With the first quarter of the 21st Century winding down, it’s about time that sports outlets begin to compile their various Quarter Century-related lists praising the players, teams and stories that have dominated our post Y2K sports world. Predictably, ESPN is one of those outlets, and this week, Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder came together to build a 53-man roster based on production from the last 25 NFL seasons.
All of the names you’d expect to see are included on this star-studded roster which spans 25 years, such as Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Aaron Donald and Ray Lewis. Also included are a trio of former Atlanta Falcons who set records, capped off incredible careers and absolutely dominated during their time in A-Town.
First we start with Julio Jones, arguably one of the most physically gifted wide receivers who has ever step foot on an NFL field. Jones was selected with the 6th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Falcons, and established himself as one of the NFL’s best wideouts immediately upon arriving in Atlanta. Jones made seven Pro Bowls in his ten seasons with the Falcons and went five straight seasons with at least 1,400 receiving yards between 2014 and 2018.
“With all due respect to Matt Ryan,” Walder writes, “Jones did not have a Hall of Fame quarterback throwing to him the way other receivers on this list did.”
The next player on the Quarter Century 53 man roster is tight end Tony Gonzalez, who spent the majority of his career playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, but spent his final five seasons as a productive pass-catcher in Atlanta. In just five seasons with the Chiefs – which Gonzalez played at ages 33 through 37 – the Hall of Fame tight end caught 409 passes (5th in Falcons history) for 4,187 yards (9th) and 35 touchdowns (6th).
Finally, there’s Devin Hester, the record-setting return specialist who ran his way into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024 thanks to a record-setting 20 return touchdowns and 11,028 total return yards. Even though the bulk of his damage came during his time with the Chicago Bears, Hester did return one punt for a touchdown in a Falcons uniform and led the league in kick return yards during his first season in Atlanta.
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