The Top NFL Players Who Wore Number 1

The number 1 jersey has been a special digit reserved for the top players since the NFL began playing. Often, the best player on the team was awarded jersey number 1, and that tradition has been rekindled in recent NFL seasons after some rule revisions to the number restrictions were made.

Who are the best NFL players to wear jersey number 1? Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon is widely considered the greatest, alongside early pioneers like Jimmy Conzelman and modern superstars like Ja’Marr Chase.

Our mission in this post is to identify the best players in NFL history who wore the number 1, often known as the NFL Jersey 1. Here is our top 45. Incredibly, the list is truly dynamic, as current players can significantly impact these rankings.

The Best NFL Players of the Number 1 Jersey

Warren Moon

Warren Moon played college football for the University of Washington after transferring from West Los Angeles College, setting the stage for a legendary professional career. Over his 23 professional seasons, he quarterbacked the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos (1978–1983) before moving to the NFL to play for the Houston Oilers (1984–1993), Minnesota Vikings (1994–1996), Seattle Seahawks (1997–1998), and Kansas City Chiefs (1999–2000). Among his numerous career milestones, Moon won five consecutive Grey Cups, was named the 1990 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, earned nine Pro Bowl selections, and became the first African-American quarterback inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Warren Moon: The Trailblazing Quarterback Who Conquered the CFL and NFL

Benny Friedman

Benny Friedman emerged from the University of Michigan as a transformative figure in early pro football, utilizing his exceptional arm to force the evolution of passing rules. As a professional, the pioneer quarterback spent time with defunct franchises like the Cleveland Bulldogs (1927) and Detroit Wolverines (1928), before finishing his career with the New York Giants (1929–1931) and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1932–1934). Among his many milestones, Friedman earned four All-Pro selections, uniquely led the NFL in both passing and rushing touchdowns in 1928, and was posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005. [Source]

Benny Friedman: The Quarterback Who Taught the NFL to Fly

Jimmy Conzelman

After playing college football at Washington University in St. Louis, Jimmy Conzelman embarked on a versatile NFL career as a quarterback, halfback, and player-coach. During his 10 playing seasons, he suited up for the Decatur Staleys (1920), Rock Island Independents (1921–1922), Milwaukee Badgers (1922–1924), Detroit Panthers (1925–1926), and Providence Steam Roller (1927–1929). A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team, Conzelman achieved legendary milestones by winning the 1928 NFL Championship as a player-coach for Providence and later securing the 1947 title as the head coach of the Chicago Cardinals.

Ja’Marr Chase

What can you say about Ja’Marr Chase and his immediate impact as a rookie in the NFL? In his first NFL season after being selected fifth overall by the Cincinnati Bengals, this jersey number 1 scored 13 touchdowns. The Bengals were wise to select Chase and team him up with his former LSU QB Joe Burrow. Ja’Marr’s career numbers are still being written, but we include him on this list after his first five years in the League.

The Pro Football Reference shows Chase posting 54 TDs and 6837 yards in 78 games. We might add that Burrow had plenty of time on the IR during these years too, and Chase caught passes from multiple signal-callers. Pretty impressive, and his arrow continues to point up.

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Gary Anderson

As a teenager I can remember the Pittsburgh Steelers in the early 1980s flipping their roster over to new names from the Super 70’s Steelers I had cheered for basically my entire football life to that point. Kicker was a positionI had a love-hate relationship with. I had watched Roy Gerela and later Matt Bahr up to that point and then they inked a leg named Gary Anderson. What a treat we had watching this guy work in the NFL.

After playing collegiately at Syracuse University, placekicker Gary Anderson embarked on a prolific 23-year NFL career, suiting up for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1982–1994), Philadelphia Eagles (1995–1996), San Francisco 49ers (1997), Minnesota Vikings (1998–2002), and Tennessee Titans (2003–2004). A four-time Pro Bowl selection and member of both the NFL 1980s and 1990s All-Decade Teams, Anderson’s crowning milestone occurred in 1998 when he became the first kicker in NFL history to convert every field goal and extra point attempt during a single regular season. He ultimately retired with 2,434 career points, securing his enduring legacy as one of the all-time leading scorers in professional football history.

Ray Flaherty

I learned quite a bit about legendary New York Giants players in 2024 when we had so many posts, podcasts and video interviews on the Giants in their 100th anniversay year. Ray Flaherty was one name that I soon learned quite a bit about.

Ray Flaherty played college football for Gonzaga before embarking on a professional playing career as an end with the Los Angeles Wildcats (1926), New York Yankees (1927–1928), and New York Giants (1929, 1931–1935). Among his numerous career milestones, he earned multiple First-Team All-Pro honors, led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns in 1932, and helped guide the Giants to the 1934 NFL Championship. Flaherty’s legacy as a player was cemented when the Giants retired his No. 1 jersey in 1935—the first retired number in professional football history—which preceded his eventual induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Garo Yepremian

Another kicker who wore the number 1 jersey had some great moments as a player and Yepremian was one of the most potent kickers of his era. He is also part of Super Bowl VII history as he found himself in one of the most uncmfortable positions for a K, a live action play where the ball was in his hands! Check out the memory here.

Garo Yepremian was a legendary NFL placekicker who played for the Detroit Lions (1966-1967), Miami Dolphins (1970-1978), New Orleans Saints (1979), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1980-1981). Notably, because he emigrated from Cyprus with a background in soccer, he did not play college football before signing his first professional contract. Throughout his 15-season career, he achieved significant milestones, including winning two Super Bowls with the Dolphins, earning two First-Team All-Pro selections, and being named to the NFL’s 1970s All-Decade Team.

Michael Vick

Few NFL players had a more ploarizing career than Michael Vick. He started off in Atlanta as the talk of the town at QB. Everyone was looking for the next Vick, a QB who could not only throw a ball like it came out of a cannon but run the ball like had the wings of Mercury on his shoes. A few bad choices and some legal trouble had his career take an abrupt turn.

After a standout collegiate career at Virginia Tech, Michael Vick was selected first overall in the 2001 NFL Draft and began his groundbreaking professional career with the Atlanta Falcons (2001–2006). He later returned to the league to play for the Philadelphia Eagles (2009–2013), the New York Jets (2014), and the Pittsburgh Steelers (2015). Over his 13-season NFL career, Vick achieved numerous historic milestones, including four Pro Bowl selections, the 2010 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, and becoming the first quarterback in league history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season.

The following are in no particular order, but are noting many significant players who wore the number 1 jersey in the NFL.

Matt Turk

Punter – Washington Redskins (1995–1999), Miami Dolphins (2000–2001), New York Jets (2002), Miami Dolphins (2003–2004), St. Louis Rams (2006), Houston Texans (2007–2011), Jacksonville Jaguars (2011) – 3 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro

Rafael Septien

Kicker – Los Angeles Rams (1977), Dallas Cowboys (1978–1986) – 1 Pro Bowl, 1 All-Pro

Sauce Gardner

Cornerback – New York Jets (2022–2025), Indianapolis Colts (2025–present) – 2 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pros

Jeff George

Quarterback – Indianapolis Colts (1990–1993), Atlanta Falcons (1994–1996), Oakland Raiders (1997–1998), Minnesota Vikings (1999), Washington Redskins (2000–2001), Seattle Seahawks (2002), Chicago Bears (2004) – 0 Pro Bowls, 0 All-Pros

Mat McBriar

Punter – Dallas Cowboys (2004–2011), Philadelphia Eagles (2012), Pittsburgh Steelers (2013), San Diego Chargers (2014) – 2 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pros

Stefon Diggs

Wide Receiver – Minnesota Vikings (2015–2019), Buffalo Bills (2020–2023), Houston Texans (2024), New England Patriots (2025), Washington Commanders (2026–present) – 4 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pros

Randall Cunningham

Quarterback – Philadelphia Eagles (1985–1995), Minnesota Vikings (1997–1999), Dallas Cowboys (2000), Baltimore Ravens (2001) – 4 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pros

Kyler Murray

Quarterback – Arizona Cardinals (2019–2025), Minnesota Vikings (2026–present) – 2 Pro Bowls

Reggie Roby

Punter – Miami Dolphins (1983–1992), Washington Redskins (1993–1994), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1995), Houston/Tennessee Oilers (1996–1997), San Francisco 49ers (1999) – 3 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pros

Micah Parsons

Linebacker – Dallas Cowboys (2021–2024), Green Bay Packers (2025–present) – 5 Pro Bowls, 4 All-Pros

Mike Nugent

Kicker – New York Jets (2005–2008), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2009), Arizona Cardinals (2009), Cincinnati Bengals (2010–2016), Dallas Cowboys (2017), Chicago Bears (2017), Oakland Raiders (2018), New England Patriots (2019), Arizona Cardinals (2020) – 0 Pro Bowls, 0 All-Pros

Tony Franklin

Kicker – Philadelphia Eagles (1979–1983), New England Patriots (1984–1987), Miami Dolphins (1988) – 1 Pro Bowl, 1 All-Pro

Efren Herrera

Dallas Cowboys (1974, 1976–1977), Seattle Seahawks (1978–1981), Buffalo Bills (1982) – 1 Pro Bowl, 1 All-Pro

Brett Kern

Punter – Denver Broncos (2008–2009), Tennessee Titans (2009–2021), Philadelphia Eagles (2022) – 3 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pros

Pat McAfee

Punter – Indianapolis Colts (2009–2016) – 2 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro

Mike Hollis

Kicker – Jacksonville Jaguars (1995–2001), Buffalo Bills (2002), New York Giants (2003) – 1 Pro Bowl, 0 All-Pros

John Carney

Kicker – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1988–1989), San Diego Chargers (1990–2000), New Orleans Saints (2001–2006), Jacksonville Jaguars (2007), Kansas City Chiefs (2007), New York Giants (2008), New Orleans Saints (2009–2010) – 2 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro

Neil Rackers

Kicker – Cincinnati Bengals (2000–2002), Arizona Cardinals (2003–2009), Houston Texans (2010–2011) – 1 Pro Bowl, 1 All-Pro

Benny Ricardo

Kicker – Buffalo Bills (1976), Detroit Lions (1977–1979), New Orleans Saints (1980–1981), Minnesota Vikings (1983), San Diego Chargers (1984) – 0 Pro Bowls, 0 All-Pros

Mike Lansford

Kicker – Los Angeles Rams (1982–1990) – 0 Pro Bowls, 0 All-Pros

Cody Parkey

Kicker – Philadelphia Eagles (2014–2015), Cleveland Browns (2016), Miami Dolphins (2017), Chicago Bears (2018), Tennessee Titans (2019), Cleveland Browns (2020), New Orleans Saints (2021) – 1 Pro Bowl, 0 All-Pros

Jeff Jaeger

Kicker – Cleveland Browns (1987), Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders (1989–1995), Chicago Bears (1996–1999) – 1 Pro Bowl, 1 All-Pro

Ernie Caddel

Wingback / Running Back – Portsmouth Spartans (1933), Detroit Lions (1934–1938) – 0 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pros

Jake Lanum

Running Back – Decatur Staleys / Chicago Staleys / Chicago Bears (1919–1924) – 0 Pro Bowls, 0 All-Pros

Mike Adamle

Running Back – Kansas City Chiefs (1971–1972), New York Jets (1973–1974), Chicago Bears (1975–1977) – 0 Pro Bowls, 0 All-Pros

Bob Grupp

Punter – Kansas City Chiefs (1979–1981) – 1 Pro Bowl, 1 All-Pro

Lawrence Tynes

Kansas City Chiefs (2004–2006), New York Giants (2007–2012) – 0 Pro Bowls, 0 All-Pros

Conclusion

From legendary Hall of Famer Warren Moon, whose prolific passing defined a generation, to the electrifying, MVP-winning peak of Cam Newton, the NFL Jersey #1 represents more than just a digit—it signifies being number one on the field. The current era sees stars like Jalen Hurts and Ja’Marr Chase continuing to elevate the legacy of this jersey. Whether worn by a pioneer, a prolific passer, or a modern dual-threat star, the number will always be synonymous with players who set the standard for their position in the NFL, particularly those who have donned the iconic jersey 1.

Big Thanks to the above-noted sources and to Pro-Football-Reference.com and Newspapers.com to help fill in the blanks. Our goal is to keep making this page better, so if you feel we are missing someone you feel should be added, please let us know at Pi*************@***il.com.

If you enjoyed the best players in this jersey, you need to check out the top NFL players in the jersey 0 and 00 segment we have.