The Green Bay Packers organization was the first NFL franchise to truly be called a dynasty. The Packers were the franchise to beat in the 1960s behind legendary head coach Vince Lombardi, whom the Super Bowl trophy is named after.
Given their success over the years, it’s no wonder the Packers have produced some of the greatest NFL players of all time. Coming up with a list of the ten best wasn’t easy. There will be several greats that deserve to be mentioned but who just missed the cut.
This list will include Hall of Famers, Super Bowl champions, and future Hall of Famers. Here is our list of the 10 greatest Green Bay Packers of all time.
10. Davante Adams, wide receiver
Davante Adams being on this list may be a shocker to some, however, he is very deserving. Adams, along with Aaron Rodgers, made the Packers offense one of the best in the NFL. This duo got the team to four NFC Championship Games. With the exception of one year, he improved his stats every year as a pro. He led the league in receiving touchdowns in 2020 and set career-best numbers in 2021, his final season with the team. In his eight seasons in Green Bay, he was named First-team All-Pro twice and made five Pro Bowls. While he plays for the Las Vegas Raiders now, he’ll always be remembered as a Packers great.
9. Charles Woodson, defensive back
The Heisman Trophy winner may be the best cornerback in Packers history and, arguably, the catalyst that led to their victory in Super Bowl XLV. While Woodson was injured in that game, the Packers rallied to win the game. Though he would start and end his NFL career with the Raiders, Woodson racked up a lot of accolades with Green Bay. While there he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2009), First-team All-Pro twice, Second-team All-Pro twice, and went to four Pro Bowls. He is now a member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
8. Paul Hornung, running back & kicker
Paul Hornung may be known more these days for his activities off the field than on it, but he was a great Packers player back in his day. He was an all-around great player and the only thing he didn’t do was play defense, though he probably could have done that as well. A star running back on Vince Lombardi’s 1960s Packers teams, he rushed for nearly 4,000 yards and 50 touchdowns in his NFL career. A three-time NFL scoring leader, Hornung was a two-time Pro Bowler, two-time First-team All-Pro, NFL MVP (1961), four-time NFL champion, and was a member of the Super Bowl I winning team, though he didn’t play in the game.
7. Forrest Gregg, offensive lineman
Forrest Gregg is probably the greatest offensive lineman in Packers history. He was the anchor of those Lombardi teams that won five championships, including the first two Super Bowls. His durability and toughness in the trenches definitely deserve recognition, and if you ask any Packers fan who they think the best offensive lineman ever was, it would be Gregg. The “ironman” offensive lineman played in a then-league record of 188 straight games between 1956 and 1971. Named First-team All-Pro a whopping seven times, he also went to nine Pro Bowls over the course of his NFL career. He was named to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, and Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
6. Reggie White, linebacker
While the “Minister of Defense” began his NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles, he essentially created the modern free agency market when he left to sign with the Green Bay Packers in 1993. White was the leader of those great Packer sdefenses in the 1990s that went to two Super Bowls, winning one. His best year with the Packers was his last in 1998 when he had 16 sacks. He was also named NFL Defensive Player of the Year that year. The 13-time Pro Bowler and 8-time First-team All-Pro was named to both the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team and the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team and is considered one of the 100 best players in NFL history.
5. Willie Davis, defensive end
Willie Davis isn’t discussed more as a Packers great because those Green Bay teams in the 1960s were known more for their offensive power than their defense. Still, Davis was a menace for the Packers. In his nine-year career with the team, he was a two-time Super Bowl champion, five-time NFL Pro Bowler, was named to the NFL’s 1960s All-Decade team, and for good measure, he garnered 22 fumble recoveries. Davis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981.
4. Don Hutson, wide receiver & safety
Don Hutson is not just a Packers great but also one of the greatest players in NFL history. The Alabama product who played under Bear Bryant came to Green Bay in 1935 and spent the next 11 seasons essentially defining the wide receiver role in the NFL. He led the league in receiving yards seven times and receiving touchdowns nine times. He also played safety on defense, leading the NFL in interceptions one year. The first receiver to have over 1,000 yards in a season, Hutson led the Packers the four NFL championships while also garnering eight All-Pro selections and two NFL MVP trophies. Hutson is one of the first members of the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame. A true all-around great.
3. Brett Favre, quarterback
Seeing Favre at No. 3 is probably going to upset some people, so let us explain. Obviously, he was a great quarterback. He’s a Super Bowl champion, three-time NFL MVP, and Pro Football Hall of Famer. However, we just feel as though the two other quarterbacks on this list were a little bit better. Favre is definitely one of the most exciting quarterbacks in NFL history. He could beat you with his arm and his legs, and he earned the moniker of “The Gunslinger” which was bestowed upon him by John Madden. Despite playing with the Packers’ hated rivals the Minnesota Vikings (after he said he was retiring) and later the New York Jets, plenty of Green Bay fans can easily argue that Favre is the greatest Packer of all time and we won’t fight back too hard.
2. Aaron Rodgers, quarterback
This four-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl champion, and future Hall of Famer is our No. 2 pick. When Favre left the Packers, no one knew how the franchise would look with Aaron Rodgers, but he quickly established himself as one of the greats. Just like Favre, Rodgers was fun to watch and the Packers were never out of a game when he played. He orchestrated several memorable come-from-behind victories, many on the last play of the game with a Hail Mary. Rodgers led the NFL six times in touchdown-to-interception ratio, four times in touchdown passing percentage, and three times in total touchdowns. The four-time First-team All-Pro and 1o-time Pro Bowler moved on to the New York Jets, but he’ll always be remembered for what he accomplished in Green Bay.
1. Bart Starr, quarterback
If you know your NFL history, you understand why Bart Starr is No. 1 on this list. Starr was a little-known quarterback out of the University of Alabama who was drafted by the Packers in the 17th round of the 1956 NFL Draft. He didn’t even start for the Pack until 1961 when he threw for over 2,400 yards and 16 touchdowns while leading them to an 11-3 record. In his 16-year career with the Packers, he led them to five NFL championships, including two Super Bowl wins (and he was named Super Bowl MVP both times).
In his career, he threw for over 24,000 yards and 152 touchdowns with 15 more rushing scores. Named to the NFL 1960s All-decade team, he’s also a member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, and his No. 15 is retired. But most importantly, when you hear Starr’s name, you think of the Packers Dynasty that he and Vince Lombardi created.
