Yardbarker's NFL 2010s All-Decade team

This is trickier than it seems. Brady has achieved the most during this decade; Drew Brees boasts better numbers. Brady advanced to five Super Bowls in the 2010s — more than any QB in any decade — but Aaron Rodgers is more talented. Voters gave the Patriots legend the 2000s' All-Decade nod; Peyton Manning probably deserved it. But Brady amazingly has been a better passer from ages 33-42 than he was during the aughts (306 2010s TD passes to 197 in the 2000s; five 100-plus QB ratings to one in the '00s). Say what you will about Brady's built-in advantages, but he's driven another Pats Super Bowl run, has two '10s MVPs and has submitted the best sports longevity resume this side of Bernard Hopkins.

Second team: Aaron Rodgers

Two of Peterson's three rushing titles came during the 2010s, in his age-27 and age-30 seasons, and he's been the only running back MVP since 2006. A first-ballot Hall of Fame lock whose Redskins arc continues to cement his all-time credentials, Peterson may not see his 2,097-yard season (second all time) matched in this era. McCoy edges Gore and Lynch because of his two 2010s first-team All-Pro honors and combination of peak and consistency. In addition to Shady's Eagles work, he submitted three Pro Bowl Bills seasons and is the only player with over 10,000 rushing yards in the 2010s — a rough decade for backs.

Second team: Frank Gore, Marshawn Lynch

Regardless of Brown's 2019 tumble, he was the decade's most productive wide receiver. His 75 touchdown receptions are still 20 more than Jones' total, but Jones is a locked-in first-teamer as well. The 30-year-old Falcon phenom is on pace to surpass 1,400 receiving yards for the sixth straight season; no one else has done it five times. Johnson's 2010s apex, however, surpasses both. The retired Lions dynamo made three straight All-Pro First Teams (three more than Fitzgerald in the 2010s) from 2011-13 and set the single-season yardage record (1,964) in '12. Megatron's 62 TDs in six 2010s seasons are more than Fitz's 59.

Second team: Larry Fitzgerald, A.J. Green, DeAndre Hopkins

A key reason Tom Brady's 2010s were statistically superior to his 2000s, Gronkowski has a case for being this decade's top skill-position player. Gronk's 80 touchdowns (plus 12 in the playoffs) are tied with Antonio Brown for second (behind LeSean McCoy) in the 2010s, and he retired with an all-time tight end-best 68.3 yards per game. The injury-prone tight end towered over his peers and gave the Patriots field-altering presence. Graham's Saints seasons, and some of his Seahawks work, give him the slight nod over Travis Kelce. The 2013 All-Pro's 74 TDs are 40 more than Kelce, who's played four fewer seasons.

Second team: Jimmy Graham

Despite suffering what turned out to be a career-closing injury in October 2017, Thomas has three more first-team All-Pro honors (five) than any 2010s tackle. The Browns' O-line iron man is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Smith led DeMarco Murray and Ezekiel Elliott to three rushing titles in five years and helped steer fourth-round pick Dak Prescott to Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2016. Both he and Peters have six 2010s Pro Bowls and look destined for the Hall of Fame. Right tackles have a bizarrely low awards ceiling, but the position deserves recognition. Schwartz's durability (zero missed games in eight years) and lack of a PED suspension give the 2018 All-Pro the edge on Lane Johnson.

Second team: Jason Peters, Mitchell Schwartz

Martin has dominated from the jump, going 5-for-5 in Pro Bowls and landing on three All-Pro first teams. He joined Smith in helping Murray and Elliott to runaway rushing titles and in 2014 became the first rookie guard in 75 years to be named First-Team All-Pro. It took a bit for voters to catch on with Yanda, but the Ravens stalwart has made seven Pro Bowls this decade (most of any guard) and was pivotal in Lamar Jackson's transition over the past year. Evans earned three All-Pro spots from 2010-12 and was a top-tier guard in the early part of this decade; DeCastro helped the Steelers form a perennially great O-line.

Second team: David DeCastro, Jahri Evans

Pouncey made seven Pro Bowls by age 29, the most of any center since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. The Steelers center opened his career as a starter on a Super Bowl-qualifying team, joined DeCastro in helping Pittsburgh morph into an offensively oriented team mid-decade and aided Le'Veon Bell's star turn. The two-time reigning All-Pro snapper, Kelce anchored the Eagles' Super Bowl LII line — one that helped Nick Foles craft a stunning Joe Montana impression in the winter of 2018.

Second team: Jason Kelce

Miller became the fourth-fastest player ever to reach 100 sacks. The edge-bending right tackle tormentor was the key reason the Broncos have three Lombardi Trophies instead of two, sacking Tom Brady and Cam Newton a combined five times and submitting the most impactful defensive performance in Super Bowl history. Suggs' five 2010 playoff sacks, 2011 Defensive Player of the Year showing and 2012 return from an Achilles tear to help the Ravens' Super Bowl XLVII run gives him the spot over Mack. But an argument can be made the Raiders/Bears phenom has done enough to outflank him. Wake's 95 sacks this decade trail only Miller and J.J. Watt.

Second team: Khalil Mack, Cameron Wake

Watt and Donald have collected five of this decade's nine Defensive Player of the Year Awards, making this arguably the strongest position on the team. Watt will cruise to the Hall of Fame. The 3-4 defensive end has terrorized right guards and right tackles since his otherworldly 2012 breakout, and the Texans' GOAT is the only player with two 20-sack seasons. Donald is on his way to Canton too. The Rams' three-technique destroyer is probably the NFL's best active player; he's going for an unprecedented three straight DPOYs. Both 2010 draftees, Atkins and Suh have combined for five First-Team All-Pro honors. Atkins' 74 sacks lead pure defensive tackles this decade.

Second team: Geno Atkins, Ndamukong Suh

Kuechly broke up a would-be Watt Defensive Player of the Year four-peat, in 2013 and was the top defender on Carolina's 15-1 Super Bowl team. The eighth-year Panther is the only 21st-century player with more than one 160-tackle season; he has three. Wagner remains the nerve center of the Seahawks defense. Seattle's middle linebacker was a bit underrated during the Legion of Boom's time, but his return from injury in 2014 drove the Seahawks back to the Super Bowl. These two have 11 combined First-Team All-Pro honors. Bowman posted four, including one after a gruesome 2014 injury, and was essential to dominant 49ers defenses.

Second team: NaVorro Bowman, Thomas Davis

All-Decade teams can mislead. Revis is the best cornerback of the post-Champ Bailey era, but his prime overlapped between the 2000s and '10s. Injuries and a steep mid-decade decline leave him off the first team. Sherman's 35 interceptions lead all players this decade, and he was essential to the Seahawks' ascent. Harris may be the 2010s' most underrated player, with the slot standout anchoring the Broncos' two Super Bowl secondaries and once going 36 games without allowing a TD. Peterson's teams were less successful, but the 2011 top-five pick is an eight-time Pro Bowler and one of the era's toughest matchups.

Second team: Stephon Gilmore, Darrelle Revis, Aqib Talib

The centerpiece of Seattle's monstrous defensive apex, Thomas helped the Seahawks lead the NFL in scoring defense for four straight years (2012-15) — an NFL post-merger first. The three-time All-Pro is this decade's defining safety. He has an opportunity to bolster his credentials in Baltimore. Ravens predecessor Eric Weddle made six 2010s Pro Bowls and helped the Ravens form one of the NFL's top secondaries from 2016-18. Weddle has two six-plus-INT seasons, one coming in 2018 at age 33. Berry matches Thomas with three All-Pros, including a transcendent 2016 slate, but injuries slowed him too soon.

Second team: Eric Berry, Harrison Smith

The Ravens' eighth-year kicker is on an early pace to be among the handful of specialists enshrined in Canton. Tucker's 90.7 percent field goal success rate leads the all-time field by nearly three percentage points. His game-winning field goal in subzero wind chills upended the Broncos in the 2012 divisional round. Tucker is 17-for-17 on field goals this season, further entrenching the three-time All-Pro in this spot. Gostkowski is out for the year but at 87.4 percent is the game's third-most accurate kicker. The Patriots field-goal man made the Pro Bowl from 2013-15 and is 39-for-44 in 28 playoff games.

Second team: Stephen Gostkowski

A quiet climb, yes, but Hekker's work shouldn't be minimized. The Rams punter accumulated four first-team All-Pro honors before turning 28, doing so in St. Louis and Los Angeles. Hekker dueled with then-Patriots punter Ryan Allen in Super Bowl LIII, working to keep the offensively subdued Rams in the game. Only Shane Lechler (six) has more All-Pro honors than Hekker, among pure punters. Lee racked up two of the nine first-team slots this decade, and the ex-49er has continued to excel into his late 30s with the Browns, Panthers and Cardinals.

Second team: Andy Lee

While the Vikings drafted Patterson in Round 1 to be a better wide receiver, he became elite at a niche skill. Kick returns are a diminishing NFL component due to rule changes, but Patterson has provided several game-changing plays through this lost art. His seven 2010s kick-return TDs lead the field by three. The lanky specialist exceeded 31 yards per return three times with Minnesota, en route to two All-Pro distinctions. Jones beats out Percy Harvin for the second-team slot. While each returned Super Bowl kicks for TDs, Jones was the 2012 All-Pro kick returner as well.

Second team: Jacoby Jones

The 2000s' second-team punt returner, Hester was still a force for many years this decade. His final Bears seasons produced seven more punt-return TDs — along with All-Pro acclaim in 2010 and NFL-leading 17.1 and 16.2 punt-return averages in '10 and '11 — and he returned to the Pro Bowl at age 32 in 2014 with the Falcons. The all-time leader with 19 return TDs (14 on punts), Hester is destined for the All-Century returner slot. Sproles' three Pro Bowls came from 2013-15. The Eagles' trade acquisition darted for four combined punt-return TDs from 2014-15, doing so after a solid Saints returner run.

Second team: Darren Sproles

The most obvious name on this list, Belichick annually gives the Patriots an advantage their rivals lack. This decade vaulted Belichick into pole position in "greatest coach ever" arguments. He has supplemented Tom Brady with eight top-10 scoring defenses this decade. Aaron Rodgers received such a luxury once in the 2010s. Belichick has coaxed high-end play from overlooked cogs and has managed to get by without premier sack artists for the past few years. The Pats holding the high-octane Rams to a Super Bowl-record-tying three points resides as probably the best defensive showing in the game's history.

Second team: Pete Carroll

McDaniels napalmed bridges in Denver and Indianapolis this decade, but the Patriots have displayed unmatched offensive versatility since he returned. Their eighth-year offensive coordinator (in his second stint) deserves much of the credit. In addition to Tom Brady's high-floor aerial attacks, the Pats have ranked in the top 10 in rushing six times in the 2010s. Brady was a revered game manager before McDaniels, and although the iconic QB may have ascended regardless, the Patriots convincing their OC to spurn the Colts last year spoke volumes about McDaniels' importance. 

Second team: Kyle Shanahan

One of the decade's defining stretches: the Broncos' metamorphosis from offensive superpower in Super Bowl XLVIII to defensive force by Super Bowl 50. Phillips played a major role in that transition, taking Jack Del Rio's pieces and assembling an all-time unit. Phillips' 3-4 scheme unleashed Von Miller, who teamed with DeMarcus Ware and a stout secondary to prevent a Patriots AFC five-peat and wreck Cam Newton's coronation. J.J. Watt's emergence also came under Phillips, and the veteran DC's Rams troops held the Patriots to 13 points — Belichick-era Super Bowl low — in Super Bowl LIII.

Second team: Vic Fangio

While Belichick the GM deserves mention, the 2010s marked the undisputed zenith for the Seahawks. Schneider and Pete Carroll built that roster, one dependent on a stellar crew of homegrown defenders from Schneider's first three drafts (2010-12) and one of the modern era's defining draft picks. Seattle choosing Russell Wilson at No. 75 overall in 2012 led to the franchise's ascent, and Schneider's best pick now leads a Seahawks nucleus stripped of most of the Super Bowl-era defenders. Acquiring Marshawn Lynch for fourth- and fifth-round picks worked out pretty well too.

Second team: Howie Roseman