Greatest Players in History Who Wore the NFL Jersey 15

Unveiling the Legacy: The Greatest NFL Players to Wear Jersey Number 15

Few jersey numbers in NFL history carry the weight of both foundational legends and modern-day titans quite like Number 15. This iconic digit has adorned the backs of franchise-defining quarterbacks, game-breaking wide receivers, and even a Pro Football Hall of Fame running back! From the Golden Age of football to the dazzling highlight reels of today, the players who chose No. 15 were often central figures in championship stories.

Who truly owns the distinction as the best player to wear the NFL Number 15? Is it a five-time champion quarterback who started an NFL dynasty, a dominant wideout nicknamed after a robot, or the generational talent shattering records right now? Join us as we explore the career achievements and lasting impact of the top NFL players to wear 15, settling the debate once and for all!

Top NFL Jersey 15s

Bart Starr

A legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback who led the team to five NFL Championships, including victories in the first two Super Bowls, earning MVP honors in both.

Position played: Quarterback

NFL team(s) and years: Green Bay Packers (1956–1971)

All-Pro selections: 4 (1x First-team All-Pro: 1966; 3x Second-team All-Pro: 1961, 1962, 1964)

Pro Bowl selections: 4 (1960, 1961, 1962, 1966)

Seasons wearing #15 jersey: 1956–1971 (all 16 NFL seasons; retired by the Packers)

Patrick Mahomes

A prolific modern quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs who has already won multiple Super Bowl championships and MVP awards early in his career.

Position played: Quarterback

NFL team(s) and years: Kansas City Chiefs (2017–present)

All-Pro selections: 3 (2x First-team All-Pro: 2018, 2022; 1x Second-team All-Pro: 2020)

Pro Bowl selections: 6 (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)

Seasons wearing #15 jersey: 2017–present (entire NFL career)

Steve Van Buren

A powerful Hall of Fame running back for the Philadelphia Eagles who led the NFL in rushing four times and was the key offensive force for the Eagles’ 1948 and 1949 NFL Championship teams.

Steve Van Buren

• Position: Halfback
• NFL Team(s) and Years: Philadelphia Eagles (1944–1951)
• All-Pro / Pro Bowl Selections: 5-time First-team All-Pro (1944, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949), 2-time Second-team All-Pro (1946, 1950), 0 Pro Bowl selections
• Seasons Wearing No. 15: 1944–1951 (entire career; jersey number retired by Philadelphia)

Brandon Marshall

A highly productive, six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver known for his ability to gain yards after the catch and for setting the NFL record for most seasons with 100+ receptions.

Position: Wide Receiver

Teams & Years: Denver Broncos (2006–2009), Miami Dolphins (2010–2011), Chicago Bears (2012–2014), New York Jets (2015–2016), New York Giants (2017), Seattle Seahawks (2018)

All-Pro & Pro Bowl Honors: 2-time All-Pro (1st Team in 2012; 2nd Team in 2015) and 6-time Pro Bowler (2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015)

Seasons Wearing Jersey #15: 2006–2009 (Broncos), 2012–2014 (Bears), 2015–2016 (Jets), 2017 (Giants), and 2018 (Seahawks) — (wore #19 with the Dolphins in 2010–2011)

Johnny “Blood” McNally

A colorful and versatile Hall of Fame halfback who played for five teams, most notably the Green Bay Packers, where he won four NFL Championships in the early days of the league.

Johnny Blood McNally

Position: Halfback / Tailback / Defensive Back

NFL Team(s) and Years:

• Milwaukee Badgers (1925–1926)
• Duluth Eskimos (1926–1927)
• Pottsville Maroons (1928)
• Green Bay Packers (1929–1933, 1935–1936)
• Pittsburgh Pirates (1934, 1937–1938)

All-Pro / Pro Bowl Selections: 1-time First-team All-Pro (1931), 1-time Second-team All-Pro (1929), 0 Pro Bowl selections (predates modern Pro Bowl)

Seasons Wearing No. 15: 1937–1938 (Pittsburgh Pirates)

Jack Kemp

A key quarterback for the Buffalo Bills who led them to two AFL Championships before embarking on a prominent political career as a congressman and cabinet secretary.

Position: Quarterback

Teams & Years: Pittsburgh Steelers (1957), Los Angeles Chargers (1960), San Diego Chargers (1961–1962), Buffalo Bills (1962–1969)

All-Pro & AFL All-Star/Pro Bowl Honors: 2-time First-Team All-AFL/All-Pro (1960, 1965) and 7-time AFL All-Star (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1969)

Seasons Wearing Jersey #15: 1960 (LA Chargers), 1961–1962 (San Diego Chargers), and 1962–1969 (Bills) — (wore #18 with the Steelers in 1957)

Celebrate Football History With Your Collection

"Heads up: A few links in this description are affiliate links. That means if you click through and grab something, I might get a small cut that helps keep the lights on here—at zero additional cost to you!"

Lawrence Taylor Signed FootballSigned Football NFL LegendsWorlds Greatest Pro GridOur Award-Winning bookSmith-Njigba Signed Seattle Seahawks JerseyAutographed Game Jerseys

Jeff Hostetler

A versatile quarterback who won a Super Bowl ring with the New York Giants and later earned a Pro Bowl nod as a starter for the Los Angeles Raiders.

Quarterback – New York Giants (1984–1992), Los Angeles / Oakland Raiders (1993–1996), Washington Redskins (1997) – 0× First-team All-Pro, 1× Pro Bowl selection (1994) – Wore No. 15 for all 13 active NFL seasons (1985–1997).

Earl Morrall

One of the greatest backup quarterbacks in history, he won the NFL MVP in 1968 and stepped in to lead the Miami Dolphins’ 1972 undefeated season.

Earl Morrall

Quarterback / Punter – San Francisco 49ers (1956), Pittsburgh Steelers (1957–1958), Detroit Lions (1958–1964), New York Giants (1965–1967), Baltimore Colts (1968–1971), Miami Dolphins (1972–1976) – 2× First-team All-Pro (1968, 1972), 2× Pro Bowl selection (1957, 1968) – Wore No. 15 in 9 seasons: Baltimore Colts (1968–1971) and Miami Dolphins (1972–1976).

Craig Morton

A Super Bowl-winning quarterback for the Cowboys who later became the first quarterback to start a Super Bowl for two different franchises (Dallas and Denver).

Position: Quarterback

Teams & Years: Dallas Cowboys (1965–1974), New York Giants (1974–1976), Denver Broncos (1977–1982)

All-Pro / Pro Bowl Honors: 0 All-Pro selections, 0 Pro Bowl selections

Seasons Wearing Jersey #15: 1974, 1975, 1976 (New York Giants)

Golden Tate

A highly productive, Pro Bowl wide receiver known for his toughness and yards-after-catch ability for the Seahawks, Lions, and Giants.

Position: Wide Receiver

Teams & Years: Seattle Seahawks (2010–2013), Detroit Lions (2014–2018), Philadelphia Eagles (2018), New York Giants (2019–2020)

All-Pro / Pro Bowl Honors: 1-time Pro Bowl selection (2014), 0 All-Pro selections

Seasons Wearing Jersey #15: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 (Detroit Lions); 2019, 2020 (New York Giants)

Babe Parilli

A three-time AFL All-Star quarterback who had his most notable success with the Boston Patriots before winning Super Bowl III as a backup for the New York Jets.

Babe Parilli

• Position played: Quarterback
• NFL/AFL team(s) and years: Green Bay Packers (1952–1953, 1957–1958), Cleveland Browns (1956), Oakland Raiders (1960), Boston Patriots (1961–1967), New York Jets (1968–1969)
• All-Pro / Pro Bowl selections: 3× Pro Bowl / AFL All-Star (1963, 1964, 1966); 1× First-Team All-Pro / All-AFL (1964)
• Seasons wearing No. 15 jersey: 1952 (Packers), 1961–1967 (Patriots), and 1968–1969 (Jets)

Neil Lomax

A two-time Pro Bowl quarterback for the St. Louis Cardinals whose promising career was unfortunately cut short due to hip injuries.

Position played: Quarterback

NFL team(s) and years: St. Louis Cardinals (1981–1987), Phoenix Cardinals (1988–1989)

All-Pro / Pro Bowl selections: 2× Pro Bowl (1984, 1987); 0× First-Team All-Pro

Seasons wearing No. 15 jersey: 1981–1988 (entire active NFL playing career)

Michael Crabtree

A physical and reliable wide receiver who was a first-round pick by the 49ers and later had productive years with the Raiders, famous for his fierce rivalry with Richard Sherman.

Position: Wide Receiver

NFL Teams & Years: San Francisco 49ers (2009–2014), Oakland Raiders (2015–2017), Baltimore Ravens (2018), Arizona Cardinals (2019)

All-Pro / Pro Bowl Selections: 0 (Never selected to an All-Pro team or Pro Bowl)

Seasons Wearing No. 15: 2009–2019 (Wore No. 15 for his entire 11-season NFL career)

Mike Phipps

The third overall pick in the 1970 NFL Draft, he was a quarterback for the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears, though his NFL career never quite matched his college promise.

Position: Quarterback

NFL Teams & Years: Cleveland Browns (1970–1976), Chicago Bears (1977–1981)

All-Pro / Pro Bowl Selections: 0 (Never selected to an All-Pro team or Pro Bowl)

Seasons Wearing No. 15: 1970–1981 (Wore No. 15 for his entire 12-season NFL career)

Tom Flores

A trailblazing quarterback for the Raiders who is best known for becoming a Hall of Fame coach who led the organization to two Super Bowl victories.

Position: Quarterback

Teams & Years: Oakland Raiders (1960–1966) – Buffalo Bills (1967–1969) – Kansas City Chiefs (1969)

All-Pro / Pro Bowl Selections: 1-time AFL All-Star / Pro Bowl selection (1966) – 0 All-Pro selections

Seasons Wearing No. 15: 1960–1966 (Oakland Raiders)

Ed Brown

A Pro Bowl quarterback who played for the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1950s and 60s, also serving as a frequent punter for his teams.

Position: Quarterback / Punter

Teams & Years: Chicago Bears (1954–1961) – Pittsburgh Steelers (1962–1965) – Baltimore Colts (1965)

All-Pro / Pro Bowl Selections: 2-time Pro Bowl selection (1955, 1956) – 0 All-Pro selections

Seasons Wearing No. 15: 1954–1965 (1954–1961 with the Chicago Bears; 1962–1965 with the Pittsburgh Steelers)

Jim Turner

A two-time Pro Bowl placekicker who was the leading scorer for the Super Bowl III champion New York Jets and later spent nine seasons with the Denver Broncos.

Position: Placekicker (K)

NFL/AFL Teams & Years: New York Jets (1964–1970), Denver Broncos (1971–1979)

All-Pro / Pro Bowl Honors: 2-time Pro Bowl / AFL All-Star (1968, 1969); 2-time First-Team All-Pro (1968, 1969)

Seasons Wearing Jersey #15: 1971–1979 (wore #15 with the Denver Broncos after wearing #11 with the New York Jets)

Rudy Comstock

A dominant, enduring offensive and defensive lineman of early professional football, securing four NFL championships across three separate franchises during an 11-year career.

He wore the jersey number 15 for the Canton/Cleveland Bulldogs (1923-25) and the Frankford Yellow Jackets (1926-29).

Position: Guard / Tackle (G / T)

NFL Teams & Years: Canton Bulldogs (1923, 1925), Cleveland Bulldogs (1924), Frankford Yellow Jackets (1926–1929), New York Giants (1930), Green Bay Packers (1931–1933)

All-Pro / Pro Bowl Honors: 3-time All-Pro selection (1923 First-Team, 1926 Second-Team, 1930 Second-Team; the Pro Bowl was not established during his career)

Seasons Wearing Jersey #15: 1923–1929 (wore #15 across his seasons with the Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Bulldogs, and Frankford Yellow Jackets before switching to #9 with the Giants and #32/#40 with the Packers)

Conclusion

Big thanks to Pro-Football-Reference.com for much of the info supplied.