Ranking the top 25 NFL players of the 21st century: Where do Brady, Donald, Moss land?

The axiom is a bit tired, but that doesn’t make it any less true: Quarterback is the most important position in all of sports.

Signal-callers dominate ESPN’s top 25 NFL players of the current century. Quarterbacks constitute nearly one-fourth of the list with six, more than any other position.

Moreover, those players are responsible for 14 of the 25 Super Bowl championships this century. The QBs with multiple Lombardi Trophies occupy three of the top four spots on our list.

But it’s not just about the guys under center. Nine other offensive players are among our top 25, as well as 10 defensive standouts.

Sixteen members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame are represented; the other nine players are either active (three) or not yet eligible for the Hall (minimum five years retired). It would be surprising if they don’t all eventually have busts in Canton, Ohio.

Here is our list of top NFL players since 2000.

*Active players

Read more:
Top 100 athletes since 2000 | Who’s next: 25 future top pro athletes

1. Tom Brady, QB

Key accomplishments: Seven-time Super Bowl champion, five-time Super Bowl MVP, three-time NFL MVP, two-time AP Offensive Player of the Year, 15-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro, NFL record holder for career passing yards/TDs

When Brady was asked which of his seven Super Bowl rings was his favorite, he was fond of answering: “The next one.” That sums up the player whom Bill Belichick referred to as the “ultimate winner” and who often played his best when the stakes were highest. Belichick noted how Brady entered the NFL as a sixth-round pick “with little to no fanfare” and left “as the most successful player in league history.” As Belichick said, “His relentless pursuit of excellence drove him on a daily basis. His work ethic and desire to win were both motivational and inspirational to teammates and coaches alike.” — Mike Reiss

Key accomplishments: Three-time Super Bowl champion, three-time Super Bowl MVP, two-time NFL MVP, two-time first-team All-Pro, six-time Pro Bowler

Mahomes not only had one of the NFL’s best historical passing seasons in 2018; he did it in his first season as a starter. Mahomes that season became only the second quarterback to throw for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns, joining the Broncos’ Peyton Manning, who did it in 2013. Mahomes put himself on a fairly easy pace in both statistical categories with a scorching start. He had 13 touchdown passes in the first three games and threw for more than 300 yards in eight of the first nine. He had two six-touchdown games that season, and he hasn’t had one since. — Adam Teicher

3. Aaron Donald, DT

Key accomplishments: 10-time Pro Bowler, eight-time first-team All-Pro, three-time Defensive POY (tied for most all time), Hall of Fame All-2010s Team, 2014 Defensive Rookie of the Year

Donald went into his eighth NFL campaign with many significant achievements on the field for the Rams: Defensive Rookie of the Year, three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards and seven Pro Bowls to start his career. The one thing he was missing? A Super Bowl ring. He and the Rams won that during the 2021 season, beating the Bengals in a game that went down to the wire. On fourth down in a 3-point game, Donald pressured Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow and forced an incomplete pass to essentially end the game. Donald’s celebration will be remembered too: He ran around with his arms outstretched then pointed at his left ring finger, where his first Super Bowl ring would go. — Sarah Barshop

4. Peyton Manning, QB

Key accomplishments: HOF (2021), two-time Super Bowl champion, five-time NFL MVP (most all time), 14-time Pro Bowler, seven-time first-team All-Pro

Manning already had a Hall of Fame-worthy career when he arrived in Denver in 2012. He signed with the Broncos after a missed season in 2011, his fourth neck surgery and uncertainty about whether physically he could play at the level he wished. His four years in Denver answered those questions with four AFC West titles, two Super Bowl trips and one Super Bowl win.

But his masterpiece might have been the 2013 season, when the Broncos broke the league’s scoring mark with 606 points and Manning set records with 5,477 passing yards and 55 touchdowns, including seven TDs in the season opener. The Broncos topped 40 points six times and 50 points three times. “I’ve never seen anything like Peyton and those guys that year,” said Dolphins associate head coach Eric Studesville, formerly a Broncos assistant. “I don’t think anybody has. That was just an all-time great with the ball in his hands doing all-time great things at a level nobody else has been to.” — Jeff Legwold

5. Randy Moss, WR

Key accomplishments: HOF (2018), six-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro in the 2000s, 156 career TD receptions (second all time)

At 6-foot-4 with a 47-inch vertical jump, Moss could reach or jump over the tallest defensive backs who tried to cover him — hence the phrase “You got Mossed.” But with his speed timed at under 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash during a private workout prior to the 1998 draft, Moss also could run away from the fastest defenders, be it on deep routes or even on what would now be called “bubble screens.” Other factors contributed to his success, as well, but the league had never before seen a player like Moss. — Kevin Seifert

6. Calvin Johnson, WR

Key accomplishments: HOF (2021), six-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro, HOF All-2010s Team, single-season receiving yards record

Known as “Megatron,” Johnson was at the peak of his powers in 2012. That’s when he set an NFL single-season record with 1,964 receiving yards, eclipsing Jerry Rice’s mark of 1,848 that had stood since 1985.

“It was an unbelievable thing to play with a guy like that. I think from day one, I knew that I was throwing to a Hall of Famer as long as he stayed healthy,” Matthew Stafford, Johnson’s quarterback during the wideout’s last seven seasons with the Lions, told ESPN in 2021. “He was a special player and a great person, a great teammate.”

At 6-foot-5 and 237 pounds, Johnson possessed a 42½-inch vertical leap that allowed him to outjump defenders in video game fashion. — Eric Woodyard

7. J.J. Watt, DE

Key accomplishments: Five-time Pro Bowler, five-time first-team All-Pro, three-time Defensive POY (tied for most all time), HOF All-2010s Team, only player with 20-plus sacks in multiple seasons

Watt won three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards in his career, but his most dominant season came in 2014. He had 20.5 sacks, the second time he’d done that in his career, as well as 59 solo tackles, 29 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown. Watt had another defensive touchdown and three offensive touchdowns. He won his second NFL Defensive POY award and finished second to quarterback Aaron Rodgers in MVP voting. Watt received 13 of 50 MVP votes, the most for a defensive player since Lawrence Taylor won the award in 1986 .– Sarah Barshop

8. Ray Lewis, LB

Key accomplishments: HOF (2018), 12-time Pro Bowler, six-time first-team All-Pro in the 2000s, only player with 40 sacks and 30 interceptions since sacks became official in 1982

Lewis redefined the middle linebacker position as a three-down defender who made plays from sideline to sideline. His ability to make teammates around him better established a storied tradition of defense in Baltimore. From 2000 to 2012, the Ravens’ defense ranked among the top three in the NFL in seven of the 10 seasons in which Lewis played at least six games. “Before we get to his play, Ray is the greatest leader in team sports history,” said Shannon Sharpe, a Hall of Fame tight end who won a Super Bowl with Lewis and the Ravens in 2001. “No one is even close.” — Jamison Hensley

Key accomplishments: Four-time NFL MVP, 10-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro, HOF All-2010s Team, Super Bowl XLV MVP, 475 passing TDs (Packers’ all-time leader)

Of all the superlatives and milestones that can be used to explain Rodgers’ greatness, here’s one that often gets overlooked: He is the NFL’s all-time leader in touchdown-to-interception ratio (475 TDs, 105 INTs). In that way, he was the anti-Brett Favre, yet Rodgers carried on Favre’s remarkable run of success in Green Bay before getting traded to the Jets. Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur perhaps described Rodgers’ impact best when he said near the end of the quarterback’s time with the Pack: “A lot of people have been rewarded, quite frankly, because of his ability to go out there and play.” — Rob Demovsky

10. Darrelle Revis, CB

Key accomplishments: HOF (2023), seven-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro, HOF All-2010s Team

Revis took man-to-man coverage to a new level in 2009 when the Jets’ coaching staff made the unconventional decision to put him on the opponents’ top receiver with no safety help. He was on his own island, so to speak, spawning the “Revis Island” moniker. The result was one of the best cornerback seasons in history. Revis held Andre Johnson, Randy Moss (twice) and Terrell Owens (twice) — all future Hall of Famers — under 35 receiving yards. He did the same to Torry Holt, Steve Smith Sr., Reggie Wayne and Chad Ochocinco. Revis finished with six interceptions and a staggering 31 passes defensed, earning the first of four first-team All-Pro selections. — Rich Cimini

11. Ed Reed, S

Key accomplishments: HOF (2019), nine-time Pro Bowler, five-time first-team All-Pro, HOF All-2000s Team, 2004 Defensive POY

Reed was the ultimate defensive game changer of his generation. In 2004, he set an NFL record by returning an interception 106 yards for a touchdown against the Browns. Four years later, he broke his own record with a 107-yarder against the Eagles. Reed is the only player in NFL history to score touchdowns off a punt return, blocked punt, interception and fumble recovery. “You see the safety’s out in the middle of the field and have a wide-open throw on the right. The next thing you know, he’s intercepting it,” former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. “Where did he come from? It’s impossible. That’s what made it such a challenge. He made the impossible possible.” — Jamison Hensley

12. Charles Woodson, CB

Key accomplishments: HOF (2021), nine-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro in the 2000s, HOF All-2000s Team, 2009 Defensive POY

Woodson’s career was a three-act play. In Oakland, as the Heisman Trophy-winning No. 4 pick, he was a hard-partying, hard-playing, top-notch talent. In Green Bay, he became a future Hall of Famer. And with his return to the Raiders, he became a legend, making the switch from wild youngster at cornerback to sage vet at free safety. And if he lost a step, it was one that precious few others ever had. “It was a beautiful transition,” Woodson said, “if you will.” And his first NFL coach, Jon Gruden, most certainly would call it that. The slower-paced lifestyle of Green Bay helped Woodson, well, slow down and center himself. “And he met and married the right woman and had kids,” Gruden said. — Paul Gutierrez

13. Rob Gronkowski, TE

Key accomplishments: Four-time Super Bowl champion, five-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro, HOF All-2010s Team

Bill Belichick referred to the 6-foot-6, 265-pound Gronkowski as “among the best, most complete” tight ends to ever play — a reference not only to his obvious pass-catching ability but also his effectiveness as a blocker. “His elite combination of size, skill, intelligence, toughness and ability to perform in pressure situations set him apart,” Belichick said, adding that Gronkowski was a “great, great teammate” as reflected in his “daily attitude” and “unmistakably positive energy.” Another reason Gronkowski is an all-timer? He said he never spent a cent from his football contracts, only from his multimillion-dollar football endorsements. — Mike Reiss

Key accomplishments: Three-time Super Bowl champion, nine-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro, HOF All-2010s Team

Kelce almost lapped the field in terms of his statistical accomplishment for players at his position. Kelce has seven 1,000-yard seasons; no other NFL tight end in history has more than four. He could have had his eighth straight 1,000-yard season in 2023 but finished 16 yards short when he sat out the final regular-season game after the Chiefs had clinched their playoff seed. Kelce has played as much as a wide receiver as a traditional tight end. He has run more routes and compiled more yards after being split wide than when lined up next to a tackle. — Adam Teicher

15. Drew Brees, QB

Key accomplishments: 13-time Pro Bowler, one-time first-team All-Pro, seven-time NFL passing yards leader, four-time NFL passing TDs leader, two-time Offensive POY, Super Bowl XLIV MVP

While Brees’ command of the two-minute drill became famous, he also was renowned for his accuracy with the ball — something that only got better with age. Brees completed 67.7% of his passes, which is second behind Joe Burrow on the all-time list. Brees holds six of the top 10 spots for single-season completion percentage, setting four of those marks between the ages of 38 and 41. Teammates and coaches have attributed that success over the years to multiple factors, including Brees’ ability to read a defense and quickly get the ball out, his legendary work ethic and a memory that allowed him to recall almost every play he ever ran. — Katherine Terrell

16. Troy Polamalu, S

Key accomplishments: HOF (2020), two-time Super Bowl champion, eight-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro, HOF All-2000s Team, 2010 Defensive POY

Polamalu’s best season came in one when he didn’t win a Super Bowl. Returning to the field following an injury-shortened 2009 campaign, the soft-spoken Polamalu erupted in 2010 en route to winning the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award by two votes over linebacker Clay Matthews. Though he missed two games, Polamalu registered seven interceptions — including a pick-six — along with 63 combined tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a sack. The pick-six, one of three in Polamalu’s career, came against the Bengals when the safety flew in — seemingly out of nowhere — to snag Carson Palmer’s pass, returning it 45 yards to pay dirt. That marked the second time in his career Polamalu intercepted Palmer, his former roommate at USC, for a pick-six. Polamalu and the Steelers later finished the season in the Super Bowl, losing to the Packers. — Brooke Pryor

17. Brett Favre, QB

Key accomplishments: HOF (2016), 104 wins from 2000 to 2010 (third), six-time Pro Bowler in the 2000s

At one point, Favre held the NFL record for both career touchdown passes (508) and career interceptions (336), which spoke to his never-say-die approach to playing the position. Here’s another number to illustrate that: He started 297 consecutive games over 19 seasons for the Packers, Jets and Vikings. That streak still stands as the longest in NFL history, and no active player is even close. He transformed a Packers team that had two playoff appearances in the quarter century before his arrival into a Super Bowl winner. — Rob Demovsky

18. Adrian Peterson, RB

Key accomplishments: 2012 NFL MVP (last non-QB MVP), seven-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro, HOF All-2010s Team, 2007 Offensive ROY

On Dec. 24, 2011, Peterson tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee. On Sept. 9, 2012 — 260 days later — he was back in the Vikings’ starting lineup and on his way to one of the best seasons by a running back in NFL history. The season began modestly, with one 100-yard performance over the first six games. He then launched on a run of eight consecutive 100-yard games, two of which eclipsed 200 yards, en route to a 2,097-yard campaign. Only Eric Dickerson’s 2,105-yard output in 1984 exceeds that total. In addition to that statistical history, Peterson set a new template for recovering from a major knee injury. — Kevin Seifert

19. Michael Strahan, DE

Key accomplishments: HOF (2014), seven-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro in the 2000s, 2001 Defensive POY, 22.5 sacks in 2001 (tied for single-season record)

Strahan is still a shareholder of the single-season sack record with J.J. Watt. There was a six-game stretch during that memorable 2001 season in which Strahan had 14 sacks and four forced fumbles. It was all part of a remarkable career that ended in fairy-tale fashion. How many other stars got to call it a career by winning the Super Bowl in their final season? It certainly didn’t hurt Strahan’s post-football interests, as he became a football analyst, TV host and two-time Daytime Emmy Award winner. “It helped being in New York,” Strahan once said. “My life is definitely different if I didn’t win that Super Bowl.” — Jordan Raanan

20. LaDainian Tomlinson, RB

Key accomplishments: HOF (2017), five-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro, 28 rushing TDs in 2006 (single-season record), 2006 NFL MVP

Tomlinson’s 2006 campaign is one of the greatest by a running back in NFL history. He finished with 1,815 rushing yards, an NFL-record 28 rushing touchdowns, 56 receptions, 508 receiving yards, three receiving touchdowns, two passing TDs — and the MVP award. Since then, no NFL player has rushed for more than 18 touchdowns. Perhaps Tomlinson’s best game came against the Broncos in Week 13, when he rushed for 105 yards and three TDs and had three receptions for 74 yards and another score. — Kris Rhim

21. Marshall Faulk, RB

Key accomplishments: HOF (2011), seven-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro in 2000s, 2000 NFL MVP, six seasons with at least 500 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards (NFL record)

Faulk’s best statistical season came in 2000, his second season in St. Louis. That year he was named the NFL MVP after he set the single-season record with 26 touchdowns, including a league-high 18 rushing touchdowns. He was named the 2000 Offensive Player of the Year and to the All-Pro team for the second consecutive year. — Sarah Barshop

22. Warren Sapp, DT

Key accomplishments: HOF (2013), seven-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro, HOF All-2000s Team

Before there was Aaron Donald, there was Sapp, who, at 6-foot-2 and 281 pounds, ran a 4.69 40-yard dash and made a living terrorizing opposing quarterbacks and anyone else standing in his way. Despite frequent double- and triple-teaming, he recorded 96.5 career sacks — third-most in NFL history by a defensive tackle behind only Donald (111) and John Randle (137.5). His best statistical season came in 2000, when he notched 16.5 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, four batted down passes, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. — Jenna Laine

23. Joe Thomas, OT

Key accomplishments: HOF (2023), 10-time Pro Bowler, six-time first-team All-Pro, played 10,363 consecutive snaps (unofficial NFL record)

Not much was constant during Thomas’ time with the Browns — the franchise rotated through six head coaches and 20 starting quarterbacks during his career — but Thomas himself. His meticulous pre-practice and pregame rituals aided his iron man status. He was a technician, down to monitoring the exactness of his hand placement and keeping volumes of binders with copious notes on every pass rusher in the league. Thomas experienced only one winning season in Cleveland, but he set the standard and was a beacon of consistency along the offensive line for more than a decade. — Daniel Oyefusi

24. Tony Gonzalez, TE

Key accomplishments: HOF (2019), 14-time Pro Bowler, five-time first-team All-Pro in 2000s, HOF All-2000s Team, most receiving yards by a tight end

Gonzalez is still the leader for players at his position in receptions (1,325) and yards (15,127). A basketball player at Cal, Gonzalez made many of his plays by using his 6-foot-5 frame to his advantage. A memorable example came in 2002 when the Chiefs played against the Patriots. Gonzalez was covered by another eventual Hall of Famer, Ty Law. The pass was underthrown and Law looked to be a certain interception. But Gonzalez jumped higher than Law and went over him without interfering to pluck the ball for a 17-yard catch. — Adam Teicher

25. Derrick Brooks, LB

Key accomplishments: HOF (2014), 11-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro in the 2000s, 2002 Defensive POY, HOF All-2000s Team

Previously a strongside linebacker in Sam Wyche’s scheme, Brooks was converted to weakside linebacker in Tony Dungy’s Tampa-2 defense in 1996. The rest is history. Brooks’ speed, agility and ability to process were unmatched, with defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin deploying Brooks as a spy on Michael Vick in Week 14 of the 2002 season, when he registered 10 tackles. It was the first time Vick, one of the fastest quarterbacks the league has ever seen, had been neutralized. Brooks scored four defensive touchdowns that season — still tied for second in NFL history — and added a pick-six in Super Bowl XVII. — Jenna Laine

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First five out

26. Jonathan Ogden, OT

Key accomplishments: HOF (2013), 11-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro in the 2000s, HOF All-2000s Team

Ogden was the driving force behind Jamal Lewis’ 2,000-yard rushing season in 2003.

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27. Larry Fitzgerald, WR

Key accomplishments: 11-time Pro Bowler, one-time first-team All-Pro in the 2000s, NFL record four consecutive games with 100-plus receiving yards in one postseason

Fitzgerald ranks second in NFL history in receptions and receiving yards, behind Jerry Rice.

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28. Orlando Pace, OT

Key accomplishments: HOF (2016), seven-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro in the 2000s, HOF All-2000s Team

Pace’s 2000 season was the second of seven consecutive Pro Bowls and part of a run of All-Pro selections in four out of five seasons.

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29. Marvin Harrison, WR

Key accomplishments: HOF (2016), eight-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro in 2000s, caught 112 TD passes from Peyton Manning (most by QB-receiver duo all time)

A remarkable stat about Harrison’s 2002 season — when he had 143 receptions, third-most all time. He had a career-high 70% catch rate, even when opponents typically knew where the ball was going.

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30. Terrell Owens, WR

Key accomplishments: HOF (2018), six-time Pro Bowler, five-time first-team All-Pro, HOF All-2000s Team

Owens played through a fractured fibula in Super Bowl XXXIX for the Eagles and caught nine balls for 122 yards in a 24-21 loss to the Patriots, capping a memorable 2004 campaign in which he racked up 1,200 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in 14 regular-season games.