Who Wore It Best? The Greatest NFL Players by Jersey Number, 0-24

Jerry Rice was undoubtedly the greatest NFL player to ever wear No. 80. And Lawrence Taylor towers over the rest at No. 56.

But do you like Troy Aikman or Steve Young at No. 8? Junior Seau or Derrick Brooks at No. 55? And which of the 12 Hall of Famers who wore No. 88 would you choose?

We’ve combed through the roughly 30,000 players who have suited up for an NFL game over the past 105 years to decide who wore each jersey number best, from No. 0 (or 00) through No. 99. 

Among the criteria were the players’ cumulative statistics, awards (MVP, Offensive/Defensive Player of the Year, etc.) and honors such as All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections. Super Bowl championships mattered as well, as did the impact players had on their era. Historical importance was very significant, which is why the list is littered with members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Only one NFL player can claim each number on our list, though. So here are our choices, presented in a four-part series, starting with Nos. 0-24. Note that since many great players switched numbers during their careers, the list is based on the number each player is best known for wearing.

No. 00: Jim Otto

He played for 15 years, starting every game at center for the Oakland Raiders from 1960 through 1974. Otto went to 12 Pro Bowls and was named to 10 All-Pro teams along the way. He also had very little competition for the best player to wear this number, considering the NFL banned players from wearing No. 0 or 00 for 50 years, from 1973 through 2023. 

Honorable Mention: Ken Burrough

No. 1: Warren Moon

He spent six years in the Canadian Football League before taking the NFL by storm in 1984. The longtime Houston Oilers quarterback lasted 17 seasons in the NFL, went to nine Pro Bowls and threw for nearly 50,000 yards. It’s still insane that he went undrafted in 1978, mainly due to prejudice against Black quarterbacks. In the end, Moon was the first Black quarterback and the first undrafted quarterback enshrined in Canton. No one else came close to being No. 1.

Honorable Mentions: Cam Newton, Gary Anderson

RELATED: Warren Moon, Kurt Warner, others share how undrafted players can find NFL success

No. 2: Matt Ryan

One of the most underrated quarterbacks of his generation, Ryan spent 14 years with the Falcons, won an MVP and famously had Atlanta up 28-3 on the Patriots in Super Bowl LI. His legacy would be a lot different if the Falcons hadn’t choked that lead away. But Ryan still has 62,792 passing yards and 381 passing touchdowns while wearing what was traditionally a kicker’s number.

Honorable Mentions: David Akers, Mason Crosby

He’s a 10-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champion who would have two rings if it weren’t for one of the worst play calls in NFL history at the end of Super Bowl XLIX. Wilson started his career with 10 straight winning seasons as Seattle’s quarterback, and his career isn’t over yet. Bronko Nagurski, the legendary Bears fullback from the 1930s, deserved consideration here, too.

Honorable Mentions: Bronko Nagurski, Jan Stenerud

No. 4: Brett Favre

When the great Packers quarterback retired in 2010, he was the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns. He was also a three-time MVP (and two-time runner-up), an 11-time Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl champ, and he set an NFL record with 297 consecutive starts (321 including the playoffs). Patriots and Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri wore No. 4 with distinction, too, but a quarterback beats a kicker every time.

Honorable Mentions: Adam Vinatieri, Tuffy Leemans

No. 5: Paul Hornung

The glue of the Packers’ dynasty years, this halfback and kicker was a prolific scorer. He scored 760 points in nine NFL seasons on 62 touchdowns, 190 extra points and 66 field goals. He also ran for 3,711 yards and had 1,480 yards receiving. He even played a little quarterback. He helped the Packers to four NFL championships and a Super Bowl in the 1960s, and he won the NFL MVP in 1961. Still, Hall of Fame kicker Morten Andersen might have earned this spot if he hadn’t kept switching numbers (5, 7, 8). Eagles QB Donovan McNabb has a heck of a résumé wearing No. 5, too.

Honorable Mentions: Morten Andersen, Donovan McNabb

This is one of the weaker numbers on the list, and it’s probably unfair to give Cutler the nod over a Hall of Famer like Benny Friedman. But Friedman played quarterback before stats were kept and at a time when NFL teams didn’t pass very much. He also wore five different numbers during his career in the 1920s and ’30s. Cutler, the longtime Bears quarterback, threw a lot, amassing more than 35,000 passing yards over 12 seasons. That’s not bad for a pretty average quarterback. Rams punter Johnny Hekker, a four-time All-Pro, made the shortlist at No. 6, too.

Honorable Mentions: Benny Friedman, Johnny Hekker

No. 7: John Elway

Two Super Bowl championships late in his career only enhanced a legacy that didn’t need enhancing. The legendary quarterback took the Broncos to five Super Bowls in his 16 NFL seasons. Along the way, he won an MVP, went to nine Pro Bowls and retired as the NFL’s all-time passing leader with 51,475 yards. He turned the Broncos into an AFC power, while making miserable memories for Baltimore after the Colts drafted him No. 1 overall in 1983 only to trade him after he refused to play for them.

Honorable Mentions: Mel Hein, Ben Roethlisberger

No. 8: Steve Young

It’s almost impossible to choose between Young and Troy Aikman. Yes, Young won only one Super Bowl as a starter, while Aikman won three with the Cowboys. But for his first four seasons in San Francisco, Young was stuck on the bench behind Joe Montana. After he finally got on the field, Young’s seven seasons as the 49ers‘ starting QB were simply far more prolific than what Aikman produced in Dallas. They both threw for about 33,000 yards, but Young threw for more touchdowns (232-165). And he was also one of the best scrambling quarterbacks ever, rushing for 4,239 yards and 42 touchdowns.

Honorable Mentions: Troy Aikman, Ray Guy

Coming off shoulder surgery, Brees was a risky bet when the Saints signed him in 2006, but he ended up becoming arguably the greatest free-agent acquisition in league history. In 20 NFL seasons, Brees set records for passing yards (80,358), completions (7,142) and touchdown passes (571). He went to 13 Pro Bowls, won a Super Bowl, and might be more popular than jazz, gumbo and the Manning family combined in New Orleans.

Honorable Mentions: Sonny Jurgensen, Matthew Stafford

No. 10: Fran Tarkenton

He might have been on everyone’s list of the NFL’s all-time greatest quarterbacks if only the Vikings had won one of the three Super Bowls he led them to in the 1970s. Still, Tarkenton retired as the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards (47,003), a record that stood for nearly 20 years. “The Scrambler” also went to nine Pro Bowls and won an MVP.

Honorable Mentions: Eli Manning, Tyreek Hill

No. 11: Larry Fitzgerald

Jerry Rice’s NFL receiving records are basically untouchable, but in his 17 years with the Arizona Cardinals, Fitzgerald came about as close to touching them as maybe any receiver ever will. He ranks second on the NFL’s all-time list with 1,432 catches and 17,492 yards, and he didn’t spend most of his career catching passes from Joe Montana and Steve Young, either. Fitzgerald put up epic numbers in less-than-ideal surroundings.

Honorable Mentions: Norm Van Brocklin, Julio Jones

If they wore any other number, maybe Aaron Rodgers, Terry Bradshaw, Roger Staubach, Jim Kelly, Bob Griese or Ken Stabler make this list. But there’s only one GOAT. The legendary quarterback’s seven Super Bowl rings, 10 trips to the Super Bowl, five Super Bowl MVPs, 15 Pro Bowls and three NFL MVP awards lap the field. And that’s before you get to his NFL records of 89,214 passing yards, 649 touchdowns and 251 wins, not to mention 35 postseason wins. He defined and dominated an entire era.

Honorable Mentions: Aaron Rodgers, Terry Bradshaw

No. 13: Dan Marino

He is arguably the greatest player to never win a Super Bowl, which all these years later is still hard to believe. The Dolphins quarterback is considered one of the best pure passers in NFL history, though. He never quite matched his crazy sophomore season, when he threw for 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns, but he still amassed 61,361 passing yards and 420 TDs over 17 NFL seasons.

Honorable Mentions: Don Maynard, Kurt Warner

No. 14: Dan Fouts

He went on a remarkable run when the NFL opened up its passing rules in 1978, just as Don Coryell took over the Chargers and emphasized the deep ball. Fouts had a remarkable three-year stretch from 1979-81, averaging 4,533 yards and 29 touchdowns — ridiculous numbers at the time. He made six Pro Bowls in his 15 NFL seasons.

Honorable Mentions: Don Hutson, Otto Graham

A few years ago, this spot would have been reserved for Packers all-time great Bart Starr. But now it belongs to a Chiefs quarterback doing his best Tom Brady imitation in Kansas City. Mahomes is a three-time Super Bowl champion, has been to five Super Bowls, has won the NFL MVP twice and has gone to six Pro Bowls — all in just seven years as a starter. And he’s not even 30 years old yet. It’s possible the best is yet to come.

Honorable Mentions: Bart Starr, Steve Van Buren

No. 16: Joe Montana

The legendary 49ers quarterback was the GOAT until Tom Brady arrived. Montana won four Super Bowl titles, two NFL MVP awards and had a remarkable five come-from-behind wins in playoff games in his 15-year career. He even did it while holding off a future Hall of Famer in Steve Young, who was his backup for four years before an elbow injury cost Montana a season and ended his 49ers tenure. He went to eight Pro Bowls in all, including a late-career trip while playing in Kansas City.

Honorable Mentions: Frank Gifford, Len Dawson

The only thing keeping the longtime Chargers quarterback from being recognized as one of the all-time elites is a lack of postseason success. Despite no Super Bowl appearances, Rivers had an otherwise stellar run in 15 years as a starter. He threw for 63,440 yards and 421 touchdowns while making eight Pro Bowl appearances. Eagles WR Harold Carmichael made the Hall of Fame wearing No. 17, but Rivers might eventually get there, too.

Honorable Mentions: Harold Carmichael, Josh Allen

No. 18: Peyton Manning

His career ran into a roadblock, overlapping with Tom Brady in some of his biggest postseason games. Otherwise, Manning would be under consideration for GOAT status. His résumé is just ridiculous. He was the NFL MVP five times, a seven-time first-team All-Pro, went to 14 Pro Bowls and won two Super Bowls, first for the Colts and then the Broncos. His career winning percentage is over .700, making him arguably the prototype for quarterbacks (non-mobile category, of course).

Honorable Mentions: Charlie Joiner, Emmitt Thomas

No. 19: Johnny Unitas

The “Johnny U” Era pre-dated the NFL’s passing explosion, but Unitas still threw for 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns in 18 wonderful seasons. Considered one of the best team leaders in NFL history, the Colts quarterback won three NFL championships and a Super Bowl, was a three-time NFL MVP, went to 10 Pro Bowls and was named an All-Pro eight times.

Honorable Mentions: Lance Alworth, Keyshawn Johnson

No. 20: Barry Sanders

There have been some great defensive backs who wore this number, including Ed Reed, Brian Dawkins, Mel Renfro and Ronde Barber. But how could any of them compare to this shooting star of a running back? The Lions legend played 10 seasons, went to 10 Pro Bowls and was named to the All-Pro team 10 times. He also won an MVP award and ran for fewer than 1,300 yards in a season only once — when he ran for 1,115 in 1993 despite missing five games.

Honorable Mentions: Ed Reed, Mel Renfro

No. 21: Deion Sanders

It takes the bright lights of “Prime Time” — the flashy, Hall of Fame corner and two-sport star — to overwhelm a talented group of No. 21s. The number could belong to RB LaDainian Tomlinson, CB Eric Allen, CB Charles Woodson, WR Cliff Branch or RB Frank Gore. But “Neon Deion” was one of the biggest stars the NFL has ever had. He won back-to-back Super Bowls (with the 49ers and Cowboys) and is the only man to ever play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series. He was quite possibly the greatest cover corner of all time. Plus, he was an elite kick returner and played some receiver, too.

Honorable Mentions: LaDainian Tomlinson, Cliff Branch

No. 22: Emmitt Smith

Smith might be the greatest running back in NFL history. He holds the all-time record with 18,355 rushing yards and 164 rushing touchdowns. He also carried the ball more than anyone ever, with 4,409 rushes in 15 seasons. He won an NFL MVP and powered the Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles, too. Smith earns this honor because of both performance and longevity at a position where players aren’t built to last.

Honorable Mentions: Bob Hayes, Paul Krause

No. 23: Devin Hester

The former Bear is probably the greatest return specialist in NFL history. He had 14 career touchdowns on punt returns — an NFL record, by far — and he ranks fifth on the all-time list with five kickoff returns for touchdowns. He also did it at a time when kickers were getting stronger and touchbacks became more of the norm, limiting his return chances. No one was ever more explosive on special teams.

Honorable Mentions: Troy Vincent, Patrick Surtain

No. 24: Champ Bailey

This is the number of great corners, with Bailey joined by Hall of Famers Darrelle Revis, Charles Woodson, Willie Brown and Willie Wood. But it’s hard for any of them to beat Bailey’s 12 combined Pro Bowls with Washington and Denver. He had 52 career interceptions and was named an All-Pro seven times. He also holds the NFL career record with 203 passes deflected.

Honorable Mentions: Darrelle Revis, Willie Brown

Our four-part series continues on Tuesday, July 29, with the greatest players in NFL history to wear Nos. 25-49.

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

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