FanDuel Sportsbook has released their official NFL G.O.A.T list. Naturally, as with any all-time list, it’s resulted in a healthy amount of disputes throughout various comment sections. However, the NFL Hall of Fame, Shannon Sharpe firmly believes that betting platform did manage to get a few key decisions right.
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On the latest episode of the Nightcap podcast, Sharpe, along with his co-host and former Cincinnati Bengal wide receiver, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, shared their reactions to the list. According to the Denver Broncos legend, FanDuel was right to list Aaron Rodgers as the all-time great for the Green Bay Packers.
In Sharpe’s view, Rodgers trumps Brett Favre in the most crucial of categories.
“I’m not surprised. He’s got four MVPs, Brett had three. He was a Super Bowl MVP winner, more touchdowns, fewer interceptions. I’m perfectly cool with that,” Sharpe said.
While the two were initially surprised that the sportsbook was bold enough to list Rodgers over Favre, they both agreed that it was the right decision. Given the amount of aforementioned success that Rodgers was able to enjoy throughout his time in Green Bay, as well as the fact that he boasts a career record of 147-75-1 with the Packers, it’s certainly a more-than-fair argument.
Favre does feature a better win percentage with the team, but Rodgers’ stint with the franchise did manage to last longer. While Favre’s departure from Green Bay certainly wasn’t as controversial as Rodgers, the California native simply did more for the franchise for a longer period of time, solidifying Rodgers’ place atop the Packers’ Mount Rushmore.
Assessing FanDuel’s G.O.A.T. list
For the most part, the list seems to get the basics right. Jim Brown representing the Cleveland Browns and Barry Sanders being listed for the Detroit Lions certainly gives it an air of legitimacy, but there are certainly a few names on the list that are worth debating.
Sharpe and Johnson discovered as much when they realized that Cam Newton was listed as the greatest player in the history of the Carolina Panthers’ organization. Where the retired wide out thought Newton was “absolutely” the right choice, Sharpe suggested that the argument may not be as open and shut as his co-host had thought.
“What about Julius Peppers? Steve Smith? It’s tougher than you think for Carolina.”
Matt Ryan being favored over his former wide receiver, Julio Jones, also stood out as being a tough choice. It’s worth noting as well that, given their current trajectories, both Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen have the potential to usurp the likes of Ray Lewis and Bruce Smith to become the best players in the history of their respective franchises.
Nevertheless, the overall quality of the list itself, much like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. For every automatic answer, there’s one worth debating, and that in and of itself is enough to keep these kinds of rankings going as clicks and engagement are the currency of today.
