The Super Bowl is a dream of any football fan, and I think most will agree these 10 guys deserve one the most.
We’ve seen the likes of John Elway, DeMarcus Ware, Jerome Bettis and more recent examples like LeSean McCoy, Ndamukong Suh and Matthew Stafford win a Super Bowl championship at or near the very end of their careers.
It’s always moving when an all-time great wins it all for the first time just before they call it quits. But several of our favorite NFL stars are at the point where it’s becoming now-or-never for a championship. And we certainly want them to taste championship glory before the clock runs out on their Hall of Fame careers.
Before we start, we just want to clarify that this list is specifically for star veterans that are nearing the end of their careers — as well as chances to win it all. So younger guys with all the time in the world like Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Nick Bosa, Justin Herbert et al were not eligible for this list.
With that said, let’s dive into 10 veteran NFL stars who deserve a Super Bowl ring the most before they retire.
Derrick Henry
If you look back at the majority of Super Bowl champions in the 21st century, you’ll realize that the majority of them lacked an all-world running back in his prime. Who was the last Super Bowl winner with a top-five RB in his prime? Probably the Seattle Seahawks with Marshawn Lynch a decade ago?
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Tennessee Titans’ star Derrick Henry has gotten close — helping the club to the AFC Divisional Round on three occasions — going as far as the conference championship game in the 2019 season.
But the eighth member of the 2 K rushing club hasn’t been able to do it all on his own. Inconsistent quarterback play by Ryan Tannehill over the last three years has prevented Tennessee from making another deep postseason run — and the clock is ticking on Henry to win a ring.
Among all active running backs, Henry has the best Hall of Fame case. A two-time rushing champion with 2020 Offensive Player of the Year honors and all these highlight reel runs on his resume? He should definitely get in when all is said and done.
But man, do we just want to see King Henry win at least one Super Bowl before he retires. He’s one of those players who’s simply impossible to hate. He’s his own breed as a one-man bulldozer who can take over the game at any moment.
Henry put the Titans on his back when they reached the 2019 AFC title game. Now, wouldn’t it be nice if all of his hard work and jaw-dropping play culminated in a championship? Be it with Tennessee or anywhere else, almost no active ring-less player deserves a championship more than Henry.
Trent Williams
Williams has made an enticing case to go down as the best offensive tackle since Cincinnati Bengals’ legend Anthony Munoz. Since 2012, the only year he didn’t make a Pro Bowl was the 2019 season, which he understandably sat out due his unhappiness with Washington’s medical staff.
After 10 years on football’s most dysfunctional team, Williams got his break when Washington traded him to the San Francisco 49ers. Williams played a key role in helping San Fran reach the last 3 NFC Championship Games in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Williams deserves a ring not just because he’s the best offensive tackle in a generation, but also what he went through in Washington. The medical staff failed to diagnose a cancerous growth on his head, but Williams fortunately had it noticed and removed before it could’ve gotten worse.
So you can’t blame him for opting to sit out of the 2019 season while waiting for Washington to trade him. That disgrace of a franchise under Dan Snyder showed no respect or remorse for Williams, all while he gave his heart and soul there for nearly a decade.
Williams is the golden standard of NFL offensive tackles. It’s great to see his talents NOT go to waste in San Fran. All we want now is for this hard-working and resilient star to get a ring before he calls it quits.
George Kittle
You can love or hate the 49ers, but it’s practically impossible to dislike George Kittle. The NFL needs more colorful and outgoing guys like Kittle, who put the “fun” in football.
Kittle is also a feel-good story. A 2017 fifth-round draft choice who has emerged as a top-three tight end of his era. In 2018, he set the single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end with 1,377 — though Travis Kelce has since smashed the record.
Kittle has endured enough postseason heartbreak. The 49ers’ collapse in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 54 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The 2021 and 2022 NFC Championship Game defeats. What more must the man go through?
Rob Gronkowski won four rings. Travis Kelce has two. Zach Ertz has one. Wouldn’t it be nice if Kittle, a borderline Hall of Famer, got to join the list of elite 21st century tight ends to win a championship ring?
You do get the feeling that it’s only a matter of time, given how stacked his 49ers are. The idea of Kittle having to retire without a championship ring would be awfully disappointing, though.
Patrick Peterson
You can argue all you want if it was Peterson, Richard Sherman, Darrelle Revis or somebody else as the top cornerback of the 2010s decade. But among all corners, none of them had greater longevity than Peterson — an eight-time Pro Bowler who remains an above-average starter heading into his 13th season.
Peterson had one actual good shot of winning it all back in the 2015 season, when his Cardinals fell to the Carolina Panthers in the 2015 NFC Championship Game. The Redbirds were irrelevant over his final five years there — and he went on to spend the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.
Minny went 13-and-4 in 2022, only to fall to the underdog New York Giants in the Wild Card Round. Peterson then took his talents to Pittsburgh, inking a two-year deal with the Steelers.
It’s a travesty that Peterson has only endured ONE playoff in his Hall of Fame career. He was remarkably loyal to a mediocre Arizona team for a decade before they parted ways. So it’s only fair that Peterson not only gets to enjoy more playoff success — BUT that he also hoists the Lombardi Trophy before calling it quits.
Things are looking up in the Steel City, so let’s see if they can help Peterson win the last thing missing in his legendary career.
Cameron Jordan
The New Orleans Saints drafted Jordan a year after they won Super Bowl 44. Little did the organization know that the next decade or so would be mired by coulda-shoulda-woulda and a plethora of heartbreaking postseason defeats.
A proud member of the 100-sack club, Jordan has been the heart-and-soul of New Orleans’ defense for over a decade. But from the 2011 NFC Divisional Round loss in San Fran to the Minneapolis Miracle to the NOLA No-Call to the Kyle Rudolph push-off-no-call, Jordan and company have endured their fair share of heartbreaking postseason defeats.
The eight-time Pro Bowler has only gotten better with age in the back half here of his career. But sadly, the Saints haven’t been the same juggernaut since Drew Brees’ retirement — and thus their championship window has started to close.
Calais Campbell
Among active NFLers, seven players are part of the 100-sack club: Von Miller, Cameron Jordan, Chandler Jones, Justin Houston, Aaron Donald, Robert Quinn and Carlos Dunlap. Campbell — sitting at 99 – will officially hit 100 with his next sack.
Campbell isn’t an All-Pro level player anymore, but he remains a quality starter entering his age-37 season. He’s had several close calls at a championship, having reached the big game with the Arizona Cardinals as a rookie, getting to the NFC title game with them in 2015 and getting to the AFC Championship Game in 2017 with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
A trade to the Baltimore Ravens in 2020 was supposed to help Campbell get that long-awaited championship, but it never happened.
Campbell may be intimidating with his 6-foot-8 and over-300-pound frame, but he’s one of the NFL’s ultimate good guys, having won the 2019 Walter Payton Man of the Year award. So who wouldn’t want to see this gentle giant win a ring?
Not sure if it’ll come with the Atlanta Falcons, but Campbell is certainly more than deserving of winning it all — one way or another. It’d be a shame if this future Canton inductee retired without getting his hands on the Lombardi Trophy.
Cameron Heyward
Like a fine wine, Heyward only seems to get better with age. Now…if the Steelers could just win that long-awaited seventh Lombardi Trophy before the fan favorite hangs up the cleats…
Pittsburgh drafted Heyward 31st overall in 2011 — just a couple of months after they lost Super Bowl 45 to the Green Bay Packers. Heyward has developed into one of the game’s elite defensive tackles during his tenure in Steel City, but there hasn’t been much postseason success to speak of during his run here.
Pittsburgh has advanced past the Divisional Round ONCE since drafting Heyward. That was in 2016, but Heyward suffered a season-ending injury midseason and had to watch his team get clobbered by the New England Patriots in the conference championship game from the sidelines.
Another one of football’s main good guys, Heyward has been a tireless worker and model of consistency in Pittsburgh. He’s a key reason why they haven’t suffered a losing season under Mike Tomlin.
Heyward’s got several good years left, no doubt. But will the Steelers break through with a ring before the borderline Hall of Famer calls it quits? We’ll soon find out.
Davante Adams
From 2014 to 2021, Aaron Rodgers was arguably the best quarterback in football as far as individual performances go. He won a league-high three MVP awards during that span, thanks largely to the efforts of Adams.
But the Rodgers-Adams era in Green Bay will always be filled with “what ifs?”. This dynamic duo led the Pack to NFC Championship Game appearances in 2014, 2016, 2019 and 2020. And they lost every single one of them.
Adams was football’s top receiver during his final years in Green Bay, yet it was never enough for Green Bay to get over the hump in the playoffs. It’s just sad to think that a six-time Pro Bowler with 87 receiving TDs — the most among active players — hasn’t even played in a Super Bowl yet.
We’re highly skeptical that Adams will win it all with the Las Vegas Raiders, especially with Patrick Mahomes in that division. Adams is one or two more good seasons away from locking down a Hall of Fame case — but that’s all for another day.
We just want to see Adams walk away with at least one Super Bowl on his finger before he retires.
Zack Martin
Good thing Jerry Jones took Martin over Johnny Manziel with the No. 16 selection in 2014. Manziel lasted two years in the NFL, while Martin has gone on to cement himself as the best guard of his era.
We know most of you hate the Dallas Cowboys, but let’s not pretend that Martin doesn’t deserve a ring. He’s been a Pro Bowler in eight of his first nine NFL seasons while also earning six first-team all-pro selections and a spot on the 2010s All-Decade Team.
There have been instances in his career where Martin has had fewer career holding penalties than Pro Bowl nods. Think about that for an instant, then tell us that he doesn’t deserve a ring.
Martin has blocked for rushing champions on three instances: DeMarco Murray in 2014 and Ezekiel Elliott in both 2016 and 2018. Without him and Tyron Smith, Dallas wouldn’t have had such a smooth transition from Tony Romo to Dak Prescott.
So yes, Martin is overly deserving of a Super Bowl — even if he plays on the team that you either love or hate. His status as a Cowboy doesn’t take that away. While most of you will weep if Dallas wins a Super Bowl, some should also weep tears of joy for Martin finally winning the big one.
Dak Prescott
Like we said on the Zack Martin entry, you can hate the Cowboys all you want. But it’s impossible to hate on a humble good guy like Dak.
This man has experienced unspeakable tragedy off the field, losing his mother to cancer while he was in college and his older brother in April 2020. Yet Prescott trudges along and remains a model person on and off the field, bravely speaking openly about his mental health struggles and winning the 2022 Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
He’s a nice feel-good story. A fourth-round pick who seized the moment when Tony Romo went down to injury in 2016. Love or hate him, Prescott has been a top-10 QB since his 2016 rookie year.
His Cowboys have endured plenty of heartbreaking postseason losses. If Prescott rises to the occasion and breaks through a champion at least once before his career ends, all of you — Cowboys haters included — must tip your hat to Dak. Almost nobody will have earned it more.
