In the NFL, it doesn’t matter where you’re born; if you’re talented enough, you’ll be on an NFL roster.
Throughout NFL history, many players who have suited up were born in Canada.
Below, I’ll take a look back at all of the Canadian-born players and rank the eight best to play in the NFL.
Best Canadian NFL Players of All Time
| Rank | Player | Teams |
| 1 | Bronko Nagurski | Chicago Bears |
| 2 | Arnie Weinmeister | New York/Brooklyn Yankees, New York Giants |
| 3 | Mark Rypien | Washington Redskins, Cleveland Browns, St. Louis Rams, Philadelphia Eagles |
| 4 | Eddie Murray | Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington, Minnesota Vikings |
| 5 | Mike Vanderjagt | Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys |
| 6 | Rueben Mayes | New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks |
| 7 | Nate Burleson | Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions |
| 8 | Mitch Berger | Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos |
1. Bronko Nagurski – Rainy River, Ontario
From 1930 to 1937 and in 1943, Nagurski played offensive tackle and fullback for the Bears. He won three NFL championships in 1932, 1933, and 1943. He made four first-team All-Pros, was the NFL rushing leader in 1932, and his No. 3 is retired by the Bears.
His first stats were recorded in 1932. He had 633 carries for 2,778 yards and 25 touchdowns.
He’s a member of the Pro and College Football Hall of Fame.
2. Arnie Weinmeister – Rhein, Saskatchewan
Little is known about Weinmeister’s statistics, given the era in which he played, but he’s in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He made four first-team All-Pros from 1950 to 1953 and four Pro Bowls playing defensive tackle for the New York Giants in that same stretch.
3. Mark Rypien – Calgary, Alberta
Of all the Canadian-born quarterbacks, Rypien is the go-to guy. He won two Super Bowls with Washington and also played for the Browns, Rams, Eagles, Falcons, and Colts.
In his career, he started 78 games and compiled a 47-31 record. He completed 56.1% of his passes for 18,473 yards, 115 touchdowns, and 88 interceptions.
His best season was 1991, when he had 3,564 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
His first Super Bowl win was in 1988 when he didn’t play, but the other came in 1992. He completed 18 of 33 passes for 292 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception as Washington defeated the Buffalo Bills 37-24.
4. Eddie Murray – Halifax, Nova Scotia
A kicker, Murray was drafted in the seventh round, 166th overall, in the 1980 NFL Draft.
His career spanned from 1980 to 2000, during which time he won a Super Bowl, was named a first-team All-Pro as a rookie, earned three second-team All-Pro honours, appeared in two Pro Bowls, and led the NFL in scoring in 1981.
5. Mike Vanderjagt – Oakville, Ontario
Before joining the NFL in 1998, Vanderjagt played in the CFL for the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Toronto Argonauts. While CFL betting online wasn’t around in those days, he won two Grey Cups with Toronto.
He played for the Colts from 1998 to 2005 and with the Cowboys in 2006, before concluding his NFL career. During that time, he was a first-team All-Pro in 2003, a second-team All-Pro in 1999, made the Pro Bowl in 2003, was the scoring leader in 1999, and won various other awards in the other leagues he played in.
6. Rueben Mayes – North Battleford, Saskatchewan
Mayes was drafted in the third round at No. 57 overall in the 19867 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. That same year, he was selected No. 2 overall in the CFL Draft.
He played in the NFL from 1986 to 1993 with the New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks.
As a rookie, he ran 286 times for 1,353 yards, eight touchdowns, and caught 17 passes for 96 yards en route to an NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
He also made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and in his second year.
Today, he’s a member of the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame.
7. Nate Burleson – Calgary, Alberta
Best known today for his media work, Burleson had a solid 10-year NFL career as a wide receiver.
He never won a Super Bowl or made a Pro Bowl, but he was an excellent complementary receiver, most notably alongside Calvin Johnson during their run with the Lions from 2010 to 2013.
He was a third-round pick in 2003 by the Vikings. In his career, he had 750 targets for 457 receptions, 5,630 yards, and 39 touchdowns. He added another 23 receptions for 273 yards and two scores in seven playoff games.
His best season came in 2007 with the Seahawks. He had 50 catches for 694 yards and nine scores.
8. Mitch Berger – Kamloops, British Columbia
Punters don’t often get much credit, but Berger played 14 years, making two Pro Bowls and winning a Super Bowl in 2008 with the Steelers.
He was a sixth-round pick in 1994. He averaged 42.9 yards per punt and more than 30,000 net punting yards across his career.
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