One of the sleepier times on the NFL calendar will be kicked into gear Monday when the unveiling of the annual NFL Top 100 begins.
It’s the 15th straight year in which current league players have voted to determine the Top 100 and, ultimately, their choice for the No. 1 player in the NFL land.
Beginning Monday -- on X, NFL+ and NFL.com -- and running through Friday, Aug. 29, two new players will be revealed each weekday until the arrival of the top 10 at 8 p.m. ET, Monday, Sept. 1 on NFL Network.
Just who are the top contenders for the top spot?
With some help from NFL Research, here’s a quick look at some prime candidates and a look back at the gridiron greats who have previously earned the No. 1 accolade.
- 2024 AP NFL Most Valuable Player had 41 total touchdowns (28 passing, 12 rushing, one receiving)
- Led Bills to sixth straight season with double-digit wins and their fifth straight AFC East title
- Last year's Top 100 ranking: No. 12
- 2024 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year became ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in regular season
- Keyed Eagles' Super Bowl run, racking up 2,504 yards (including playoffs) to set a new league record
- Last year's Top 100 ranking: No. 86
- Sixth player in Super Bowl era to win receiving triple crown, leading league with 127 receptions, 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns
- Became just the fifth player in the Super Bowl era with 100-plus receiving yards per game and 15 or more receiving scores
- Last year's Top 100 ranking: No. 45
- 2024 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year became first rookie to throw for 3,500-plus yards, rush for 800-plus yards
- Tallied rookie QB records of 891 rushing yards, 69.0 completion percentage in leading Washington to first NFC Championship Game since 1991
- Last year's Top 100 ranking: N/A
- First-team All-Pro for fourth time in last five seasons after recording 14 sacks, 22 QB hits
- Posted double-digit sacks for seventh straight season en route to sixth Pro Bowl (fifth in a row)
- Last year's Top 100 ranking: No. 5
- First-team All-Pro, AP NFL MVP runner-up tied for NFL lead with 45 total touchdowns (41 passing, four rushing)
- Became first player in league history with 4,000-plus passing yards, 800-plus rushing yards
- Last year's Top 100 ranking: No. 2
- Two-time No. 1 honoree led Chiefs to third straight Super Bowl appearance
- Made fifth Super Bowl start, which is tied for second-most in history and is the most ever before age 30
- Last year's Top 100 ranking: No. 4
- 2024 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year became just the second DB since 2010 to win the accolade
- Had 11 pass breakups, four interceptions -- including one for 100-yard touchdown -- as the All-Pro led Broncos to first playoff berth since 2015
- Last year's Top 100 ranking: No. 52
Jackson and Mahomes are the only top contenders to have previously garnered the No. 1 spot, while Mahomes is one of only two players to have been voted No. 1 multiple times. The other was Tom Brady, who appeared atop the Top 100 a record four times.
Since its inception in 2011, the Top 100 has seen a quarterback voted the top-ranked player 10 of 14 times.
Last year, it was the Miami Dolphins' Tyreek Hill who was voted No. 1 by his NFL brethren, becoming the first wide receiver to garner the honor.
There has been just one running back to take the No. 1 spot -- Adrian Peterson with the Minnesota Vikings in 2013 for the 2012 campaign -- and only two defensive players have ever been No. 1: J.J. Watt with the Houston Texans in 2015 and Aaron Donald with the Los Angeles Rams in 2019.
NFL Top 100 No. 1 honorees
Who do NFL players believe is the best of the best after the 2024 season? The countdown commences Monday.