Chicago Bears: Top 25 players in franchise history

The Chicago Bears are one of the most storied franchises in NFL history. Halas Hall has been home to some of the greatest to ever play the game.

Our beloved Chicago Bears are nearing their 100th anniversary as a franchise next year. In honor of such a milestone, I wanted to take some time and dive into some of the greatest players to ever strap it up for the navy and orange.

It wasn’t an easy task, however. How do you take 100 years of the greatest franchise in all of sports and narrow down just 25 players, dubbing them the best to ever do it?

The Bears are proud to have an NFL-best 28 players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. With a number like that, and so many other talented players who called Chicago their home, it’s no wonder this is one of the toughest tasks a writer, analyst or fan could ever attack.

I take a look at, not only the fresh faces of the 21st century, but the ones who may not even be known to the youngsters cheering on the Bears today. With names like Brian Piccolo, Tom Waddle and Jordan Howard not making a list like this, some — mainly the younger crowd — may wonder just how I came to my conclusions.

Here are some ground rules in order to be named a top-25 player in franchise history — the way I see it.

First, the player must have played for the Bears for at least three seasons. Second, this list does not include players currently on the roster. Finally, these are all players who are no longer playing in the NFL — that means no Robbie Gould or Julius Peppers, for those wondering.

Without further adieu, let’s begin.