ESPN will televise the Super Bowl for the first time in February 2027 and is running a monthly countdown to the game with Super Bowl-focused features, including all-time Super Bowl rosters for individual franchises, according to ESPN.
Twenty-three teams that have played in multiple Super Bowls were given all-time rosters, with selections weighted toward players’ performances in the Super Bowls they played rather than overall career resumes, ESPN said. The process required matching players from different eras, rules and schemes, and the project favored actual Super Bowl success when making choices.
ESPN cited Larry Brown as an example of the approach: Brown was chosen over fellow cornerback and Hall of Famer Deion Sanders on the Dallas list because Brown intercepted two passes in Super Bowl XXX and was named that game’s MVP, according to ESPN. Across the 23 franchise rosters, ESPN noted 13 players were named on two different teams’ all-time Super Bowl squads, including four who spent significant time with the New England Patriots: Tom Brady (also on the Buccaneers roster), kicker Adam Vinatieri (Colts), guard Joe Thuney (Chiefs) and tight end Rob Gronkowski (Buccaneers).
ESPN’s Atlanta Falcons all-time Super Bowl roster leans heavily on the Super Bowl LI unit. Selections include QB Matt Ryan, RB Devonta Freeman, WR Julio Jones and TE Austin Hooper on offense; Grady Jarrett, Robert Alford and Deion Jones on defense; and special-teams contributors such as Tim Dwight and Matt Bosher. ESPN highlighted Ryan’s 17-of-23, 284-yard, two-touchdown, no-interception performance in Super Bowl LI, Jones’ 87 yards on four catches, Freeman’s 75 rushing yards and a touchdown, and Dwight’s 210 kick-return yards with a 94-yard touchdown in Super Bowl XXXIII.
For the Baltimore Ravens, who are 2-0 in Super Bowls (XXXV, XLVII), ESPN’s all-time Super Bowl roster features QB Joe Flacco, RB Jamal Lewis, WRs Anquan Boldin and Brandon Stokley, TEs Shannon Sharpe and Dennis Pitta, and an offensive line that includes Jonathan Ogden and Marshal Yanda. The defensive selections include Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Rod Woodson. ESPN described the Ravens’ two titles as a near split: the 2000 championship was carried by Lewis and the defense, while the 2012 title was led by Flacco and the offense, according to ESPN.
