3 legendary NFL defenders who played in the wrong era

NFL defenders who played in the wrong era: 1. Deion Sanders, CB

The past offers nostalgia for most defensive players, but not necessarily for cornerbacks. In a game that relied heavily on the run game, cornerbacks weren’t given the same opportunities as today. It’s true that in 1971, Bill Bradley led the NFL with 11 interceptions, a feat that Trevon Diggs replicated 50 years later in 2021. Yet the passing yards leader in 1971 was John Hadl with 3,075 yards, while in 2021, Tom Brady led the league with 5,316 passing yards. There are more passing attempts, more receive routes run, and more opportunities for offensive mistakes that allow cornerbacks the ability to shut down opponents like never before. That’s one of the many reasons that Deion Sanders would have thrived in today’s game.

Sanders finished his NFL career with 53 interceptions returned for 1,331 yards and nine touchdowns, with 25 passes defended, 10 forced fumbles and 512 total tackles. Playing consecutively from 1989 to 2000, then a short stint with the Baltimore Ravens from 2004-2005, Sanders was still able to enjoy the advent of the passing era, yet he primarily missed the Tom Brady-Peyton Manning rivalry. Sanders was able to face Hall of Fame quarterbacks like Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, Dan Marino and Jim Kelly in the 1990s, but the high-octane offenses that allowed Diggs to feast on interceptions in 2021 would have enthralled Sanders thirty years prior.

Yet the primary reason that Sanders played in the wrong era is that Prime Time would have been an even bigger name had he played today. Sanders was the first NFL player to uniquely brand himself the way he did, using his level of play to reinforce his greatness. Sanders lived up to his “Prime Time” and “Neon Deion” nicknames, taking every opportunity to showcase his personality off the field to reinforce his legend on it. Sanders even released an entire rap album in 1994 as a monument to his greatness, and that was before he won two Super Bowls.

As lauded as Sanders is for the era he played in, and as much well-deserved attention that he garnered, it’s exciting to imagine an even bigger spotlight on Sanders if he played today — if that’s even possible.