If one were to ask a Green Bay Packers fan who the best free agent signings in franchise history were, they would likely give just two names: Reggie White and Charles Woodson. Both players are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and both helped the Packers win a Super Bowl. Additionally, both players won an NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award during their tenures in Green Bay.
The great Reggie White, the Minister of Defense, retired from the NFL and the Packers in 1998. In 2000, he came back and played one season with the Carolina Panthers before retiring again.
Woodson’s own time with the Packers came years after White left. Unlike the Super Bowl XXXI champion, he was not an established future Hall of Famer when he signed with Green Bay. It was his time with the Packers that propelled him to Canton and, arguably, onto ESPN’s list of the 100 greatest professional athletes of the 21st Century.
Green Bay Packers Legend Charles Woodson Is the 100th Greatest Professional Athlete of the 21st Century (Per ESPN)
On Monday, ESPN released the first installment of their top-100 professional athletes of the 21st Century. This installment included the athletes they ranked 100-76, and Woodson came in right at number 100:
Key accomplishments: Hall of Famer (2021), nine-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro, HOF All-2000s team, 2009 Defensive Player of the Year.
“Woodson’s career was a three-act play. In Oakland, as a Heisman Trophy-winning No. 4 pick, he was a hard-partying, hard-playing Hall of Fame talent. In Green Bay, he became a Hall of Famer. And with his return to the Raiders, he became a legend, making the switch from wild youngster at cornerback to sage vet at free safety. And if he lost a step, it was one precious few others ever had. ‘It was a beautiful transition,’ Woodson said, ‘if you will.’ And his first NFL coach, Jon Gruden, most certainly would. The slower-paced lifestyle of Green Bay helped Woodson, well, slow down and center himself. ‘And he met and married the right woman and had kids,'” Gruden said. — Paul Gutierrez
Woodson’s former Packers superstar teammate, Aaron Rodgers, came in ranked 91st on the list, a ranking that many Green Bay fans took issue with.
So far, Rodgers and Woodson are the only two athletes that played for a Wisconsin-based team to make the top-100 list.
Charles Woodson’s Legendary Career with the Green Bay Packers
After eight seasons with the Oakland Raiders, Woodson surprisingly signed with Green Bay prior to the 2006 season. He was an immediate impact player, intercepting a then career-high eight passes and deflected a career-high 20.
Woodson’s incredible play continued in 2007, but 2008 was when he really started to take his game to the next level. That year, he had seven interceptions (two of which he returned for touchdowns) and 17 passes defended. He made his first Pro Bowl since 2001 and was a Second Team All-Pro for the first time since 2000.
But it was the next season, 2009, that really turned Woodson into a legend. He led the NFL with nine interceptions, three of which he returned for scores (which also led the NFL). Woodson was a Pro Bowler, First Team All-Pro, and won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award.
The following season, he helped Green Bay win Super Bowl XLV.
Woodson played with Green Bay through 2012 season prior to finishing his career with the Raiders.
His 38 interceptions with the Packers rank fifth in team history and his nine defensive touchdowns rank first.
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