The past quarter-century has featured plenty of the NFL’s all-time greats. Ahead of the 2025 NFL season, we assembled a panel to decide upon the best of the best at each position since 2000.
More than a dozen NFL experts, editors and analysts weighed in on a Heisman-style ballot—three points for a first-team vote, two points for second-team, one point for third-team—and the top vote-getters earned a spot on B/R’s All-Quarter-Century Team.
All players who have taken the field in the 2000s were eligible, though only their production from this century was considered.
1st Team: Tom Brady
2nd Team: Peyton Manning
3rd Team: Patrick Mahomes
Eli Manning and Aaron Rodgers also received votes at quarterback, but the top three were totally unsurprising.
Perhaps the most shocking aspect of the QB voting was the fact that Tom Brady didn’t receive 100 percent of the first-team votes. After winning six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and another one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady is unquestionably the most decorated quarterback in NFL history.
Of course, an argument could be made that Peyton Manning was the best quarterback of his era; he just wasn’t fortunate enough to be on teams as good as Brady’s. The five-time MVP and two-time champ trails only Brady and Drew Brees in all-time passing yards and still holds single-season records for yards (5,477) and touchdowns (55).
Patrick Mahomes is still playing and has a long way to go to catch Brady and Manning in career statistics. However, he has become the face of the modern NFL era. With three Super Bowl wins and five appearances in seven seasons as a full-time starter, Mahomes could retire tomorrow and be a Hall of Famer.
1st Team: LaDainian Tomlinson
2nd Team: Adrian Peterson
3rd Team: Derrick Henry
The running back vote was interesting because each of the top three vote-getters represents a different running style. While backs like Christian McCaffrey, Frank Gore and Marshawn Lynch deserved and received consideration, these three are sort of the prime examples of their archetypes.
If you’re talking about running backs and mention “L.T.,” “A.P.” or “King Henry,” people will know who you’re talking about.
LaDainian Tomlinson was everything a team could want in a dual-threat runner/receiver. With five Pro Bowls, three first-team All-Pro selections, one MVP, more than 13,000 rushing yards and nearly 5,000 receiving yards on his resume, Tomlinson was one of the most electric offensive weapons the league has ever seen.
Adrian Peterson was much more of a run-first back, but his combination of speed, athleticism and power made him a sensation. He made seven Pro Bowls and won one league MVP during his first nine seasons. While he was slowed by injuries later in his career, Peterson played for 15 years and rushed for 14,918 yards.
Derrick Henry, who is still going strong at 31, is a unicorn with an unmatched combination of size (6’2″, 252 lbs) and breakaway speed. His ability to run through tackles and run away from defenders has allowed him to rack up 11,423 rushing yards and 106 rushing touchdowns in nine seasons, even though Henry wasn’t a full-time starter until Year 3.
1st Team: Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson
2nd Team: Terrell Owens, Julio Jones, Marvin Harrison
3rd Team: Steve Smith Sr., Tyreek Hill, Andre Johnson
With teams relying on the pass and multiple-receiver sets more than ever before, we felt it was appropriate to follow the Associated Press’ example and utilize a three-receiver lineup—just like the All-Pro team.
This was an extremely close race with only one vote separating first-teamer Calvin Johnson and second-team receiver Terrell Owens. It’s hard to argue with the top three, though, and it’s virtually impossible to argue with the selection of Randy Moss.
One of only five players to earn a first-team spot on every ballot, Moss might have been the most gifted wideout we’ve ever seen. While the Hall of Famer never won a Super Bowl, he racked up more than 15,000 receiving yards in 14 seasons and still holds the record for touchdown receptions in a season (23).
While Moss brought plenty of flash to the receiver position, Larry Fitzgerald was the workmanlike professional. His career spanned 17 seasons—all with the Arizona Cardinals—and yielded 17,492 receiving yards, second all-time to only Jerry Rice.
Calvin Johnson was almost universally considered the best receiver in the game during a nine-year career that included 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns. His reputation was so great that he was a first-ballot Hall of Famer despite his relatively short career.