These NFL athletes aced their roles on the big screen

This NFL legend has appeared in a few television and film productions such as Family Guy and Ted 2 as himself, but we can't forget about his brief appearance in the 2003 comedy release Stuck on You. The Super Bowl champion played a "computer geek" who was assigned to help with stage design for superstar Cher.  

Lawrence Taylor's spot in the 1998 film The Waterboy will always be iconic. The two-time Super Bowl champion stood alongside the film's lead (Adam Sandler), who delivered inspirational speeches to a football team. His best piece of advice? "Don't smoke crack." 

Terry Crews is a given on a list like this. The former Los Angeles Rams player has a lengthy resume, with credits in films like Deadpool 2 and Lottery Ticket. However, his role in White Chicks will always take the cake for us. 

Former Cleveland Browns player Jim Brown scored several credits alongside big stars, including Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987's The Running Man. But his first leading role in the 1968 film The Split means a little bit more to us. Later, he joined the cast of Riot and Ice Station Zebra, causing some to refer to him as the industry's "first Black action star."

Carl Weathers had, perhaps, one of the coolest roles out of the players on this list. In 1976, the former Raiders player joined the cast of Rocky as Apollo Creed and appeared in four of the franchise's six films. 

Clay Matthews gave watchers a fun rendition of Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious" during a hilarious scene in Pitch Perfect 2, which is why seeing the former linebacker in this classic movie will always be a highlight for us. 

Not only was Bill Goldberg a solid player in the NFL, but the athlete has also been an entertaining part of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) association since 2003. In 2005, he joined the cast of The Longest Yard, a sports film that follows prison inmates on a team, and crushed his spot as Joey "Battle" Battaglio. 

Chester Rogers, also known as Tre Rogers, played a few years in the NFL; however, before that, he was booked and busy in California, appearing in works like Madea's Family Reunion, Constellation, and Dirty.  

Terry Bradshaw has done a lot since wrapping up his time in the NFL. In addition to appearing on TV shows like The Masked Singer and Last Man Standing, the Hall of Fame quarterback appeared as himself in the comedy film Father Figures and as Matthew McConaughey's dad in Failure to Launch.

Alex Karras first appeared as himself in the sports film Paper Lion before he caught the acting bug and starred in movies like Blazing Saddles, Victor/Victoria, and Good Heavens. 

Super Bowl champion Bubba Smith did it all, from comedy to action to drama, so choosing just one of his memorable roles is a bit of a challenge. But if we had to select one, we'd go with the Police Academy franchise, which had six films between 1984 and 1989.

Several NFL players appear in the football drama Any Given Sunday. However, Johnny Unitas' performance has to be one of the best. Although his role was small, seeing the former professional player acting as the head coach of the fictional Dallas team added a sense of authenticity to the film, making his appearance even more memorable. 

Deacon Jones makes a brief cameo in the remake of Heaven Can Wait. In it, the former Los Angeles Rams player confronts his team's new quarterback, a millionaire with dreams of playing in the NFL, before realizing he now calls the shots. 

NFL superstar Hines Ward made an epic cameo in the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises. As his character is returning a kickoff, he looks back in shock once reaching the endzone to see the world has collapsed behind him. 

Another Super Bowl champion who enjoyed working in front of the camera following their NFL career is Howie Long. The former Raiders player snagged roles in Broken Arrow, Firestorm, and Dollar for the Dead. However, many people praise him for his role as Jack in the 2001 film 3000 Miles To Graceland.