10 Best NFL Players To Retire After Winning A Super Bowl

10. ILB Jack Reynolds - San Francisco 49ers

Reynolds was one of the better defenders of his time and he knew how to go out in style. It was the offense that won the 49ers their Super Bowls in the 1980s, but Reynolds was also a huge part of their success. In 1984, the team won it all and he rode off into the sunset.

9. OT Gary Zimmerman - Denver Broncos

Offensive lineman don't get a lot of glory, but Zimmerman earned it after winning Super Bowl XXXII.

8. OL Forrest Gregg - Dallas Cowboys

Another offensive lineman that didn't get a lot of love was Forrest Gregg, a versatile offensive lineman for some very good Cowboys teams. He battled in the trenches his entire career and left it all on the field in 1971 when he played in his final game, the Super Bowl. After winning it all, he couldn't have retired with many regrets.

7. OLB Seth Joyner - Denver Broncos

Joyner was better known for his time with the Eagles, but he finished up his career with the Broncos. It was there that he and a few other Broncos players played their final game in the Super Bowl. Joyner went out the same year as Elway and also got to hold the Lombardi Trophy before hanging up the cleats.

6. LB Ted Hendricks - Oakland Raiders

One of the best linebackers of his generation, Ted Hendricks knew how to get the job done. He and the Raiders got the job done in 1983, during his last game, in the Super Bowl. Someone as tenacious as he wasn't going to be denied a Super Bowl in his last chance at one.

5. CB Mel Renfro - Dallas Cowboys

Renfro was a versatile and physical defensive back in his day and was one of the best players to ever win the Super Bowl in his final career game. His Cowboys came out victorious in the big game in 1977 and he got to call it a career after winning the biggest game of his life.

4. DE Michael Strahan - New York Giants

The Giants always found ways to win in the playoffs even when they were a mediocre team in the regular season and a lot of that had to do with the heart and determination of Michael Strahan. In 2007, the team needed him more than ever and he delivered. Knowing he was likely done after the season, he gave it his all and ended up finishing his career on top.

3. RB Jerome Bettis - Pittsburgh Steelers

The Bus suited up for the Super Bowl in 2005 knowing it would be his final game. He didn't tell head coach Bill Cowher, but he knew. With that in mind, he rumbled his way to a great game against the Seahawks as the Steelers won yet another Super Bowl. For him, though, it was a first and last. And boy, was it a way to end a career.

2. LB Ray Lewis - Baltimore Ravens

Ray Lewis won a Super Bowl relatively early in his career, but then he went on a decade-plus-long drought. In his final season, though, he wasn't going to be denied one last Super Bowl title. One of the most dominant defensive players of all time, Lewis was able to stay healthy and play in the Super Bowl against the 49ers in 2013 and win his final game.

1. QB John Elway - Denver Broncos

What makes Elway's story so great is that he looked like he was going to retire without a Super Bowl title, much like Dan Marino did. Of course, that would have majorly damaged his legacy. However, he stuck it out and kept playing into the 1997 season when he finally won it all. He could've retired on top, but he bet on himself and the Broncos again in the 1998 season. Once again, he came through and became a rare player to win a Super Bowl in each of his final two seasons.