Patrick Mahomes is working his way onto the NFL’s Mount Rushmore despite having played just eight seasons. Since 2020, he’s grabbed three Super Bowls and a league MVP. Given that he could conceivably suit up for another decade-plus, Mahomes could retire as the league’s greatest player.
Josh Allen doesn’t have a Super Bowl ring or much personal hardware to speak of, but he’s been the league’s second-best signal-caller of the decade. A likely upcoming MVP award only further cements his legacy as one of the greats.
Injuries limited Christian McCaffrey to just 10 games with the Carolina Panthers from 2020 to 2021, but he’s been dominant enough since to be included on PFN’s All-Decade Team. In 2023, McCaffrey won Offensive Player of the Year for the San Francisco 49ers and became the first running back to be legitimately involved in the MVP discussion in some time. CMC posted 2,023 yards from scrimmage despite sitting out Week 18; no other RB put up more than 1,600. His 21 total touchdowns tied for the NFL lead while he generated more first downs — both in the passing game (31) and the running game (83) — than any other running back.
Derrick Henry has led the NFL in rushing attempts four times in the past six seasons. Since 2020, he ranks first in rushing yards (7,590) and rushing touchdowns (68).
Tyreek Hill split the past five years between the Chiefs and Miami Dolphins, somehow becoming more productive after leaving Mahomes. A first-team All-Pro in three of the last five seasons, Hill is one of just four players with more than 6,000 receiving yards since 2020.
Injuries limited Justin Jefferson to just 10 games in 2023. Despite that missed time, he still leads the league in receiving yards since 2020 with 7,432. Jefferson is off to one of the hottest starts of any pass catcher in league history.
Davante Adams played for three teams — the Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders, and New York Jets — over the last three seasons. He earned three consecutive first-team All-Pro nods to begin the decade, but his production took a hit in 2023 (mainly due to the Raiders’ QB play). Adams and Henry are the only NFL players with 60+ touchdowns since 2020.
Stefon Diggs’ tenure with the Buffalo Bills ended unceremoniously, but that doesn’t change what he accomplished with Allen over the last four years. Diggs ranks sixth in receptions (492), sixth in receiving first downs (300), and sixth in receiving yards (5,868) and seventh in reciving TDs (40) since 2020. All of those numbers would be much higher had he not torn his ACL in 2024.
Travis Kelce will eventually retire among the NFL’s all-time tight ends, and the last five seasons have been much of the same. He easily outpaced the rest of his position in targets, catches, yards, and touchdowns since 2020, earning two first-team All-Pro berths and one second-team nod during that time.
While Ravens TE Mark Andrews has a case as the second TE on PFN’s All-Decade Team, his receiving totals are pretty similar to George Kittle’s. Andrews has scored two more touchdowns this decade, but Kittle has averaged roughly an extra yard per game. Kittle’s superiority as a blocker puts him over the top.
