The 10 best linebackers in the history of the Green Bay Packers

The job of an inside linebacker has evolved over time. Modern-day players must have the ability to slow down rushing attacks while also having the speed and agility to cover passes in the middle of the field.

Over the years, the Green Bay Packers have had up-and-down results at the position. Until recently, it's an area that the front office often neglected in favor of premium positions, like edge rusher and cornerback. However, great quarterbacks know how to attack the middle of the field, increasing the importance of investing at linebacker.

Take a trip down memory lane, and it's easy to see how game-changing linebacker play has helped the Packers over the years. Many of the team's greatest defensive players have led the way by making plays in the middle of the field.

Criteria for selection

The term "linebacker" has taken on various meanings over the years in Green Bay, but we'll keep it simple. We are focusing on players who weren't primarily pass rushers but instead spent most of their time in coverage and defending the run. For example, Julius Peppers and Preston Smith were linebackers in Green Bay's system, but they aren't included in these rankings. You can find them in our greatest edge rusher rankings, which includes 3-4 outside linebackers and 4-3 defensive ends.

Here, we are talking about the hard-hitting middle linebackers who make plays against the run and break up passes in the middle of the field.

Tackles are a good statistic to consider, but they aren't the be-all and end-all, especially as they haven't been officially tracked throughout Packers history. Individual awards, such as All-Pros and Pro Bowls, can help, as can defining moments in big games. How much of an impact did they make on the defense's success? Did they make a play that changed a game or even a season? How many years did they play for the Packers?

By taking all of these factors into account, we can build our top-10 rankings.

The top 10 linebackers in Green Bay Packers history

10. Clay Matthews (2009-2018)

Note: We're not talking about Clay Matthews, the outside linebacker, who holds the official Packers career sacks record. This is the version of Matthews who selflessly moved to inside linebacker in 2014 to help save Green Bay's awful run defense.

He changed everything.

The Packers had a Super Bowl-ready squad, but their run defense threatened to derail their title dreams. After eight games, Dom Capers' defense had allowed 153.6 rushing yards per contest, including 193 the previous week to the New Orleans Saints. Green Bay made the bold decision to move its star pass rusher inside, and it worked.

In the final eight games, the Packers allowed just 84.6 rushing yards per game. Despite playing a completely new position, Matthews made 42 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, and 11 quarterback hits, single-handedly turning a struggling defense into one of the league's best, and he went to the Pro Bowl.

Matthews spent one more season at inside linebacker in 2015, making 49 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 19 quarterback hits, one interception, and 14 tackles for loss. It earned him Pro Bowl honors for the second straight year.

The Packers moved Matthews to a different position midway through the 2014 season, a decision he embraced to help the team. He didn't complain or have an ego about it. Matthews did his job and became one of the league's best inside linebackers for a season and a half before moving back outside.

9. Johnny Holland (1987-1993)

A second-round pick for the Packers in 1987, Johnny Holland spent his entire seven-year career in Green Bay.

Holland would still be an effective linebacker in today's NFL because of his coverage ability. He consistently got his hands to the ball to break up passes and made nine interceptions for the Packers.

He would end up starting exactly 100 of the 103 games he played in Green Bay, providing consistency in the middle of the defense. Holland retired early due to injury but returned to Green Bay as part of Mike Holmgren's coaching staff, helping the Packers win Super Bowl XXXI. Holland is still in the NFL today and has been the San Francisco 49ers linebackers coach since 2021.

Holland was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 2001.

8. Mike Douglass (1978-1985)

The Packers drafted Mike Douglass in the fifth round of the 1978 NFL Draft, and he would spend eight of his nine seasons in the NFL with the Packers. He started 106 games.

Douglass made a ton of big plays in the middle of the Packers' defense, intercepting 10 passes and recovering 16 fumbles. In 1983, he made four fumble recoveries and returned two for touchdowns. Two years later, he made a crucial 80-yard pick-six in the fourth quarter of the Packers' 26-23 victory over the Detroit Lions.

He also knew how to pressure quarterbacks, making 38 sacks for the Packers, including a career-best 9.5 in 1981 and another nine three seasons later.

After leaving Green Bay, Douglass spent the final season of his NFL career with the San Diego Chargers. He was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 2003.

7. A.J. Hawk (2006-2014)

While A.J. Hawk never lived up to the sky-high expectations that come with being selected fifth overall, he became a reliable starter in the middle of the Packers' defense for nine seasons. Hawk started 136 regular-season games in Green Bay and another 13 in the playoffs.

His 922 tackles are by far the most in Packers history, although tackles didn't become an official statistic until 2001. Regardless, Hawk had an impressive career with Green Bay. Along with making over 100 tackles in five of his nine seasons with the team, Hawk also intercepted nine passes, made 19 sacks and 35 quarterback hits, and forced four fumbles. He started all four postseason games in the Packers' Super Bowl XLV run, making 16 tackles and a pass breakup.

Hawk spent the final season of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals. These days, you can find him co-hosting the Pat McAfee Show. The former first-rounder will undoubtedly make the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame one day.

6. John Anderson (1978-1989)

John Anderson didn't take long to make an impact in the NFL. The Packers selected him in the first round of the 1978 NFL Draft, and he quickly repaid their faith by making five interceptions and 3.5 sacks to earn a spot in the PFWA All-Rookie Team.

Anderson battled awful injury luck early in his career, but he still provided impressive longevity, making 146 appearances with 141 starts across his 12-year Packers career.

The Michigan product had an eye for the football. After intercepting five passes in his rookie year, he added another 19 between 1981 and 1987. His 25 career picks are tied with Ray Nitschke for the 12th-most in franchise history.

Anderson spent his entire NFL career with the Packers, providing stability in the middle of the defense for well over a decade. Nitschke is the only linebacker with more career starts for Green Bay than Anderson's 141. In 1996, he was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.

5. Lee Roy Caffey (1964-1969)

Vince Lombardi needed help on defense in the 1964 season, so he made a blockbuster trade for Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Lee Roy Caffey. He had only been in the league for one year as a seventh-rounder for the Eagles, but Lombardi had seen enough to send a trade package to the Eagles that included All-Pro center Jim Ringo.

Caffey proved Lombard right, as he was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1965 before earning first-team All-Pro honors the following year. He is credited with 14 sacks during his time in Green Bay while also making nine interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns. Caffey became an important player in Lombardi's defense, starting 75 games for the Packers.

He helped the team win three NFL championships and the first two Super Bowls, and he later won a third championship with the Dallas Cowboys.

After six seasons, the Packers traded Caffey to the Chicago Bears. He also spent one season with the Cowboys and San Diego Chargers. In 1986, Caffey was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.

4. Nick Barnett (2003-2010)

The Packers selected Nick Barnett in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft, and he became an instant starter. In fact, of the 107 games he played for Green Bay across eight seasons, he started each one.

Barnett was a tackling machine, posting at least 100 tackles in six of his eight seasons with the team. Only injury prevented him from reaching that milestone in 2008 and 2010, with Barnett limited to a combined 13 games in those two seasons. A.J. Hawk is the only Packers linebacker with more tackles than Barnett's 789.

Barnett enjoyed his best season with the Packers in 2007, making a career-high 131 tackles, 3.5 sacks, four pass defenses, and two interceptions. He was named a second-team All-Pro.

After spending eight years in Green Bay, Barnett finished his career with the Buffalo Bills and Washington Commanders. With the Packers, he made 789 tackles, 15.5 sacks, 52 tackles for loss, 36 pass defenses, and nine interceptions, including one pick-six.

3. Fred Carr (1968-1977)

Many of the Packers' greatest linebackers played under Vince Lombardi, but Fred Carr barely missed out as the team's first-round pick in their first year without Lombardi. While the team didn't have the same success in the late 1960s into the 1970s, Carr certainly did, becoming one of the best linebackers in franchise history.

Carr spent his 10-year NFL career in Green Bay, making eight interceptions and 15 fumble recoveries. Tackles and sacks weren't official stats during his playing career, but Carr has been unofficially credited with 13 sacks.

He was an incredible athlete and contributed on defense and special teams, quickly becoming one of the best linebackers in the league. By Carr's third season, he earned the first of three Pro Bowl appearances to go with a second-team All-Pro honor in 1975.

Carr missed the chance to play on one of Green Bay's greatest defenses under Lombardi's leadership, but he still enjoyed a legendary career and earned his spot in the Packers Hall of Fame.

2. Dave Robinson (1963-1972)

Dave Robinson switched from defensive end to linebacker after joining Vince Lombardi's Packers as a first-round pick in 1963. By his third season, he was a regular starter at the heart of Green Bay's defense and helped the team win three straight NFL championships and the first two Super Bowls.

He was a dominant run defender and offered next to nothing in coverage in the middle of the field, regularly matching up with Chicago Bears Hall of Fame tight end Mike Ditka. According to Packers historian Cliff Christl, Robinson gave up an average of just 1.5 catches and 14 yards per game against him.

Robinson made several big plays throughout his Packers career, including 21 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries. Sacks weren't officially counted while he played, but Pro Football Reference has credited him with 22.

A former first-team All-Pro, a two-time second-team All-Pro, a three-time Pro Bowler, and a member of the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team, Robinson is among the greatest linebackers in league history.

He was inducted into the Pro Football of Hame in 2013.

1. Ray Nitschke (1958-1972)

There's a reason why the Packers practice at Ray Nitschke Field. He is one of the greatest players in franchise history, regardless of position.

A hard-hitting tackler, a turnover machine, and the star of Vince Lombardi's championship defenses, Nitschke is among the best defensive players to ever play the game. NFL.com senior analyst Gil Brandt ranked the NFL's greatest linebackers of all time, with Nitschke at No. 11.

Nitschke spent his entire 15-year career with the Packers, earning two first-team All-Pro and five second-team All-Pro honors, while playing an instrumental role in the team's five NFL championship wins and two Super Bowls from 1961 to 1967.

A famous story from a 1960 practice highlights Nitschke's toughness. In windy conditions, a coaching tower fell on top of Nitschke, piercing a hole in his helmet. Lombardi rushed over to check he was OK, but after realizing it was Nitschke, he said: "He'll be fine. Get back to work."

Nitschke made 150 starts during his legendary Packers career, making 25 interceptions (including two pick-sixes) and 23 fumble recoveries. He made the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team, as well as the league's 50th and 75th Anniversary All-Time teams. Nitschke is a Pro Football Hall of Famer, a Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer, and had his No. 66 Packers jersey retired in 1983.

The 10 best linebackers in Packers history by tackles