List of Famous American Football Players

Sebastian Paweł Janikowski is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at Florida State University and was selected by the Oakland Raiders 17th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft, where he spent all but one season of his professional career. During his final season in the NFL, he played for the Seattle Seahawks.

Patrick Sean Payton is an American football coach and former player who is the head coach of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). Payton was a quarterback at Naperville Central High School and Eastern Illinois University and played professionally in 1987 and 1988. He began his coaching career as offensive assistant for San Diego State University and had several assistant coaching positions on college and NFL teams before being named as the tenth full-time coach in Saints history in 2006. Payton has always been known for his offensive prowess, having scored more points (2,804) and gained more yards (40,158) than any other team in a coach's first 100 games in NFL history. Payton has the second-longest NFL tenure among active head coaches, behind New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who has coached the Patriots since the 2000 season.

Matthew Wilson Slater is an American football special teamer for the New England Patriots. He played college football at UCLA, and was drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. A three-time Super Bowl champion, Slater has made nine Pro Bowls as a special teamer gunner and is widely recognized to be one of the NFL's premier players at that position.

Aaron LaRae Jones is an American football running back for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UTEP and was drafted by the Packers in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Mark Travis John Sanchez is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football at the University of Southern California (USC), and was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. A backup quarterback during his first three years at USC, Sanchez rose to prominence in 2007 due to injuries suffered by starting quarterback John David Booty; he also became popular within the community due to his Mexican-American heritage. He was named the starter in 2008, and led USC to a 12–1 record and won the Rose Bowl against Penn State. Although USC coach Pete Carroll and many scouts considered him too inexperienced, Sanchez entered the 2009 NFL Draft and was selected by the Jets in the first round.

Daniel Constantine Marino Jr. is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. After a successful college career at Pittsburgh and being named First-team All-American in 1981, Marino was the last quarterback taken in the first round of the quarterback class of 1983. Marino held or currently holds dozens of NFL records associated with the quarterback position, and despite never being on a Super Bowl-winning team, he is recognized among the greatest quarterbacks in American football history.

Spencer Paysinger is a former American football linebacker. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2011.

Maurice Edward Clarett is a former American football running back who played for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team. He also played professionally for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. During his freshman year at Ohio State University in 2002, he helped lead the Buckeyes to a national championship. In a widely unexpected move, Clarett was drafted on the first day of the 2005 NFL Draft with the final pick of the 3rd round by the Denver Broncos. He is well known for unsuccessfully challenging the NFL's draft eligibility rules requiring a player to be three years removed from high school and for his tumultuous life outside of football, including his dismissal from Ohio State, several arrests, and imprisonment. Since his release, Clarett has become a celebrated public speaker across the country by speaking candidly about his previous struggles and successful recovery. Additionally, Clarett founded a successful behavioral health agency in both Youngstown and Columbus. He also co-hosts Business and Biceps, a top-rated business podcast.

Samuel Jacob Bradford is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, most notably with the St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings. He was also a member of the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals. Bradford attended Putnam City North High School in Oklahoma City, where he starred in football, basketball and golf. As a senior quarterback in 2005, he threw for 2,029 yards and 17 touchdowns in 12 games. Bradford was not highly recruited coming out of high school, but he did receive a scholarship offer from the University of Oklahoma, which he accepted. After a redshirt season in 2006, Bradford threw for 3,121 yards and 36 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman. In 2008, Bradford became only the second sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy as he led the highest-scoring offense in NCAA history, passing for 4,720 yards with 50 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. He again led the nation in passing and also added five rushing touchdowns as the Sooners went 12-1 and advanced to the BCS national title game.

Cedrick Wilson Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boise State University.