Bama Central

All-Time Alabama Crimson Tide Players in the NFL By Team

Which NFL teams have had the most former Alabama Crimson Tide football players on their roster, and which have had the fewest

Christopher Walsh

It's not easy for Alabama Crimson Tide fans to root for the Minnesota Vikings. 

Same goes for the Denver Broncos. 

Neither franchise has had too many Crimson Tide players over the years. 

Granted, the Broncos just drafted wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, and signed free-agent linebacker Mark Barron, so its number is about to go up when the 2020 season kicks off.

But heading into 2020, they and the Houston Texans were tied for the fewest number of former Alabama players all-time. 

The Texans are understandable, they've only been around since 2002. 

The Broncos were founded in 1960, the Vikings in 1961. It sort of makes sense, though, since each franchise is located in the heart of a conference other than the SEC, and Alabama isn't exactly known for its cold-weather players (although Joe Namath and Bart Starr did pretty well leading northern teams. 

Of course, another way to look at it is every NFL franchise has had at least 10 former Alabama players over the years, which is remarkable. 

As for which franchises have had the most, the numbers pretty much line up with the draft with one major exception, the Detroit Lions. 

If you saw our All-Time Alabama Players Drafted by Team database, you know that Washington has selected the most Crimson Tide players over the years, followed by the Packers, Cardinals and Giants. 

The Lions had drafted just 13 Crimson Tide players, yet 32 had played for the franchise through 2019. It's been around since 1929, initially as the Portsmouth Spartans of Portsmouth, Ohio, and moved to Detroit in 1934.

Most Crimson Tide Players All-Time

(Through 2019 season)

  1. Washington Football Team 36
  2. Green Bay Packers 32
  3. Detroit Lions 29
  4. Arizona Cardinals 27
  5. New York Giants 24
  6. Miami Dolphins 24
  7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24

Fewest Crimson Tide Players All-Time

(Through 2019 season)

  1. Denver Broncos 10
  2. Minnesota Vikings 10
  3. Houston Texans 10
  4. Cleveland Browns 11
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars 11
  6. Las Vegas Raiders 11
  7. Los Angeles Chargers 11
  8. Carolina Panthers 11

This story will be updated after the start of the 2020 NFL season and occasionally thereafter

Published
Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.