NFL players are sick and tired of having other people judge and define them. As a way of taking some power back, the players announced a Players' All-Pro team Tuesday, in which active NFL players vote to determine the best players in the NFL.
The first Players' All-Pro team was announced Wednesday, featuring a first-team offense, defense and special-teams unit. It turns out the players are a pretty good judge of their colleagues.
Here's a list of the players who made the first-ever Players' All-Pro team offense:
Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Running back: Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
Wide receiver: Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Wide receiver: Davante Adams, Raiders
Tight end: Travis Kelce, Chiefs
Fullback: Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco 49ers
Left tackle: Trent Williams, 49ers
Left guard: Joel Bitonio, Cleveland Browns
Center: Jason Kelce, Philadelphia Eagles
Right guard: Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys
Right tackle: Lane Johnson, Eagles
Here's the Players' All-Pro team defense:
Interior D-line: Chris Jones, Chiefs
Interior D-line: Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams
Edge rusher: Nick Bosa, 49ers
Edge rusher: Myles Garrett, Browns
Nose tackle: Dexter Lawrence, New York Giants
Off-ball linebacker: Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens
Off-ball linebacker: Fred Warner, 49ers
Free safety: Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Steelers
Strong safety: Derwin James Jr., Los Angeles Chargers
Cornerback: Pat Surtain II, Denver Broncos
Cornerback: Darius Slay, Eagles
And finally, the Players' All-Pro special-teams unit:
Kicker: Jason Myers, Seattle Seahawks
Punter: Tommy Townsend, Chiefs
Punt returner: KaVontae Turpin, Cowboys
Kick returner: Cordarrelle Patterson, Atlanta Falcons
Core teamer: Jeremy Reaves, Washington Commanders
Core teamer: Justin Hardee, New York Jets
Long snapper: Morgan Cox, Tennessee Titans
All in all, that's a pretty strong list. It's tough to quibble with many of the selections.
If you disagree with one of the selections or think a player from your favorite team was snubbed, maybe that was due to the voting rules. NFLPA president J.C. Tretter laid out the rules in a post, explaining that players had to be active, could not vote for teammates or themselves, could not vote for players who missed five games before Week 15 and could only vote for their position or positions they face off against. Tretter explained that last point, saying centers could vote on other centers, nose tackles, interior defensive linemen and off-ball linebackers.
Tretter also outlined why the players decided they needed to vote for their own All-Pro team.
"We compete against each other all season long, watching hours and hours of film week after week after week, and yet we have never had an opportunity to truly use our expertise to select the best of us. We think it is important that players take the time to define ourselves, because so far, we have allowed everyone else to either pick or dilute our voices."
The statement that announced the team echoed that point, stating, "For too long, we have allowed everyone else to define the best of us as players. That ends now."
Overall, it's a strong attempt at something the players hope to continue moving forward and something that could provide fans with even more insight on players who might get overlooked by the more established awards.
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