
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Read your article about LeBron from 2007/8. Did he really run a 4.4 40yd dash? Who were your sources? Just curious.