NFL Top 100#2012

{{For|the 100th Anniversary All-Time Team|NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team}}

{{Infobox television

| image = NFL Top 100 logo.jpg

| caption =

| genre =

| country = United States

| language = English

| num_seasons = 14

| num_episodes = 140

| runtime = 3–9 minutes (per player)

| first_aired = {{Start date|2011}}

| last_aired =

| related = NFL Top 10

| channel = NFL+, NFL Network

}}

The NFL Top 100 is an annual television series counting down the top one hundred players in the National Football League (NFL), as chosen by fellow NFL players. The rankings are based on an off-season poll organized by the NFL, where players vote on their peers based on their performance for the recent NFL season. Only players that are not retired in the next season are eligible for consideration.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTA-Z8YZdWM |title=Where Would Manning, Megatron & Other Retirees Be on the Top 100 Players of 2016? |date=July 13, 2016 |publisher=National Football League|via=YouTube|access-date=July 10, 2019}}

In 2010, NFL Network aired The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players, an all-time top 100 list, with wide receiver Jerry Rice being voted as the number-one player. The following year, the network debuted their annual NFL Top 100, with quarterback Tom Brady being voted at the top. Brady holds the record for most number-one selections, with four (2011, 2017, 2018, and 2022). Fellow quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the only other player to have been voted number-one multiple times (2021, 2023). Non-quarterbacks to be voted number-one include running back Adrian Peterson (2013), defensive end J. J. Watt (2015), defensive tackle Aaron Donald (2019), and wide receiver Tyreek Hill (2024). Following Brady's retirement and resulting exclusion from the 2023 list, quarterback Aaron Rodgers holds the distinction of being the only player to be an NFL Top 100 selection each year of its existence.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIg0QGrREjE|title=#51 Aaron Rodgers (QB, Jets) {{pipe}} Top 100 Players of 2023|work=NFL Top 100|publisher=National Football League|via=YouTube|date=August 8, 2023|accessdate=October 4, 2023}}

Series overview

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
colspan="2" rowspan="2" \|Season ! colspan="2" \|Originally aired ! colspan="2" \|Number 1
First aired ! Last aired ! Player ! Team
bgcolor="#002244"\| \|1 \| {{Start date\|2011\|4\|30}} \| {{End date\|2011\|7\|3}} \| Tom Brady \| New England Patriots
bgcolor="#FFB612"\| \|2 \| {{Start date\|2012\|4\|28}} \| {{End date\|2012\|6\|27}} \| Aaron Rodgers \| Green Bay Packers
bgcolor="#4F2683"\| \|3 \| {{Start date\|2013\|4\|27}} \| {{End date\|2013\|6\|27}} \| Adrian Peterson \| Minnesota Vikings
bgcolor="#FB4F14"\| \|4 \| {{Start date\|2014\|5\|10}} \| {{End date\|2014\|7\|9}} \| Peyton Manning \| Denver Broncos
bgcolor="#03202F"\| \|5 \| {{Start date\|2015\|5\|6}} \| {{End date\|2015\|7\|8}} \| J. J. Watt \| Houston Texans
bgcolor="#0085CA"\| \|6 \| {{Start date\|2016\|5\|4}} \| {{End date\|2016\|7\|6}} \| Cam Newton \| Carolina Panthers
bgcolor="#C60C30"\| \|7 \| {{Start date\|2017\|5\|1}} \| {{End date\|2017\|6\|26}} \| rowspan='2' \| Tom Brady \| rowspan = '2' \| New England Patriots
bgcolor="#B0B7BC"\| \|8 \| {{Start date\|2018\|4\|30}} \| {{End date\|2018\|6\|25}}
bgcolor="#003594"\| \|9 \| {{Start date\|2019\|7\|22}} \| {{End date\|2019\|7\|31}} \| Aaron Donald \| Los Angeles Rams
bgcolor="#241773"\| \|10 \| {{Start date\|2020\|7\|26}} \| {{End date\|2020\|7\|29}} \| Lamar Jackson \| Baltimore Ravens
bgcolor="#B1132B"\| \|11 \| {{Start date\|2021\|8\|15}} \| {{End date\|2021\|8\|28}} \| Patrick Mahomes \| Kansas City Chiefs
bgcolor="#322F2B"\| \|12 \| {{Start date\|2022\|8\|14}} \| {{End date\|2022\|8\|28}} \|Tom Brady \|Tampa Bay Buccaneers
bgcolor="#FFB612"\| \|13 \| {{Start date\|2023\|7\|24}} \| {{End date\|2023\|8\|3}} \|Patrick Mahomes \|Kansas City Chiefs
bgcolor="#008E97"\| \|14 \| {{Start date\|2024\|7\|22}} \| {{End date\|2024\|8\|2}} \|Tyreek Hill \|Miami Dolphins

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

colspan="2" rowspan="2" |Season

! colspan="2" |Originally aired

! colspan="2" |Number 1

First aired

! Last aired

! Player

! Team

bgcolor="#002244"|

| {{Start date|2011|4|30}}

| {{End date|2011|7|3}}

| Tom Brady

| New England Patriots

bgcolor="#FFB612"|

| {{Start date|2012|4|28}}

| {{End date|2012|6|27}}

| Aaron Rodgers

| Green Bay Packers

bgcolor="#4F2683"|

| {{Start date|2013|4|27}}

| {{End date|2013|6|27}}

| Adrian Peterson

| Minnesota Vikings

bgcolor="#FB4F14"|

| {{Start date|2014|5|10}}

| {{End date|2014|7|9}}

| Peyton Manning

| Denver Broncos

bgcolor="#03202F"|

| {{Start date|2015|5|6}}

| {{End date|2015|7|8}}

| J. J. Watt

| Houston Texans

bgcolor="#0085CA"|

| {{Start date|2016|5|4}}

| {{End date|2016|7|6}}

| Cam Newton

| Carolina Panthers

bgcolor="#C60C30"|

| {{Start date|2017|5|1}}

| {{End date|2017|6|26}}

| rowspan='2' | Tom Brady

| rowspan = '2' | New England Patriots

bgcolor="#B0B7BC"|

| {{Start date|2018|4|30}}

| {{End date|2018|6|25}}

bgcolor="#003594"|

| {{Start date|2019|7|22}}

| {{End date|2019|7|31}}

| Aaron Donald

| Los Angeles Rams

bgcolor="#241773"|

|10

| {{Start date|2020|7|26}}

| {{End date|2020|7|29}}

| Lamar Jackson

| Baltimore Ravens

bgcolor="#B1132B"|

|11

| {{Start date|2021|8|15}}

| {{End date|2021|8|28}}

| Patrick Mahomes

| Kansas City Chiefs

bgcolor="#322F2B"|

|12

| {{Start date|2022|8|14}}

| {{End date|2022|8|28}}

|Tom Brady

|Tampa Bay Buccaneers

bgcolor="#FFB612"|

|13

| {{Start date|2023|7|24}}

| {{End date|2023|8|3}}

|Patrick Mahomes

|Kansas City Chiefs

bgcolor="#008E97"|

|14

| {{Start date|2024|7|22}}

| {{End date|2024|8|2}}

|Tyreek Hill

|Miami Dolphins

History

File:Tom Brady2 (1).jpg has been named the #1 player four times]]

Produced by NFL Films, the series' first season was released during the 2011 NFL offseason.{{cite web|last=Roberson|first=Matthew|url=https://www.gq.com/story/nfl-top-100|title=How Does the NFL Top 100 Actually Work?|work=GQ|date=July 22, 2024|accessdate=August 4, 2024}} The series was aired on NFL Network, which released ten episodes, each revealing ten players. The first episode, revealing the players ranked #100 through #91 was aired on April 30, 2011. The list and series began with the #100 ranked player, Washington Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb,{{cite web|url=https://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-top100-2011/09000d5d81f85e35/Top-100-Donovan-McNabb|title=Top 100: Donovan McNabb|publisher=National Football League|date=April 27, 2011|access-date=May 10, 2013}} and ended when New England Patriots quarterback and 2010 NFL MVP Tom Brady was selected as the number one ranked player.{{cite web|last=Sharma|first=Aashish|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/756848-tom-brady-named-nfls-top-player-of-2011-why-he-will-go-down-as-the-greatest|title=Tom Brady Named NFL's Top Player of 2011: Why He Will Go Down as the Greatest|website=Bleacher Report|date=July 4, 2011|access-date=May 10, 2013}}

The NFL Top 100 list returned following the 2012 NFL season, running during the NFL's offseason.{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Michael David|url=https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/04/29/chris-johnson-falls-87-spots-in-nfl-top-100-ranking/|title=Chris Johnson falls 87 spots in NFL Top 100 ranking|publisher=NBC Sports|work=Pro Football Talk|date=April 29, 2012|access-date=May 10, 2013}} Each episode of the season was followed up by NFL Top 100 Reaction Show, which featured NFL Network analysts reacting and voicing their opinions on the ten most recent players revealed on the list.{{cite AV media|url=http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-top100-2012/09000d5d828ba94a/Top-100-reaction-Biggest-surprise|title=Top 100 reaction: Biggest surprise|website=NFL.com|date=April 28, 2012|access-date=May 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503200556/http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-top100-2012/09000d5d828ba94a/Top-100-reaction-Biggest-surprise|archive-date=May 3, 2012}} The series has run every offseason since, following the same countdown format and continuing to feature players and analysts reacting to the rankings.{{cite web|last=Bibel|first=Sara|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/04/19/nfl-network-presents-the-top-100-players-of-2013/178807/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501090654/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/04/19/nfl-network-presents-the-top-100-players-of-2013/178807/|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 1, 2013|title=NFL Network Presents 'The Top 100 Players of 2013'|publisher=Zap 2 it|work=TV by the Numbers|date=April 19, 2013|access-date=May 10, 2013}}{{cite web|last=Wilson|first=Aaron|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/ravens-insider/bal-dennis-pitta-named-nfls-100thbest-player-20130429,0,5097026.story|title=Dennis Pitta Named NFL's 100th-best player|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=April 29, 2013|access-date=May 10, 2013}} NFL Films have also released annual lists of ten players who just missed the Top 100 listing.{{cite tweet|url=https://twitter.com/NFLFilms/status/1818026953435132286|number=1818026953435132286|title=The players who just missed this year's #NFLTop100 list: 👇|user=NFLFilms|author-link=NFL Films|date=July 29, 2024|accessdate=August 4, 2024}}

=Players with most ''Top 100'' selections=

File:Aaron Rodgers (51630824502).jpg has been selected to the Top 100 list a record 14 times]]

File:Von Miller, Trent Williams (25405471758).jpg (left) and Trent Williams (right) have the most selections for a defensive player (10) and a non-quarterback (11), respectively]]

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" border="1" \|+ Key
scope="col" style="width:75px" \| Symbol ! scope="col" style="width:350px" \| Meaning
scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#FFFF99;" \| {{dagger}} \| Denotes Pro Football Hall of Fame member
scope="row" style="text-align:center; background-color:#cfecec;" \| ^ \| Denotes active player

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" border="1"

|+ Key

scope="col" style="width:75px" | Symbol

! scope="col" style="width:350px" | Meaning

scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#FFFF99;" | {{dagger}}

| Denotes Pro Football Hall of Fame member

scope="row" style="text-align:center; background-color:#cfecec;" | ^

| Denotes active player

Player \|\| Position \|\| {{tooltip\|#Sel.\|Number of Top 100 selections}} \|\| Years selected \|\| Peak
class="wikitable sortable"
style="background:#cfecec;"\|Aaron Rodgers^{^}	Quarterback	align="center"\|14	align="left"\|2011–2024	#1 (2012)
Tom Brady	Quarterback	align="center"\|12	align="left"\|2011–2022	#1 (4 times)
style="background:#cfecec;"\|Trent Williams^{^}	Offensive tackle	align="center"\|11	align="left"\|2013–2019, 2021–2024	#7 (2024)
Drew Brees	Quarterback	rowspan="4" align="center"\|10	align="left"\|2011–2020	#2 (2 times)
style="background:#cfecec;"\|Von Miller^{^}	Linebacker	align="left"\|2012–2020, 2022	#2 (2017)
style="background:#cfecec;"\|Russell Wilson^{^}	Quarterback	align="left"\|2013–2022	#2 (2020)
Larry Fitzgerald	Wide receiver	align="left"\|2011–2020	#7 (2012)
J. J. Watt	Defensive end	rowspan="6" align="center"\|9	align="left"\|2013–2021	#1 (2015)
style="background:#cfecec;"\|Aaron Donald^{^}	Defensive tackle	align="left"\|2015–2023	#1 (2019)
style="background:#cfecec;"\|Khalil Mack^{^}	Defensive end	align="left"\|2015–2021, 2024	#3 (2019)
style="background:#cfecec;"\|Travis Kelce^{^}	Tight end	align="left"\|2016–2024	#5 (2 times)
style="background:#cfecec;"\|Bobby Wagner^{^}	Linebacker	align="left"\|2015, 2017–2024	#13 (2020)
Ben Roethlisberger	Quarterback	align="left"\|2011–2019	#18 (2018)
Cam Newton	Quarterback	rowspan="14" align="center"\|8	align="left"\|2012–2019	#1 (2016)
style="background:#cfecec;"\|Tyreek Hill^{^}	Wide receiver	align="left"\|2017–2024	#1 (2024)
style="background:#cfecec;"\|Julio Jones^{^}	Wide receiver	align="left"\|2013, 2015–2021	#3 (2017)
A. J. Green	Wide receiver	align="left"\|2012–2019	#9 (2014)
Earl Thomas	Safety	align="left"\|2012–2018, 2020	#17 (2014)
Philip Rivers	Quarterback	align="left"\|2011, 2012, 2014–2019	#17 (2019)
style="background:#cfecec;"\|Patrick Peterson^{^}	Cornerback	align="left"\|2012–2019	#18 (2016)
style="background:#cfecec;"\|Tyron Smith^{^}	Offensive tackle	align="left"\|2014–2020, 2022	#18 (2017)
style="background:#cfecec;"\|Cameron Jordan^{^}	Defensive end	align="left"\|2014, 2016, 2018–2023	#23 (2020)
Ndamukong Suh^{^}	Defensive tackle	align="left"\|2011–2018	#24 (2015)
style="background:#cfecec;"\|Mike Evans^{^}	Wide receiver	align="left"\|2015, 2017, 2019–2024	#26 (2024)
style="background:#cfecec;"\|Cameron Heyward^{^}	Defensive tackle	align="left"\|2016, 2018–2024	#42 (2022)
style="background:#cfecec;"\|Kirk Cousins^{^}	Quarterback	align="left"\|2016–2020, 2022–2024	#42 (2023)
style="background:#cfecec;"\|Zack Martin^{^}	Guard	align="left"\|2017–2024	#53 (2024)

Reception

Several NFL players have expressed negative opinions of NFL Top 100. Responding to the 2021 list, Arizona Cardinals offensive tackle D. J. Humphries called the list "bullshit" and "made up" and cast personal doubt on if players actually vote, stating that he had never voted.{{cite magazine|last=Balzer|first=Howard|url=https://www.si.com/nfl/cardinals/news/humphries-says-top-100-is-all-made-up|title=Humphries on NFL Top 100 Players: It's 'All Made Up'|magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=September 3, 2021|accessdate=November 15, 2023}} In 2022, former tackle Andrew Whitworth, a 3× NFL Top 100 selection himself, also asserted that not every player votes on the list, calling it a "joke" and "content filler".{{cite web|last=Crisafulli|first=Owen|url=https://clutchpoints.com/its-a-joke-andrew-whitworth-rips-nfl-top-100-list-exposes-that-not-all-players-vote|title='It's a joke': Andrew Whitworth rips NFL Top 100 list, exposes that not all players vote|publisher=ClutchPoints|date=August 15, 2022|accessdate=November 15, 2023}}

NFL.com writer Jeremy Bergman opined that Aaron Rodgers' inclusion and Joe Flacco's near-make on the 2024 list showed that "players continue to suffer simultaneously from recency bias and a misunderstanding of what the criteria for this exercise are, if there are any".{{cite web|last=Bergman|first=Jeremy|url=https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-s-top-100-players-of-2024-five-things-the-voters-got-wrong|title= NFL's 'Top 100 Players of 2024': Five things the voters got wrong |website=NFL.com|date=August 2, 2024|accessdate=August 4, 2024}}

References

Category:NFL Top 100

Category:2010s American sports television series

Category:2011 American television series debuts

Category:2020s American sports television series

Category:NFL Films films

Category:NFL Network original programming