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NFL history is replete with superstar players who smashed records and won championships. Only a select group of these players, though, played their entire career with only one team.
These one-team warriors showed loyalty to their teams, which is rare in today’s NFL. They also performed so well that their teams never thought of trading them to another franchise.
From legendary quarterbacks and running backs to defensive back destroyers, let's have a look at the top ten NFL players who spent their entire careers with one team.
NOTE: No active NFL player has been included in this list.
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So without further ado, let's get started.
#1 Jim Brown - Cleveland Browns
Arguably the greatest NFL player in history, Jim Brown played out his entire professional football career for one team, the Cleveland Browns. The Browns drafted the rookie with the sixth overall pick in the 1957 NFL Draft.
The 6' 2", 232-pound full-back played nine seasons in the NFL. He was selected to the Pro Bowl every year and made the All-NFL team on eight occasions.
Brown wasn’t just a fearsome runner; he caught passes, returned kickoffs and also threw three touchdown passes in his career. He led Cleveland to the 1964 NFL championship and was the league MVP three times.
The Cleveland Browns icon averaged over 100 yards per game during his short but legendary career. Jim Brown shocked the sporting world when he suddenly retired from the NFL at only 30 years of age. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
Jim Brown's career NFL Stats:
Games - 118
Rushing yards - 12,312
Yards per game - 104
Yards per carry - 5.2
Touchdowns - 126.
#2 John Elway - Denver Broncos
John Elway was drafted by the Baltimore Colts with the first pick of the 1983 NFL Draft. The Colts immediately traded Elway to the Denver Broncos after he refused to play for them. Thus began his legendary career at Mile High Stadium.
Elway played 16 NFL seasons with the Broncos, winning two Super Bowls after losing the first three he played in.
The Broncos quarterback was renowned for his fourth-quarter comebacks. He engineered 47 game-winning drives during his NFL career. He is the only player in NFL history to pass for more than 3,000 yards and rush for more than 200 yards in the same season on seven consecutive occasions.
Elway was selected to the Pro Bowl nine times. He was the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1987 and the MVP at Super Bowl XXXIII. The quarterback was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
John Elway's Career NFL Stats:
Games - 234
Passing yards - 51,475
Rushing Yards - 3,407
Touchdowns - 300
Interceptions - 226.
#3 Lawrence Taylor - New York Giants
The no. 2 pick by the New York Giants in the 1981 NFL Draft, Lawrence Taylor, was about to become a defensive phenomenon.
The 6' 3", 237-pound linebacker inflicted fear into quarterbacks throughout his 13-season NFL career. LT led the Giants to victory in two Super Bowls and was selected to the Pro Bowl an incredible ten times during his time in the league.
One of Taylor’s greatest accomplishments was winning the 1986 MVP award. During that season, he recorded 20.5 sacks, 105 tackles, five passes defended and two forced fumbles. A defensive player has not won the MVP award in the NFL since Taylor.
The NFL has never seen a dominant defensive force like LT before. Taylor was a proud member of the New York Giants for his entire career. Lawrence Taylor was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1991.
Lawrence Taylor's NFL Career Stats:
Games - 184
Sacks - 132.5
Forced fumbles - 11
Interceptions - 9.
#4 Barry Sanders - Detroit Lions
One of the greatest running backs to ever play in the NFL, Barry Sanders was a Detroit Lion throughout his career. The Lions drafted Sanders with the third overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft. Sanders would go on to smash every franchise rushing record.
The 1988 Heisman Trophy winner would play ten seasons in the league, and he was selected to the NFL Pro Bowl every year. Sanders was the first running back to record five 1,500-plus-yard rushing seasons.
In 1997, Sanders had an incredible season, rushing for an NFL-best 2,053 yards and gained another 305 yards on 33 catches for an amazing 2,358 combined yards gained. The Lions RB also gained more than 100 yards rushing in an NFL record 14 consecutive regular-season games. Barry was rightfully named the league’s MVP that year.
Like Jim Brown, Barry Sanders stunned the NFL by retiring at just 30 years of age. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
Barry Sanders' Career NFL Stats:
Games - 153
Rushing yards - 15,269
Yards per carry - 5
Touchdowns - 99.
#5 Terry Bradshaw - Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers star quarterback Terry Bradshaw was the NFL playmaker of the 1970s. Pittsburgh drafted him first overall in the 1971 NFL Draft and never looked back.
It took Bradshaw a few seasons to find his feet, but when he finally did, he took over the league. The 6' 3", 215-pound QB led the Steelers to eight AFC Central titles and four Super Bowl wins between 1974 and 1979.
The Pittsburgh QB won the Superbowl MVP award in back-to-back years, doing so in 1978 and 1979. Bradshaw won the NFL MVP award in 1978 after throwing for 2,915 yards and 28 touchdowns. He was selected to the Pro Bowl three times, and Sports Illustrated magazine named him the Sportsman of the Year in 1979.
Terry Bradshaw was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989. He found success after his playing career as an NFL television analyst for FOX.
Terry Bradshaw's Career NFL Stats:
Games - 168
Passing yards - 27,989
Passing touchdowns - 212
Interceptions - 210
Rushing Yards - 2,257
Rushing touchdowns - 32.
#6 Ray Lewis - Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens' legendary linebacker Ray Lewis played 17 years for the franchise. The Ravens had drafted Lewis 26th overall in the 1996 NFL Draft.
Lewis would go on to lead the team in tackles in 14 of his 17 seasons in Baltimore. The hard-hitting linebacker won two Super Bowls with the Ravens.
One of them came in 2000 against the New York Giants when he also won the Super Bowl MVP award after recording three tackles, two assists and four passes defended. Lewis became just the second player to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP in the same season.
He won his second Super Bowl in his final season in 2012, where the Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers.
The Ravens linebacker is the only player in NFL history with at least 40 career sacks (41.5) and 30 career interceptions (31).
Ray Lewis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
Ray Lewis' Career NFL Stats:
Games - 228
Sacks - 41.5
Tackles - 2,059
Forced fumbles - 19
Interceptions - 31.
#7 Dan Marino - Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins' Dan Marino is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and perhaps the best player never to have won a Super Bowl.
Marino slipped to number 27 in the 1983 NFL Draft, where the Dolphins were surprised and elated to be able to select him. The 6' 4" QB would go on to play 17 seasons in Miami and rewrite the NFL record books.
In 1984, Marino won the MVP award after a record-breaking season. He became the first player ever to pass for 5,000 yards in a single season (5,084 yards). The QB threw a record 48 touchdown passes to lead the Dolphins to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately for Marino, that was the only NFL championship game he would play in.
The Dolphins quarterback led the franchise to the playoffs ten times, while he was selected to the Pro Bowl on nine occasions.
He was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
Dan Marino's Career NFL Stats:
Games - 242
Passing yards - 61,361
Touchdowns - 420
Interceptions - 252.
#8 Troy Aikman - Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys selected UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman as the no. 1 overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft. After a few tough years in the NFL, the 6' 4", 220-pound Aikman led the Cowboys back to the top.
During his 12 NFL seasons in Dallas, Aikman helped the team win three Super Bowls during the 1990s. In fact, the Cowboys QB was the winningest play-caller of the decade.
The Dallas Cowboys offense featured 'the Triplets' of Troy Aikman, iron man running back Emmett Smith and eccentric wide receiver Michael Irving. Multiple concussions and a reoccurring back injury, though, forced Aikman into retirement in 2000.
Aikman was selected to six Pro Bowls over his NFL career, and he was the Super Bowl MVP in 1993 against the Buffalo Bills.
He was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback has found post-football success as an NFL commentator.
Troy Aikman's Career NFL Stats:
Games - 165
Passing yards - 32,942
Touchdowns - 165
Interceptions - 141.
#9 Darrell Green - Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins drafted cornerback Darrell Green 26th overall in the 1983 NFL Draft. The speedy defensive back scored a 61-yard punt return touchdown the first time he touched the ball in the NFL.
Green played 20 seasons for the Redskins and had an interception in 19 straight campaigns for the Washington franchise.
During his NFL career, Green recorded 54 interceptions for 621 yards and six touchdowns. He also added two more touchdowns on interception returns in the NFL playoffs.
He won two Super Bowls and made seven Pro Bowls, and was selected All-Pro in 1986, 1987, 1990 and 1991. Green was also named in the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s.
The NFL cornerback was known for his speed; he once ran 10.08 seconds over 100 meters. He made news on his 50th birthday for reportedly running a 4.43-second 40-yard dash.
Darrell Green was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Darrell Green's Career NFL Stats:
Games - 295
Tackles - 1,159
Interceptions - 54
Touchdowns - 6.
#10 Calvin Johnson - Detroit Lions
Star wide receiver Calvin Johnson only played for the Detroit Lions during his nine seasons in the NFL. The 6' 5", 237-pound wideout was picked second overall by the Lions in the 2007 NFL Draft.
The combination of his size, speed and athleticism made him unstoppable for most NFL defenses. Johnson had seven seasons of 1,000-plus yards and won the NFL receiving yardage title in 2011 and 2012.
Megatron was selected to six Pro Bowls during his Lions career. Unfortunately, he only played in two playoff games.
Like fellow Detroit Lions legend Barry Sanders, Johnson retired unexpectedly in 2016 at just 30 years of age. The wide receiver later revealed his frustrations with the Detroit Lions front office, which led to his premature retirement.
He was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility this year.
Calvin Johnson's Career NFL Stats:
Games - 135
Receiving yards - 11,619
Yards per catch average - 15.9
Touchdowns - 83.
