Which NFL teams will always be considered iconic?

[Shane612]

If we’re just talking iconic franchises, I have it like this

1. Packers
2. Bears
3. Steelers
4. Cowboys
5. 49’ers

If we’re talking greatest franchise ever, it gets more complicated

Super Bowl Era

1. Steelers
2. Cowboys (only ahead of Pats because we had two great runs instead of one)
3. Patriots
4. Packers
5. 49’ers

Pre-Super Bowl Era

1. Packers
   
2. Bears
3. Browns
   
4. Giants
5. Colts (Big drop-off after the Giants)

That pretty much covers it.

 

[Robbieac]

Cowboys
Packers
Steelers
Raiders
Bears
49ers

The pats may have have pushed their way in this group now too.

The Pats “may” have pushed their way into the group? Lolololololololol....



I am pretty sure that having more Super Bowl wins and more Super Bowl victories than ANY other team in NFL history makes the Patriots “iconic”.

Only an absolutely blind homer would consider any other option.


“The Patriots “may” have broken into the list. Ya know, maybe right below the Bears, Raiders, and possibly the Browns....”


Good grief guys. Accept reality for what it is. Tom Brady and his Patriots have accomplished more in 18 years than the other NFL teams (including our Cowboys) accomplished in 50!!!

Of course the Patriots are now “iconic”.

 

[FloridaRob]

i think Iconic means more that that. If the Pats go 20 years without winning anything do they still have that rating. I doubt it. The Cowboys, Packers, Steelers and Raiders are the four teams that would fill a stadium up even when their team is down. Those four teams will typically fill a visiting teams stadium up even when their team is down. It is those four teams and who cares after that.

 

[RS12]

Yeah I have to agree on Patriots. In the salary cap era no less. What they done in 20 years likely never gets repeated. Probably nobody comes close.

 

[Robbieac]

i think Iconic means more that that. If the Pats go 20 years without winning anything do they still have that rating. I doubt it. The Cowboys, Packers, Steelers and Raiders are the four teams that would fill a stadium up even when their team is down. Those four teams will typically fill a visiting teams stadium up even when their team is down. It is those four teams and who cares after that.

So iconic means:
“having gullible fans with too much money that are willing to pay outrageous ticket prices even though the product on the field has been garbage for at least 20 years”?

Then by all means....by that definition the Cowboys are the most ICONIC team in the history of sports.


As for the Patriots, I am not sure if their fans would be more intelligent with their money than Cowboys fans after 20+ years of garbage.

 

[Kwyn]

The Pats “may” have pushed their way into the group? Lolololololololol....



I am pretty sure that having more Super Bowl wins and more Super Bowl victories than ANY other team in NFL history makes the Patriots “iconic”.

Only an absolutely blind homer would consider any other option.


“The Patriots “may” have broken into the list. Ya know, maybe right below the Bears, Raiders, and possibly the Browns....”


Good grief guys. Accept reality for what it is. Tom Brady and his Patriots have accomplished more in 18 years than the other NFL teams (including our Cowboys) accomplished in 50!!!

Of course the Patriots are now “iconic”.

It’s just, at its core, one team in a single dynasty.

Compare that to the Packers, who won 13 NFL Championships, including 4 Super Bowls. The trophy is named after their coach. They did this across five different eras, including what was one of the greatest dynasties in sports history, the Lombardi era from ‘59-‘67

You do know that football existed before the Super Bowl era, right?

For you to just laugh off anything that happened before 2001 and focus only on the seventeen years of Brady/Belichick greatness, reflects a pretty narrow view of the sport.

Let them have another era of success post Brady/Bill and they will certainly be moved to the top of th Super Bowl era teams and then, let them do it a third time years from now and they can become truly Iconic.

 

[Nova]

The Pats “may” have pushed their way into the group? Lolololololololol....



I am pretty sure that having more Super Bowl wins and more Super Bowl victories than ANY other team in NFL history makes the Patriots “iconic”.

Only an absolutely blind homer would consider any other option.


“The Patriots “may” have broken into the list. Ya know, maybe right below the Bears, Raiders, and possibly the Browns....”


Good grief guys. Accept reality for what it is. Tom Brady and his Patriots have accomplished more in 18 years than the other NFL teams (including our Cowboys) accomplished in 50!!!

Of course the Patriots are now “iconic”.

But that’s kind of the point.

Their accomplishments have spanned 19 years, 1 QB and 1 HC. And while what they’ve done is wildly impressive and outclasses almost all NFL franchises, are the patriots “Iconic?”

I think they probably are. But I know the Cowboys, Steelers, and Packers are.

 

[Flamma]

Cowboys
Steelers
Raiders
Packers
Dolphins

 

[StarBoyz83]

The stealers and pats legacies are forever tainted though. Especially the stealers.

 

[Kwyn]

So iconic means:
“having gullible fans with too much money that are willing to pay outrageous ticket prices even though the product on the field has been garbage for at least 20 years”?

Then by all means....by that definition the Cowboys are the most ICONIC team in the history of sports.


As for the Patriots, I am not sure if their fans would be more intelligent with their money than Cowboys fans after 20+ years of garbage.

To be “iconic”, you need to have both professional *and* cultural relevance.

The greatness of the Cowboys, isn’t that they won five Super Bowls, it’s the fact that they transcended sport.

The Patriots have no soul and no true relevance beyond their trophies. There have been few, if any incredible dynasties who were more boring and uninteresting than the Patriots.

I’m in awe of what Brady and Belichick accomplished on the field, but their franchise is just a big “meh” for most people outside of their fanbase.

Here’s an example that might bring it home.
Who is more “Iconic”.

Muhammad Ali or Floyd Mayweather?

Accomplishments in the ring? Floyd held the championship in five weight divisions and went 50-0, but ask anyone who was alive for both careers who is “The Greatest” and almost all of them will quickly come up with the word “Ali”.m
Ali, even when ranked against the truly greatest boxers of all time falls short of Being #1 (Robinson) but he is *the* icon of Boxing and always will be.

Ali
Ruth
Jordan

... Brady?

Packers
Bears
Cowboys

... Patriots?

Transcending your own incredible accomplishments and making a mark on the world beyond the narrow focus of whatever sport you are part of is what gives a franchise or an athlete the title of “icon”.

 

[Bobhaze]

The Pats “may” have pushed their way into the group? Lolololololololol....



I am pretty sure that having more Super Bowl wins and more Super Bowl victories than ANY other team in NFL history makes the Patriots “iconic”.

Only an absolutely blind homer would consider any other option.


“The Patriots “may” have broken into the list. Ya know, maybe right below the Bears, Raiders, and possibly the Browns....”


Good grief guys. Accept reality for what it is. Tom Brady and his Patriots have accomplished more in 18 years than the other NFL teams (including our Cowboys) accomplished in 50!!!

Of course the Patriots are now “iconic”.

Me a homer? I usually get ripped for criticizing the team, lol. But thanks for the laugh.

 

[Super_Kazuya]

To be “iconic”, you need to have both professional *and* cultural relevance.

The greatness of the Cowboys, isn’t that they won five Super Bowls, it’s the fact that they transcended sport.

The Patriots have no soul and no true relevance beyond their trophies. There have been few, if any incredible dynasties who were more boring and uninteresting than the Patriots.

I’m in awe of what Brady and Belichick accomplished on the field, but their franchise is just a big “meh” for most people outside of their fanbase.

Here’s an example that might bring it home.
Who is more “Iconic”.

Muhammad Ali or Floyd Mayweather?

Accomplishments in the ring? Floyd held the championship in five weight divisions and went 50-0, but ask anyone who was alive for both careers who is “The Greatest” and almost all of them will quickly come up with the word “Ali”.m
Ali, even when ranked against the truly greatest boxers of all time falls short of Being #1 (Robinson) but he is *the* icon of Boxing and always will be.

Ali
Ruth
Jordan

... Brady?

Packers
Bears
Cowboys

... Patriots?

Transcending your own incredible accomplishments and making a mark on the world beyond the narrow focus of whatever sport you are part of is what gives a franchise or an athlete the title of “icon”.

The Patriots are clearly in there, otherwise you are just a Boomer picking the "old" teams. They just have too many things going on there, Super Bowls, 16-0, supposed GOAT coach and QB. Now maybe you could argue they still need a little more time in the rearview seeing as how the bulk of this all started about 20 years ago... that would be fair. But they absolutely are in the group and their popularity isn't going anywhere.

 

[NeathBlue]

Cowboys
Steelers
Raiders
Dolphins
49ers
Bears
Packers
They are all certain.
Rams
Giants
Patriots
Commanders
Those 4, in that order, are borderline.

 

[Kwyn]

The Patriots are clearly in there, otherwise you are just a Boomer picking the "old" teams. They just have too many things going on there, Super Bowls, 16-0, supposed GOAT coach and QB. Now maybe you could argue they still need a little more time in the rearview seeing as how the bulk of this all started about 20 years ago... that would be fair. But they absolutely are in the group and their popularity isn't going anywhere.

Nowhere near old enough to be a booker cut I do have a respect for the history of the game.

Anykbe can bandwagon on the latest and greatest and pretend like nothing in the world exists until they take notice of it.

I certainly wasn’t born when the Lombardy was around but it doesn’t mean I didn’t read about it and try to educate myself about the game I love so much.

But sure, define iconic however you like.

maybe Pat Mahomes can be an icon next season

 

[TroyEmmittAndMichael]

I think the Eagles and Reskins are pretty ironic

I like to think of them as moronic. There should be another thread of most moronic franchises. My list:
1. Eagles
2. Eagles
3. Eagles
4. Eagles
5. Eagles

Okay, okay...

1. Eagles
2. Raiders
3. Cardinals
4. Browns
5.Jets

 

[CWR]

Cowboys
Steelers
Raiders
Packers
Dolphins

You are early to mid 40s right? I figure that why you mention the dolphins. I agree. Lol

 

[phildadon86]

Thought about them, but they haven't been very relevant in years....

I want teams that stay in the news, even in their down years.

The Browns do have a history, tho.

Neither have we.

 

[Aerolithe_Lion]

Whether or not you feel they deserve it, the premier New York team will always be among the top 3-4 most iconic franchises.

Knicks win jack every year and they’re still way bigger than storied NBA teams like the pistons, the Rockets, the Wizards/Bullets.

Giants get in by default.

 

[Swanny]

Cowboys
Packers
Steelers
49ers
Bears
Raiders

Raiders cannot be left off the list. Al Davis as nuts as many people my age and younger think he was, was or is the most important person in making the NFL what it was. Al Davis in my eyes is absolutely the 1st person who would be put on the NFL Mt Rushmore.

 

[Sarge]

Prior to 2000, Patriots were very average. They haven't earned to be ICONIC, yet.

So the last 20 years doesn’t count?