Packers Quarter-Century Team: Creating Best 53-Man Roster Since 2000

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers have played 25 seasons of football since the turn of the century. Packers On SI’s All-Quarter Century Team is a 53-man roster based solely on the performances since 2000. It includes a starting 12 on offense and defense (depending on two-back or three-receiver personnel) and backups.

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers is a four-time MVP and the NFL’s all-time leader in passer rating. During the century, he is third with 503 touchdown passes and sixth with 62,792 passing yards. Six players have thrown at least 400 touchdown passes in the 2000s. From that group, Rodgers threw 116 interceptions. The other five threw more than 200. In 2011, Rodgers won his first MVP in arguably the greatest quarterbacking season of all-time. His 122.5 passer rating remains the best ever in helping the Packers go 15-1.

Backup: Brett Favre won his three MVPs in the 1990s. In the 2000s, he ranks 15th in passing yards and 13th in touchdown passes.

Running backs: Ahman Green, Aaron Jones

For the Packers in the 2000s, Ahman Green is No. 1 with 8,322 rushing yards and Aaron Jones is second with 5,940.

Green’s 2003 season is quietly one of the best in NFL history with 1,883 rushing yards and 50 receptions meaning a total of 2,250 yards, which is the 16th-most of all-time. With Green Bay, he had four Pro Bowl seasons and five consecutive years of at least 1,163 rushing yards. Among all running backs in the 2000s, Green ranks 18th with 375 receptions.

Focusing only on his time in Green Bay, Aaron Jones’ 5.0 yards per carry ranked sixth in NFL history among all running backs with at least 750 carries. In seven seasons in Green Bay, he had three 1,000-yard seasons. In 2019, he led the NFL in rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns.

Backups: Ryan Grant, John Kuhn. While Eddie Lacy won Rookie of the Year and was a second-team All-Pro in 2013, Grant beats him out for a spot on the roster because he had three good seasons compared to Lacy’s two. Three-time Pro Bowler Kuhn is our fullback and short-yardage weapon.

Receivers: Donald Driver, Davante Adams, Jordy Nelson

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver (80) celebrates a touchdown catch against the Bears in 2012. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

These players ranked first, second and third on the Packers, respectively, in receptions and yards during the century.

Donald Driver had seven 1,000-yard seasons, including in 2009, when he turned 34. From 2000 through 2009, Driver ranked 11th in receptions and yards and 13th in first downs. He was a four-time Pro Bowler.

Adams had three 1,000-yard seasons (and two more of 997). He was first-team All-Pro in 2020 and 2021. In 2020, he led the NFL with 98.1 receiving yards per game and 18 touchdowns. He is closing in on 1,000 career receptions.

For years, there wasn’t a more scary thought for opposing defenses than an Aaron Rodgers play-action fake leading to a bomb to Nelson. After missing 2015 with a torn ACL, Nelson in 2016 had his fourth 1,000-yard season and led the league with 14 touchdown catches.

Backups: Greg Jennings, Randall Cobb. Jennings had 12 touchdown catches in 2007, followed by three consecutive 1,100-yard seasons. Cobb had five seasons of 60-plus catches, highlighted by his 91 receptions for 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2014. James Jones was the last man off the 53 and Jayden Reed could make a hypothetical All-30-Year Team.

Tight end: Tucker Kraft

The Packers haven’t had a great tight end in forever. Jermichael Finley was an excellent receiving threat. Bubba Franks was a strong blocker and red-zone weapon. Tucker Kraft has the potential to be perhaps the best all-around tight end in franchise history. Kraft is a solid blocker and a yards-after-catch beast. With more opportunities, he could emerge as one of the best in the league this season.

Backup: Jermichael Finley, Bubba Franks. Finley’s career ended too soon. After a quiet rookie year in 2008, he had at least 55 catches and 667 yards in his three healthy seasons. Franks played eight seasons with the Packers. He wasn’t much of a receiving threat – his 54 catches for 442 yards in 2002 represented his only season of more than 36 catches and 363 yards – but he blocked and scored 32 touchdowns.

Left tackle: David Bakhtiari

From 2016 through 2020, David Bakhtiari was a first- or second-team All-Pro in all five seasons. He was a truly great player until a knee injury ruined his career.

Backup: Chad Clifton’s second Pro Bowl season came in 2010, when Green Bay won the Super Bowl.

Left guard: Josh Sitton

Packers guard Josh Sitton in the 2015 playoffs. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Josh Sitton was a Pro Bowler at right guard in 2012. In 2013, he moved to left guard and was second-team All-Pro for three consecutive seasons.

Backup: Elgton Jenkins turned in Pro Bowl seasons in 2020 and 2022. One of the most versatile linemen in the league, he’d thrive in a sixth-man role on this team.

Center: Corey Linsley

Linsley started 99 games in seven seasons with the Packers. He was first-team All-Pro in 2020 and second-team All-Pro in 2021.

Backup: Scott Wells started 100 games in eight seasons with the Packers and was a Pro Bowler during the team’s prolific 2011 campaign.

Right guard: Marco Rivera

A sixth-round pick in 1996, Rivera didn’t start his first game until 1998. He had three consecutive Pro Bowl seasons, including second-team All-Pro in 2003.

Backup: T.J. Lang started 94 games in eight years with the Packers and was a Pro Bowler in 2016.

Right tackle: Mark Tauscher

Born and raised in Wisconsin, Tauscher started 132 games in 11 seasons, including all 16 in five seasons. He never was a Pro Bowler but he was a reliable starter.

Backup: Zach Tom could be the right tackle on a hypothetical 27-year team. He finished third in All-Pro voting last season. In today’s game, many of the NFL’s premier pass rushers go against the right tackle.

Edges: Clay Matthews, Aaron Kampman

Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews sacks Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler in January 2011. | Mark Hoffman via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The 2024 Packers might have had a lackluster pass rush, and the same could be true for the 2025 edition. There will be no such problems here.

Clay Matthews was a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro. He had a franchise-record 83.5 sacks in 10 seasons with the Packers, including four in double-digits. He saved the 2014 season when he went from outside linebacker to inside linebacker, and he saved the Super Bowl by forcing a fumble to start the fourth quarter.

Aaron Kampman was a fish out of water when Dom Capers implemented a 3-4 defense in 2009. However, he was a second-team All-Pro in 2006, when he had 15.5 sacks, and again in 2007, when he had a dozen.

Backups: Julius Peppers, Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila. Peppers played only three seasons with the Packers but had 25 sacks for teams that advanced to two NFC Championship Games. Gary has 39 sacks in six seasons and is coming off his first Pro Bowl campaign. Smith had 44 sacks in six seasons in Green Bay, including four seasons of at least eight. Gbaja-Biamila had four consecutive seasons of 10-plus sacks, bookended by 13.5-sack seasons in 2001 and 2004.

Defensive tackles: Kenny Clark, B.J. Raji

Kenny Clark is entering Year 10 with the Packers and typically has been one of the top three-down players at his position. He had Pro Bowl seasons in 2019, 2021 and 2023, which guarantees a bounce-back season in 2025.

The move to the 3-4 in 2009 necessitated a premier nose tackle. The ninth pick of the 2009 draft, Raji was just that. He had 6.5 sacks in 2010 to help the Packers win the Super Bowl and was a Pro Bowler in 2011. He missed 2014 with a torn bicep and took a permanent “hiatus” from the game in March 2016.

Backups: Ryan Pickett, Cullen Jenkins, Mike Daniels. Pickett and Jenkins were stalwarts for the Super Bowl XLV champions. Pickett started 113 games in eight seasons for the Packers. Only his lack of pass-rush ability – 9.5 sacks in 14 seasons – kept him from the Pro Bowl. Jenkins went undrafted in 2003 and opened his career in NFL Europe. He wound up starting 66 games in seven seasons in Green Bay, highlighted by his seven sacks in 2010. Daniels had five consecutive seasons of at least four sacks and was a Pro Bowler in 2017.

Linebackers: A.J. Hawk, Nick Barnett, Edgerrin Cooper

The fifth pick of the 2006 draft, A.J. Hawk was never a star but he leads the 2000s Packers with 922 tackles. He had five seasons of more than 100 tackles. He was a Pro Bowler in 2010 with 111 tackles and 10 passes defensed.

Nick Barnett was the 29th pick of the 2003 draft. During his first five seasons, he had at least 105 tackles in each and a total of nine interceptions. In 2007, he had a career-high 131 tackles and was second-team All-Pro.

With only four career starts, last year’s second-round pick, Edgerrin Cooper is a starter on this team. Yes, that’s a sign of the lack of high-level linebacker play in Green Bay, but Cooper’s production was unreal given he played only about 45 percent of the snaps. He led all off-the-ball linebackers with 13 tackles for losses.

Backups: Blake Martinez, Desmond Bishop. Martinez was a tackling machine. He led the NFL with 144 tackles in 2017. During his final three seasons with the team, he had 443 tackles and 25 tackles for losses. Bishop had 103 tackles and eight passes defensed in 2010 to help the Packers win the Super Bowl and 115 tackles and 10 TFLs in 2011.

Cornerbacks: Charles Woodson, Jaire Alexander, Tramon Williams

Water covers two-thirds of the globe. Charles Woodson covered the other third. In seven seasons in Green Bay that elevated him to Hall of Fame status, Woodson intercepted 38 passes and had an incredible nine pick-sixes. He was a four-time All-Pro and won NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2009, when led the league with nine interceptions. Including his time with the Raiders, Woodson is second in the NFL in the 2000s with 59 interceptions.

Green Bay Packers defensive back Charles Woodson (21) celebates his touchdown against the Denver Broncos in 2011. | Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images

Injuries ruined Jaire Alexander’s career in Green Bay, but he was second-team All-Pro in 2020 and in 2022. He intercepted 12 passes and broke up 70 in seven seasons.

Tramon Williams ranks third on the Packers this century with 30 interceptions, which doesn’t include his three during the 2010 playoffs, highlighted by his unforgettable pick-six at Atlanta. He was a Pro Bowler in 2010, when he intercepted six passes as part of a streak of four consecutive seasons with at least four picks.

Backups: Al Harris, Sam Shields. Harris wasn’t much of a ballhawk – 14 interceptions in seven seasons in Green Bay and 21 in 14 seasons overall – but he was superb in coverage. He was second-team All-Pro in 2007 and a Pro Bowler again in 2008. Shields went from college receiver to Pro Bowl cornerback in 2015. His best statistical season included four interceptions and 16 passes defensed in 2013.

Safeties: Nick Collins, Xavier McKinney

Oh, what might have been for Nick Collins. He was second-team All-Pro in 2008, 2009 and 2010. He had 17 interceptions during those three seasons, trailing only Ed Reed, Asante Samuel and Woodson during that span. He added a pick-six in the Super Bowl. At the height of his powers, he suffered a career-ending neck injury in Week 2 of 2011.

Safety had been a major weakness for the Packers for years. Enter McKinney. Signed in free agency in 2024, he finished second in the NFL with eight interceptions. That’s more than the entire team in 2023.

Backups: Darren Sharper, Morgan Burnett. Including stints with the Vikings and Saints, Sharper ranks third this century with 59 interceptions. He was first-team All-Pro in 2000, when he led the league with nine picks, and second-team All-Pro in 2022, when he had seven. Burnett was nothing but solid with three 100-tackle seasons in eight years with the team.

Kicker: Mason Crosby

During the 2000s, here are the Packers’ scoring leaders: Mason Crosby, 1,918 points; Ryan Longwell, 693; Davante Adams, 446; Jordy Nelson, 416; Ahman Green, 408. To save you the math, Crosby has 45 points fewer than the combined total of Longwell, Adams, Nelson and Green. Only Adam Vinatieri (2,204) and Robbie Gould (1,961) scored more points in the NFL this century.

Punter: Daniel Whelan

Daniel Whelan likely will leave Green Bay as the best punter in franchise history. His 46.2-yard career average is second-best behind Corey Bojorquez’s 46.5-yard average in 2021.

Long snapper: Rob Davis

Rob Davis, Brett Goode, Hunter Bradley and Matt Orzech have handled snapping duties for most of the quarter-century. Davis recorded 34 tackles in 12 seasons, including 30 from 2000 through 2007. From 2008 through 2017, Goode had 14. From 2018 through his midseason release in 2021, Bradley had three. The past two seasons, Orzech has one.

Returner: Keisean Nixon

Keisean Nixon earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2022 and 2023. There’s obvious apples and oranges in comparing kickoff returners from 2000 to today’s group due to frequent rules changes. Nonetheless, this century, 120 players have more than 75 kickoff returns. Nixon ranks fourth in that group with a 27.0-yard average.