Biggest Snubs From the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 2010s

The NFL released its all-decade team for the 2010s on Monday, and as is usually the case when it comes to such lists, there were a few names deserving of the honor that were left off. Here are the biggest snubs from the NFL 2010s All-Decade team.

NFL All-Decade Team Snubs

Drew Brees

The two quarterback spots on the team were given to Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. Brady, who has appeared in half the decade's Super Bowls, was an obvious choice. But Rodgers over Drew Brees? Far less obvious, and in my humble opinion, a mistake.

Brees outpaced Rodgers in every statistical category over the decade. He threw for more yards (46,770 vs. 38,145) and touchdowns (345 vs. 305) at a higher completion rate (69.5 vs. 64.7). Brees won 96 games over the last 10 years, while Rodgers won 95. The only leg up Rodgers definitively has is on the ground; he ran for 2,552 yards and 19 touchdowns this decade, while the pocket-bound Brees mustered only 272 yards but still had 16 touchdowns. Rodgers also missed 25 games, and Brees missed only six.

The Packers did win a Super Bowl right at the turn of the decade, while the Saints haven't been back to the big game since 2009. But that one win shouldn't push Rodgers above Brees when taking into account the entire body of work. As owner of several NFL records, Brees deserved a spot here.

Jimmy Graham

Similar to quarterback, there was no doubt when it came to the first spot for the All-Decade tight ends. Rob Gronkowski obviously takes the cake there, although perhaps the biggest snub of all is the fact that he wasn't a unanimous selection. That second spot, however, went to Travis Kelce when it clearly should have gone to Jimmy Graham.

Kelce has been better than Graham over the last three seasons, no doubt about that. But we're talking about an entire body of work here, and Graham's consistent statistical dominance stands out when you compare their production over the last 10 years. Buoyed by his extra three seasons in the league, Graham straight-up doubled Kelce's touchdown count this past decade, scoring 74 to Kelce's 37. He outgained Kelce in yardage and receptions as well, catching 649 passes for 7,883 yards compared to Kelce's 507 for 6,465. Kelce has been a prominent part of the NFL's most dangerous offense for the last two years, but Graham was a weapon few could match for a stretch of about five years in the middle of the decade. He deserves this spot.

Kam Chancellor

Unlike the previous two snubs, Chancellor's exclusion cannot be proven unjustified by statistical measurements. The other safeties chosen (Eric Weddle, Eric Berry, and Earl Thomas) are all excellent players in their own right and played longer than Chancellor, who retired after the 2017 season. But Chancellor was the most feared member of the most feared secondary the NFL has seen in a long time, and maybe ever.

A safety's impact goes far beyond the statistics, although Chancellor has the required resume to be at least in consideration here; he was a four-time Pro Bowler, who racked up 607 tackles, 12 picks, and nine forced fumbles over his seven-year career. But Chancellor's presence patrolling the line of scrimmage was unlike any other we saw this decade, and dredges up memories of Troy Polamalu. That kind of dominance deserves recognition in an All-Decade team.