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Top 10 Greatest NFL Players Without a Super Bowl Ring

By Erik Lambert

Barry Sanders #20, Running Back for the Detroit Lions during the National Football Conference Central game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on 10 November 1991 at Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida, United States. The Buccaneers won the game 30 - 21. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Allsport/Getty Images)
Barry Sanders #20, Running Back for the Detroit Lions during the National Football Conference Central game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on 10 November 1991 at Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida, United States. The Buccaneers won the game 30 - 21. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Allsport/Getty Images) /
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San Diego running back LaDainian Tomlinson heads to the end zone as the San Diego Chargers defeated the Oakland Raiders by a score of 27 to 0 at McAfee Coliseum, Oakland, California, September 11, 2006. (Photo by Robert B. Stanton/NFLPhotoLibrary)
San Diego running back LaDainian Tomlinson heads to the end zone as the San Diego Chargers defeated the Oakland Raiders by a score of 27 to 0 at McAfee Coliseum, Oakland, California, September 11, 2006. (Photo by Robert B. Stanton/NFLPhotoLibrary) /

A list of 10 greatest NFL players can go so many directions. Often one of the most bittersweet involves those who never won a Super Bowl.

The painful reality of most sports is they’re team-oriented. So many times a player has shined brilliantly across several years, etching their place among the all-time greats. Yet they failed to hoist a championship trophy because they either couldn’t perform in crunch time or their teams simply weren’t good enough to get them there.

Not everybody can have the magical moments like a John Elway, Michael Strahan, or Jerome Bettis. Too many amazing careers have ended on a sour note, never tasting that glory. That’s what this list will cover. The best of the best who retired ringless. Before getting into the serious stuff, here are several names that just missed the final cut.

Honorable Mentions:

Julius Peppers – This freak pass rusher has dominated for 15 years and come painfully close several times. He reached a Super Bowl in Carolina and NFC championships in Chicago and Green Bay. He has 154.5 sacks in his career and still has time to fix this, but it’s running out.

Alan Page – He’s one of the great defensive tackles of any era. The centerpiece of the Purple People Eaters defense in Minnesota. Alan Page went to four Super Bowls in his career but lost all four despite often being the one making the big plays to get his team there. Just a dominant man.

Anthony Munoz – Before there was Joe Thomas, there was Anthony Munoz. He was the greatest left tackle not only of the 1980s but in NFL history until Thomas arrived. He anchored by Cincinnati Bengals Super Bowl teams and ultimately shared their fate in defeats against San Francisco.

Dan Fouts – The term “pass-first” offense really didn’t begin until Dan Fouts came around in the late ’70s and early ’80s. He revolutionized the passing game in the NFL, putting up numbers people hadn’t seen before. To think he only made two AFC championships is somewhat tragic.

LaDainian Tomlinson – The man did everything there was to do to win a title. He scored 145 touchdowns, compiled 18,845 career yards and won an MVP. Yet the best his teams could manage was a couple trips to the AFC championship. Tomlinson deserved better than that.

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