The All-Time Greatest Air Jordan PEs: NFL Edition

Year: 2000

Deon Sanders' Hall of Fame career spanned 14 seasons, a staggering number for a skill position player. He only spent one of those seasons with the Washington Football Team (then called the Washington Redskins), but that season produced his most memorable Air Jordan PE: a white, burgundy and gold Air Jordan 11 with a turf-ready nubbed outsole and a 'Prime Time' hit on the tongue for a nod to his nickname. Sanders is also the only player on this list who had special baseball cleats as well – he was a two-sport athlete who rocked Air Jordan 11 cleats as a member of the MLB's Cincinnati Reds!

Year: 2001

There are two famous 'Super Freaks' in pop culture history: Rick James and Randy Moss. Rick never got an Air Jordan PE, but Randy Moss had several, the most notable of which was an Air Jordan 11 from 2001. As he was a member of the Minnesota Vikings' famed 'Three Deep' WR trio alongside Chris Carter and Jake Reed, Moss' Air Jordans featured a skol-worthy white, purple and gold colour scheme plus his #84 embroidered on the heel and an uncommon heel tab. Interestingly, Moss' PEs didn't feature a special traction pattern even though the Vikings played on a turf field at the Metrodome.

Year: 2004

A hulking, feared interior defensive lineman who played 13 NFL seasons over his Hall of Fame career, Warren Sapp had a HOF-worthy PE lineup as well! Though he took the field in everything from the Air Jordan 6 to the Air Jordan 11, the most noteworthy PE in his career was a super-sized Air Jordan 13 he wore in the 2004 season as a member of the Oakland Raiders, shown sans spikes here. Sapp took the field at 300+ pounds, so his white-and-black 13s featured a super-high cut that almost looked like a beefed-up boxing boot! Pity the offensive lineman who was bull-rushed with these.

Year: 2004

Terrell Owens is the fourth NFL Hall of Famer in a row on this list, and his cleats always matched his game during his time with the 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, Bills, Bengals and Seahawks. His finest footwear moment came in 2004 though, with an Eagles-themed Air Jordan 13. Its combo of black and midnight green are like catnip to any Philly fan, but the shoe's best detail is actually on the inside of its tongue – where a special tag says 'Get Yo Popcorn Ready,' a nod to one of TO's personal slogans and an unintentional foreshadowing of a memorable touchdown celebration later in his career.

Year: 2011

Michael Vick took over as the Eagles' full-time starter for the 2010-2011 campaign and wasted no time in putting up a Pro Bowl season. He was named the NFC's starter at QB for the Pro Bowl following the season, and he took to the field in Hawaii wearing a red and blue Air Jordan 3 cleat that matched his squad's festive uniforms. Talk about the beginning of a second act!

Year: 2013

Over the course of his eighteen-year NFL career, Hall of Fame defensive back Charles Woodson rocked dozens of Air Jordan PEs, especially during his 11 seasons with the Oakland Raiders. Raiders black and silver just looks mean on a PE cleat, and one of Woodson's most sinister-and-striking styles was a low-top Air Jordan 12 that he pounded the turf in during the Raiders' 2013 season.

Year: 2015

Seahawks safety Earl Thomas took the defensive backfield Air Jordan PE beacon from Charles Woodson in the 2010s, and top among his slime green and navy on-field footwear was an Air Jordan 7, made for him in 2015 as he pursued his second consecutive Super Bowl victory. Though the Seahawks lost the Super Bowl that year thanks to a last-second goal-line interception that still stands as one of the most questionable playcalling decisions in NFL history, Thomas' cleats were championship-worthy thanks to their unique mix of tumbled leather, patent leather and chrome detailing.

Year: 2016

The 2016 Browns were one of the worst teams in NFL history, finishing a paltry 1-15 in a season that saw them only put up 264 points while having 452 points scored against them. If there was a single bright spot in that dismal campaign for long-suffering Browns fans, it was the footwear of cornerback Joe Haden. It would be Haden's final year in a Browns uniform before he left for the greener pastures provided by the division-rival Steelers, and he gave Cleveland a stylish sendoff with cleats like this low-cut orange and brown Air Jordan 9.

Year: 2020

Saints receiver Michael Thomas' social handle is 'cantguardmike' across all platforms, and he was so unguardable in the 2019-2020 NFL season that EA Sports and Jordan Brand blessed him with a special all-gold '99 Club' Air Jordan 10 PE in the fall of 2020. Only given to Nike and Jordan Brand-endorsed NFL players who achieve a coveted 99 overall rating in EA Sports' Madden NFL franchise, the '99 Club' PEs are a badge of honour, and lucky enough for Thomas they matched the uniform colours of his squad too!

Year: 2020

Veteran running back Jordan Howard split the 2020-2021 NFL season between the Dolphins and the Eagles, but before leaving Miami for Philly, Howard rocked a notable pair of Dolphins-themed Air Jordan 10s. Looking like something straight of the Air Jordan 10 'City Pack,' Howard's patent leather cleats combined Dolphins aqua and orange and also featured a stylized 'MIA' hit towards the collar. Fins up for these!