Ranking the "best" NFL players is a straightforward exercise of stats and figures. But with professional athletes occupying an entire flavor of celebrity these days, debating who's the most popular is a bit more up in the air. A new study conducted by the sports booking site Bettingtop10 Canada, however, posits that 22 players are simply more popular than the rest.
For its research, Bettingtop10 analyzed Google search data to pinpoint the NFL players fans searched for the most. Injuries tended to cause searches for a particular player to spike, as did romances (rumored or otherwise) with pop stars. For the most part, results spanned a wide spread of teams, indicating that despite any team loyalty, fans are more keen to get information about individual players than about regional franchises.
Here are the 22 most popular NFL players, according to research. Put these players all together, and you'd end up with a football dream team.
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Offensive skill
Bettingtop10.caNew York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers was the most-searched quarterback in the country, according to Bettingtop10's research. The top two running backs were Ezekiel Elliot of the New England Patriots and Christin McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers.
The most popular wide receiver was the Baltimore Ravens' Odell Beckham Jr., followed by the Tennessee Titans' DeAndre Hopkins. Rounding out the offensive skill players is Travis Kelce, tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.
It's worth noting that Aaron Rodgers saw his search interest spike after he suffered an injury to his Achilles tendon during a September 2023 game against the Buffalo Bills. Meanwhile, many people looked up Travis Kelce in the wake of his romance with Taylor Swift.
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Offensive line
Bettingtop10.caOrlando Brown Jr. of the Cincinnati Bengals is the most-searched offensive tackle in the NFL, followed by Trent Williams of the San Francisco 49ers. The Washington Commanders' Chris Paul and the Seattle Seahawks' Damien Lewis were the first- and second-most searched offensive guards, respectively.
Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles was the most popular center, though it's worth noting he's the brother of Travis Kelce, and may have seen his own star rise due to the swelling public interest in his brother.
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Defensive front
Bettingtop10.caThe first- and second-most searched defensive tackles were Jalen Carter of the Philadelphia Eagles and Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams. The first- and second-most searched defensive ends, meanwhile, were Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers and Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns.
There were three top-searched linebackers. In order of popularity: Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys, Von Miller of the Buffalo Bills, and T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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Defensive back
Bettingtop10.caFour defensive backs were searched for more often than any other defensive backs in the NFL. They were, in order of popularity, Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills, Jalen Ramsey of the Miami Dolphins, Trevon Diggs of the Dallas Cowboys, and Bryce Hall of the New York Jets.
The continued immense public interest in Hamlin—who is Googled more than 7.1 million times per month, magnitudes more than any other player according to Betting10's analysis—could be due to a cardiac arrest the defensive back suffered during the middle of a game in January 2023.
