10 Best Packers NFL Players of All Time

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10 Best Packers NFL Players of All Time !! The Green Bay Packers are the NFL franchise based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are the third-oldest NFL team, founded in 1919, and as of 2024, have 13 league championship wins, the highest in NFL history. 

Similarly, in regular and playoff games, the Packers have the most wins and the highest win-loss record in the league’s history. They are the last of the small-town teams remaining in the NFL.

Many players have been part of the team and proudly wore the green, white, and yellow Packers jersey. Likewise, many players have helped the team win major victories and records.

Don Hutson
Don Hutson (Source: Sports and History)

This article is dedicated to the Green Bay Packers fan. We will discuss the ten best Packers of all time.

Let’s go through the list without further delay.

Quick Overview

Here is the highlight of the best ten Packers players at the table.

Player’s Name Position
10. Herb Adderley Cornerback
9. Ray Nitschke Middle linebacker
8. Paul Coffman Tight end
7. Forrest Gregg Offensive tackle
6. James Lofton Wide receiver
5. Clarke Hinkle Fullback, linebacker
4. Brett Favre Quarterback
3. Jim Taylor Fullback
2. Bart Starr Quarterback
1. Don Hutson End

Best Packers NFL Players of All Time

We have compiled our list based on the references from NFL and BleacherReport.

10. Herb Adderley

Herb was a professional football player who played with the franchise from 1961 and 1969.

The Packers had drafted Adderley in the first round as the 12th overall pick in the 1961 NFL draft. Initially, he played in the halfback position, then switched to defense. He was later changed to cornerback permanently in 1962.

Herb Adderley
Herb Adderley (Source: The New York Times)

His career’s highlight wins were three times Super Bowl champion, five times NFL champion, four times First-team All-Pro, three times Second-team All-Pro, and five times Pro Bowl.

Adderley was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, both in 1981. He passed away at the age of 81 on October 30, 2020.

9. Ray Nitschke

On number 9 is Ray Nitschke, who spent his entire 15 seasons in NFL with the Green Bay Packers. The Packers selected him late in the third round of the 1958 NFL draft as the 36th overall. 

Nitschke became well-known for his strength and being an all-around athletic linebacker.

Some of his achievements in the leagues include being five times NFL champion, two times Super Bowl champion, two times First-team All-Pro, Pro Bowl, etc.

Ray Nitschke
Ray Nitschke (Source: Wikimedia.org)

Even after retiring from professional football, Nitschke was a popular figure in Green Bay. He even had his phone number and home address published in the franchise’s phone book.

In 1978, he became a Pro Football Hall of Fame member. Similarly, he is enshrined in the Packers Hall of Fame, and the franchise has retired his No.66 jersey in his honor. Nitschke passed away at age 68 on March 8, 1998.

8. Paul Coffman

The eighth-best Packers NFL player of all time is Paul Coffman. He played for ten seasons in the NFL, where he spent most of his career with the Green Bay Packers.

Coffman entered the 1978 NFL draft but was left undrafted. Lucky for him, the Packers signed him as a free agent.

Paul Coffman
Paul Coffman (Source: Pinterest)

From 1978 to 1985, Coffman played with the Packers. Then he played one season each with Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings. His career highlight win is three times Pro Bowl winner.

Coffman was enshrined in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1994.

7. Forrest Gregg

Forrest Gregg is our next-best Packers of all time. He spent most of his career playing for the Packers in 1956 and from 1958 to 1970.

After making his NFL debut with the team, Gregg became the team’s key player. He set the then-league record of 188 consecutive games in 16 seasons and earned the title “iron man.”

Similarly, he won All-NFL honors for eight years straight and nine Pro Bowl selections.

Forrest Gregg
Forrest Gregg (Source: The New York Times)

After his time with the Packers, Gregg played one season with the Dallas Cowboys. After retiring, from 1984 to 1987, he served as the Packers coach.

Gregg was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame for his contribution as a pro football player and a coach. Gregg died at the age of 85 on April 12, 2019.

6. James Lofton

James Lofton is number 6 on the list of the best Packers NFL players of all time. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wide receivers of all time.

The Packers selected him in the first round of the 1978 NFL draft as the sixth overall. From 1978 to 1986, Lofton played for the Packers and was named to four All-Pro teams.

Similarly, his career highlight honors include PFWA All-Rookie Team, eight times Pro Bowl, and NFL 1980s All-Decade Team.

James Lofton
James Lofton (Source: Wikimedia.org)

Although he spent most of his career playing for the Green Bay, he also played for the Los Angeles Raiders, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, and Philadelphia Eagles.

After retiring from his pro-playing career, Lofton served as a football coach. In 2003, he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Likewise, he is also the Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer.

5. Clarke Hinkle

Next, we have Clarke Hinkle, one of the toughest players in the era of iron man football. He spent his entire NFL career playing with the Green Bays.

Hinkle played in NFL between 1932 to 1941. During the time, the Packers were the top team in the league and won three NFL championships consecutively from 1929 to 1931.

Similarly, in his career, Hinke won the NFL champion twice, First-team All-Pro seven times, and NFL All-Star three times. He was the NFL rushing touchdowns co-leader and NFL scoring.

Clarke Hinkle
Clarke Hinkle (Source: Pinterest)

He also set the record for rushing yardage and carries. Unfortunately, Hinkle’s career was cut short by military service in 1942.

In 1964, Hinkle was the second class of inductees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Likewise, he is also inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame.

4. Brett Favre

Brett Favre is a Pro Football Hall of Famer who played for twenty seasons in the NFL. The Atlanta Falcons selected him in the second round as the 33rd overall pick during the 1991 NFL draft.

The Falcons traded Favre in 1992 to the Green Bay Packers. He spent most of his career playing for the Packers from 1992 to 2007. He helped revitalize the franchise, which had declined since the late 1960s.

While playing for the Packers, Favre led the franchise team to 11 playoffs, seven division titles, four NFC Championship games, two Super Bowl appearances, and the Super Bowl XXXI championship title.

Brett Favre
Brett Favre (Source: Dairyland Express)

After 16 seasons with the Packers, the team traded him to the New York Jets. Favre also played for the Minnesota Vikings, after which he retired from professionally playing the sport.

Favre holds three NFL records, including the longest touchdown pass, most consecutive starts, and most career interceptions. He is inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame, and they have retired his No.4 jersey.

3. Jim Taylor

Pro Football Hall of Famer and Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer Jim Taylor is the third-best NFL player of all time. The Packers drafted him in the second round of the 1958 NFL draft as the 15th overall pick.

Taylor spent most of his NFL career with the Packers from 1958 to 1966. Similarly, he played one season with the New Orleans Saints.

He was known to be one of the toughest players in the league. He was an aggressive player known to trash talk, creating personal rivalries with several other players in the league.

Jim Taylor
Jim Taylor (Source: WDSU)

Some of Taylor’s career highlight wins and awards include Super Bowl champion, four times NFL champion, five times Pro Bowl, NFL MVP, three times First-team All-Pro, etc.

Taylor passed away at the age of 83 on October 13, 2018.

2. Bart Starr

The second place on our list is the Pro Football Hall of Famer and former head coach of the franchise, Bart Starr. They selected him in the 17th round as the 200th overall pick in the 1956 NFL draft.

Starr spent his entire NFL career with the Packers from 1956 to 1971. At his retirement, he had the best career completion percentage of 57.4.

Likewise, he held the franchise record for most games played, 196 for incredible 32 years. He has the highest postseason passer rating of 104.8 as a quarterback in the league’s history.

Bart Starr
Bart Starr (Source: Business Insider)

In addition to his NFL records, some of Starr’s career highlight wins include two times Super Bowl champion, two times Super Bowl MVP, five times NFL champion, four times Pro Bowl, etc.

Starr is also a Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer for his contribution as a player and head coach to the team. The franchise retired his No.15 jersey in his honor. This legendary Packers quarterback died at 85 on May 26, 2019.

1. Don Hutson

The best Packers NFL player of all time is one of the greatest receivers in NFL history, Don Huston. He is considered the first modern wide receiver and is credited for creating many modern pass routes in the league.

Huston played 11 seasons in NFL and spent his entire career playing for the Packers. He was known to be a dominant player and was the first 1,000-yard receiver in the league.

Similarly, he had set significant receiving records in his career. Huston holds the NFL record for the most seasons leading the league in points scored and most seasons leading the league in touchdowns.

Don-Hutson
Don Hutson ( Source: pixles.com)

A few of his career highlight wins and honors include three times NFL champion, two times NFL MVP, eight times First-team All-Pro, four times NFL All-Star, etc. He also served as an assistant coach to the team from 1944 to 1948.

Huston is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. His No.14 jersey is retired by the Packers in his honor.

Conclusion

In addition to these, there are many great players who contributed to the Packers. The team currently has many great active players like Aaron Rodgers, Jaire Alexander, AJ Dillon, etc.

In this article, we tried to list the most remarkable individuals who contributed to the team. As a fan, you might have your own opinion about which players deserve the top spots. 

Did you favorite Packers make it to the list? Please leave a comment. 

Boby Rai
Boby Raihttps://playersbio.com/

Boby Rai

Boby Rai is a dedicated writer who specializes in capturing the essence of sporting excellence through his unique lens. As the creative mind behind numerous sports-centric projects, he brings a fresh perspective to the world of athletics, blending insightful commentary with captivating narratives.

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