The Football 100

A masterful ode to America’s game—and an unforgettable portrait of its greatest legends written by America’s best sportswriters.

It is a question that has bedeviled football fans for generations: Who’s the best? Of the more than 25,000 men who have suited up during the NFL’s century of existence, which ones stood head and shoulders above all others?

At The Athletic, home to the best newsroom in sports, this question would become a labor of love for dozens of the best football writers on the p...