The latest edition of theScore's Eras project, which celebrates greatness in every major sport, ranks and discusses the best 25 NFL players of the past 25 seasons.
Stats and achievements compiled before the 25-year period - 1999-2023 - don't count for this exercise. For example, Ray Lewis was evaluated as an eight-time (not a 10-time) All-Pro.
Catch up with Monday's introductory essay and players 25-21 here.
Era teams: Carolina Panthers 2002-09, 2017-18; Chicago Bears 2010-13; Green Bay Packers 2014-16
Signature performance: Peppers earned his first All-Pro berth in 2004, and many of his performances that year stood out.
He recorded a 97-yard interception return in Week 5 and a 60-yard fumble-return touchdown in Week 15. His Week 12 stats - Peppers had a 46-yard pick-6, a sack, a pass breakup, and a blocked field goal against the Buccaneers - showed he could influence a game in so many ways.
Peppers finished the season with 65 tackles (nine for loss), 11 sacks, nine pass breakups, four forced fumbles, and two interceptions that generated 143 return yards.
Why he's here: From claiming the 2002 Defensive Rookie of the Year award despite only playing 12 games to being a member of two NFL All-Decade Teams, Peppers made a great impact for three franchises.
The athletic edge rusher spent 10 seasons in Carolina, but fans in Chicago and Green Bay also remember him well, as he led each team in sacks in at least one season. Few defenders in any era equaled his ability to take down quarterbacks. Peppers' 159.5 career sacks rank fourth in NFL history. He sacked 77 different QBs, tied for the most since sacks became official in 1982.
A college basketball player at North Carolina, Peppers used his explosiveness to wreak havoc every time he stepped onto the football field. The No. 2 overall draft pick in 2002 became the only NFLer to compile more than 100 sacks and 10 interceptions. He forced 52 fumbles, which ranks second all time, and blocked 12 field goals and a PAT.
The first Panthers draft pick to be voted into the Hall of Fame, Peppers was part of the Carolina team that lost narrowly to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVIII. It was the club's first championship appearance. - Caio Miari
Era teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1999-2008
Signature performance: Brooks' legendary 2002 season ended with the most special game of his career. Brooks put on a show against the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII, recording one tackle for loss, one pass breakup, and a 44-yard pick-6 off MVP Rich Gannon to extend a late lead and help the Buccaneers clinch their first Lombardi Trophy.
Including playoffs, Brooks finished the 2002 campaign with 135 tackles, 14 pass breakups, seven interceptions (four were pick-6s), 1.5 sacks, and a fumble-return touchdown. He was the runaway Defensive Player of the Year.
Why he's here: This outstanding talent fully translated his skills to the field and accomplished everything possible at his position in the NFL. Brooks was the greatest linebacker in pass coverage of his era, with excellent instincts and tackling ability.
The former Florida State star entered the league as a first-round pick in 1995, so his first four pro seasons didn't count in our exercise. Brooks' next 10 pro years were fantastic; he earned seven straight All-Pro nods and ranked in the top five for DPOY three times. He was a top-five MVP finisher in 2002.
Brooks never missed a game in his career as a longtime starter at weak-side linebacker. His availability made him a cornerstone of Tampa Bay's historic 2002 defense, which led the NFL in several categories en route to the Bucs' dominant 48-21 Super Bowl victory. Brooks is one of four members of that unit to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
With Brooks in his prime, Tampa Bay had a top-10 scoring defense nine times from 1999-2008. - Miari
Era teams: Cleveland Browns 2007-17
Signature performance: Setting expectations he'd meet for a decade, Thomas played every snap and allowed zero sacks in his rookie season. The No. 3 overall draft pick was the only player to siphon support from Adrian Peterson, one of the NFL's leading rushers, in the 2007 Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Cleveland's offensive linemen gave up six sacks to the Steelers in Thomas' NFL debut. They kept quarterback Derek Anderson clean the rest of the way, surrendering 13 more takedowns all season, and helped drag a porous defense to the brink of the playoffs. Tiebreakers deprived the 10-6 Browns of a division title and the final AFC wild-card berth.
Why he's here: Thomas was his generation's most dependable player. He allowed 30 career sacks over 167 straight appearances - a stupendous ratio - as a left tackle whose wretched team boasted precious few other strengths.
From Thomas' second through 11th NFL seasons, Cleveland averaged 3.8 wins per year with a total point differential of minus-1,118. Never to blame, he protected the blind side for a conveyor belt of 20 quarterbacks to start a game. Instability and a lack of talent afflicted those Browns, the AFC North's resident punching bag, but Thomas was a consistent, comforting presence.
Thomas mastered a pro's basic responsibilities, showing up daily to do his job to its fullest potential. The number 10,363 - his ironman record for consecutive snaps - is enshrined in the Ring of Honor at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Peers regarded him as a friendly warrior and powerful, savvy blocker whose positioning tended to be perfect.
Factors beyond his control, like Cleveland's inability to sniff the postseason, didn't diminish Thomas' impact. He led the team in approximate value in seven of 11 years. He's the only Brown to earn admission to the Hall of Fame since the franchise's 1999 reactivation. A triceps tear in Week 7 of a cursed, winless 2017 season was the only thing that stopped him from playing to the whistle. - Nick Faris
Era teams: New England Patriots 2010-18, Buccaneers 2020-21
Signature performance: Gronkowski's dominance in the 2011 season helped Tom Brady become the third passer (after Dan Marino and Drew Brees) to exceed 5,000 yards. The second-year tight end emerged as an unstoppable scoring threat, setting a positional record with 17 receiving touchdowns in the Patriots' high-flying attack.
Gronkowski's 90 catches for 1,327 yards were both lasting career highs. Held out of the end zone in October, he proceeded to house 11 TDs in a six-game span - another record for tight ends - to surge into the league lead. Linebackers were too slow to cover him, and helpless cornerbacks and safeties couldn't drag him to the ground.
Why he's here: This offensive cheat code and inimitable personality was the smiling face of the NFL's evil empire. Fans who liked, tolerated, or loathed Brady and Bill Belichick all wanted to crush beers with Gronkowski.
Gronk had more fun than other players - and why not? He was the top receiving target for New England's second dynasty, which won three championships, and he scored twice in Super Bowl LV for the victorious Buccaneers. His forceful spikes punctuated many touchdown connections with Brady, who fed him 90 TD passes in the regular season and another 15 in the playoffs.
Blessed with fleet feet, sticky hands, and the strength to truck grown men, Gronkowski put his 6-foot-6 frame on the line. He enjoyed few fully healthy seasons but twice earned Comeback Player of the Year votes (and won the award in 2014) by returning from serious knee and back injuries to clear 1,000 yards.
For his career, Gronkowski ranks third among tight ends in receiving touchdowns (92) and sixth in yardage (9,286) despite appearing in the 86th-most games (143). When he was able to play, the good times rolled. - Faris
Era teams: Kansas City Chiefs 2013-present
Signature performance: The Chargers' defense had no answer for the Chiefs superstar in Week 15 of the 2021 season. Kelce caught 10 of his 13 targets for a career-high 191 yards and two touchdowns.
A player who's built a reputation for playing his best football under the brightest lights, Kelce's first TD catch came with just over a minute remaining and sent the game to overtime. He put the finishing touch on his career day by catching a 34-yard walk-off score to stun the Chargers in front of their home fans.
Since the Chiefs were 9-4 and the Chargers were 8-5 entering the December matchup, Kelce's heroics couldn't have come at a better time.
Why he's here: Players like Gronkowski opened the door for tight ends to be elite receiving options in today's pass-first environment. No one at the position capitalized on that like Kelce.
Kelce's rare athleticism for his size makes him an obvious mismatch before and after the catch. Pairing him with a QB like Patrick Mahomes who can exploit Kelce's ability to the maximum adds insult to injury for opposing defenses.
Kelce owns many NFL records for tight ends, including seven 1,000-yard seasons (2016-22), the most receiving yards in a season (1,416 in 2020), and 37 100-yard games. His collection of Super Bowl rings and track record of playoff excellence enhance his legacy. No NFL player has caught as many passes in the postseason (165) as the Chiefs tight end. His 1,903 playoff receiving yards trail only the legendary Jerry Rice.
When football historians write about the current era - one heavily defined by the Chiefs' dynasty - it'll be impossible to omit Kelce, one of the greatest pass-catchers of all time. - Daniel Valente
Follow the rollout all week long. Wednesday: Nos. 11-15.
Nick Faris, Caio Miari, and Daniel Valente cover the NFL at theScore.
