The 25 greatest NFL players who never made a Pro Bowl

Cooks is the definition of someone whose career has gone under the radar. Not only has he achieved six 1,000-yard seasons, but he's also done so with four different franchises. No matter where he's playing, the former first-round pick produces. He even has three separate seasons with eight or more touchdowns. His second season saw him put up 84 catches for 1,138 yards and nine touchdowns, a stat line that very well could have earned him a Pro Bowl bid. There are a few players who have played 11 or more seasons with a 17-game average of over 1,000 yards without an all-star designation like Cooks. 

What if I told you the New Orleans Saints' all-time leader in receptions, yards, and touchdowns never made a single Pro Bowl? It's a travesty that Colston was never voted into the game despite six 1,000-yard seasons. In 2007 and 2012, he finished with more than 1,100 yards and double-digit touchdowns, yet was always overshadowed by NFC studs like Terrell Owens, Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Steve Smith, and Julio Jones. Regardless, Colston did get to play a pivotal role in the Saints' Super Bowl XLIV run, hauling in seven balls for a game-high 83 yards.  

With the classification of never having been voted in or playing in the game, Flacco does meet the criteria. He had a chance of being called up as an alternate, but he bypassed it (as has become a trend in recent years). Flacco's career has stretched decades, with its pinnacle being an improbable Super Bowl XLVII run that saw him earn MVP honors. With more than 45,000 career yards and over 250 touchdowns, Flacco sits inside the top 25 all-time in both categories. Yet, he doesn't have any official Pro Bowls on his resume. 

Over 16 seasons, Galloway had double-digit touchdowns three times and over 1,000 yards in each of those. One of those years saw him pull in a career-best 83 receptions for 1,287 yards.  That was the seventh most in the NFL, while his 10 touchdowns that season were good for fifth. However, the NFC’s Pro Bowlers that season were Santana Moss, Steve Smith, Larry Fitzgerald, and Torry Holt. 

Plunkett is a two-time Super Bowl champion, the MVP of Super Bowl XV, and the 1980 Comeback Player of the Year. His resume, however, doesn’t include any Pro Bowls. Much of that has to do with him never putting up gaudy regular-season numbers; in fact, nine of his 15 seasons saw him throw more picks than touchdowns, including a league-worst 22 in 1974. That being said, he helmed a few very good Raider teams with a combined 27-10 record in 1980, 1982, and 1983 (1981 was a forgettable season). 

The second-round pick out of Michigan was a rock for 10 years on the New York Jets' defense. He had a pair of seasons knocking down the quarterback more than 12 times, including a handful of years in which he sacked the passer more than five times. He has zero Pro Bowls to his name, though he was oddly named a second-team All-Pro in 2009. 

Jamaal Williams led all NFL running backs in 2022 with 17 touchdowns. That same season, he also eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the first and only time of his career. He somehow didn’t make the Pro Bowl that season. That was his best shot at earning the all-star accolade. 

There may only be a handful of quarterbacks who have had a career like Fitzpatrick’s. Was he ever the best at any point? No. He may not have even been among the top five at any point, but he surely played long enough and had enough quality seasons that you’d have thought he’d stumble into a Pro Bowl game. He’s had four seasons with more than 3,400 passing yards and one season with over 30 passing touchdowns, but none warranted the distinction. 

Woods is a pro's pro. He shows up and gets it done. The reason he never made a Pro Bowl had nothing to do with numbers; it was just that he was never flashy. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2018 and 2019, bringing in 86 and 90 receptions, respectively. He just never hit the big play, instead becoming a super reliable option on third downs and finding the spot in between the hashes. 

He has three Super Bowl rings, a pair of 1,000-yard campaigns, and a season in which he led the league with 18 rushing touchdowns. At his peak, Blount was a force that opponents didn't want to meet head-on once he got his legs going. Like many bruising backs, however, being recognized for the hard-earned yards didn't come easily for him. 

When Jackson was getting work, he typically was putting up numbers. They weren't electric -- he only hit the 1,000-yard mark once in his nine years -- but he always did enough to keep him a part of the game plan. He had four seasons reaching 890 or more yards, including a 2013 campaign that saw him reach the endzone nine times. 

At one point, McFadden appeared to be on the brink of stardom. That season happened to be his best shot at making the Pro Bowl, but one that ultimately didn’t end that way for him. He racked up 1,157 yards with 13 touchdowns, adding another 507 yards and three scores on 47 receptions. Over his next seven seasons, he eclipsed the century mark just once and never scored more than five times in a season. 

If there’s one way for a cornerback to quickly gain stardom and popularity, it’s through picks. Buckley had no trouble doing that with 50 interceptions over his 14 years. He had four seasons with five or more, including an impressive eight picks in 1998 with Miami. A Super Bowl champ, Buckley goes down as one of the best good, not great corners to play the game. 

The “thunder” to the Giants’ “lightning” in Ahmad Bradshaw, Jacobs was a bruiser with the rock in his hand. It’s implausible that he didn’t get a Pro Bowl selection after his 15-touchdown season in 2008 that also saw him run for a career-best 1,089 yards. That was also a season in which the Giants finished 12-4 to win the NFC East. 

Every year, really good kickers miss out on the Pro Bowl because only one goes per conference. Longwell played 16 seasons and was always among the better kickers in the game, but never received the honor. Twice he led the NFL in extra points made and he had a pair of seasons in which he was perfect from 50-plus yards out with multiple makes, including a 6-for-6 2008 season. 

Overshadowed by Demaryius Thomas for much of his Denver career and often labeled a byproduct of Peyton Manning throwing him the ball, Decker’s numbers were certainly Pro Bowl-worthy. He had three seasons (two in Denver, one with the New York Jets) that saw him pull in 80-plus catches for 1,000 or more yards and 11 or more touchdowns. None of those times was enough to win over voters. 

There aren’t many running backs who enter the league with the fanfare that Bush had when he stepped into the Saints organization as the No. 2 overall pick out of USC. Like many first-round running backs who find themselves on this list, it just took him far too long to figure out the NFL. He reached 1,000 yards for the first time in his sixth season, and later did so again two seasons later. It’s surprising that he was never voted into the Pro Bowl, considering his name recognition, but by the time he started to find himself, fans had already moved on. 

A Super Bowl champion and someone who eclipsed the century mark in five straight seasons, Toomer may go down as one of the most underrated receivers of the early 2000s. He was a lock for 1,000 and five every season once he got acclimated to the league, but he just never had enough star power behind his name to drum up Pro Bowl interest. 

If Benson had been able to find the endzone a few more times, he probably would have found his way onto a Pro Bowl team. He was a top prospect entering the league as the No. 4 pick in 2005, so he had name recognition right out of the gate. That hype, though, died down after his first four seasons netted minimal results. He eventually found his footing between 2009 and 2011, stringing together three straight seasons with 1,000 rushing yards and six or more touchdowns in each. He even garnered some votes in 2009 for Comeback Player of the Year. 

The Missouri product was overlooked around the league and even within his own team as DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy earned the accolades. Maclin was the most reliable receiver on his team for many seasons, recording a pair of 1,000-yard and double-digit touchdown seasons. He was extraordinary in 2014, turning 85 catches into 1,318 yards and 10 scores. 

There are just some guys that consume so much space up front that opposing coordinators have to always game plan for them. Peko fit the bill over his 15-year career. He was a stalwart on the Bengals' defense for many years, always clogging up would-be running lanes and taking on double teams. He lacked the “wow” moments, like sacks and forced fumbles, but there’s no denying that Peko was certainly a Pro Bowl-caliber player that simply never got the nod. 

It was a brief stretch; for his first three seasons from 2007 to 2009, Grant was a major piece of the Packers’ offense. Over that span, he found the end zone 24 total times and accounted for more than 3,400 rushing yards with a pair of 1,200-yard seasons. He was a gem for Green Bay, but played during a time when names like Adrian Peterson, Clinton Portis, Brian Westbrook, Frank Gore, and Steven Jackson stole the headlines. 

Where Moreno got dinged in terms of Pro Bowl voting, it likely had to do with where his expectations were versus what he did on the field. Nowadays, first-round running backs are becoming less common, but Moreno went 12th overall in 2009. It took him four years to finally hit the 1,000-yard mark, but that 2013 campaign saw him reach the end zone 13 total times and amass more than 1,500 total yards. It was certainly a Pro Bowl-worthy season as the bell cow of a 13-3 Denver team. 

The No. 5 overall pick in 2002 was a mainstay for the Chargers' defense for 11 of his 12 seasons. His best case for a Pro Bowl bid came in 2006, when he recorded a career-high four interceptions, 18 pass breakups, and 78 tackles. While never receiving the all-star status, Jammer goes down as a physical corner who wasn’t afraid to shy away from getting up on a receiver or an opposing halfback. 

The 14-year veteran linebacker was a beast at wrapping up opponents. He racked up seven seasons with 100+ combined tackles, including a pair of 100-plus solo tackle campaigns. His production in 2013 was pretty absurd as he recorded 122 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 19 deflections, four interceptions, and a pair of touchdowns. The Pro Bowl alluded him, but he did receive an All-Pro distinction.