ESPN is ranking the top 100 athletes of the 21st century, and two New York Jets players are featured
ESPN is gradually releasing a list of the top 100 professional athletes of the 21st century. So far, they’ve revealed the bottom 50 players on their list, and three current or former New York Jets players have appeared.
Current Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers slid in at No. 91, and former Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis landed at No. 96. Ed Reed, who had a brief seven-game stint with the Jets in 2013, placed at No. 99.
Is this a fair ranking for Revis?
ESPN said of Revis, “Revis took man-to-man coverage to a new level in 2009 when the Jets’ coaching staff made the unconventional decision to put him on the opponents’ top receiver with no safety help. He was on his own island, so to speak, spawning the ‘Revis Island’ moniker. The result was one of the best cornerback seasons in history.”
This is a very fair evaluation of Revis; he is right where he should be. Revis was a seven-time Pro Bowler in his career, earning five of those with the Jets.
Revis famously held Hall of Fame wide receivers like Randy Moss and Terrell Owens to under 35 receiving yards in his historic 2009 season.
https://t.co/ONN7YODImu pic.twitter.com/soFBXdqxSH
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) July 5, 2024
Revis, also known as “Revis Island,” will forever be remembered as one of the best cornerbacks in Jets history.
Is this a fair ranking for Rodgers?
I do not know how Rodgers can be this low on the list. Rodgers is a four-time MVP, 10-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro, and has won a Super Bowl.
Simply put, Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks of all time.
ESPN said of Rodgers, “Of all the superlatives and milestones that can be used to explain Rodgers’ greatness, here’s one that often gets overlooked. He’s the NFL’s all-time leader in touchdown-to-interception ratio (475 TDs, 105 INTs). In that way, he was the anti-Brett Favre, yet he carried on Favre’s remarkable run of success in Green Bay before getting traded to the Jets.”
Rodgers is somehow listed behind James Harden, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Kawhi Leonard, A’ja Wilson, and Roy Halladay among others. None of those players impacted their sport more than Rodgers.
If Kawhi Leonard stayed healthy, he might be able to make a case to surpass Rodgers on this list, but that is not the reality. Leonard ranks 32nd in points scored in NBA history; Rodgers has the highest passer rating in NFL history (103.6) and the fifth-most passing touchdowns (475).
Wilson is undoubtedly one of the best WNBA players of all time, but she has not put together a career that was up to par with Rodgers.