NFL Players and Their Cars

    

 

What Do Your Favorite NFL Players Drive?

Fall is coming, and so is football. Americans across the country are packing up their hotdogs, drinks, and their favorite jerseys into their favorite cars and trucks.  On August 7th, the preseason started as the Green Bay Packers hosted the Indianapolis Colts to kick off the 2016 NFL season. What better time to take a look at what the best players in the league drive?

This list includes a wide range of vehicles, from $2 early-90’s imports to custom luxury cars that sit around $300,000. Some of the vehicles on this list may surprise you, both in their affordability and who is behind the wheel.

Take a look at the cars of NFL superstars.          

Chevrolet Tahoe

Player: Eric Berry, Strong Safety for the Kansas City Chiefs

Vehicle: Chevrolet Tahoe ($47,000)

Leading this list is a player who deserves the respect of every football fan, Eric Berry. During the 2014 season, Berry complained of chest pain after a game against the Oakland Raiders. What seemed like normal wear and tear ended up being Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of cancer that compromises your body’s ability to fight infections. Berry completed treatments and resumed football activities before the start of the 2015 season, eventually earning back his starting spot and being selected to the Pro Bowl.
Berry’s choice of vehicle is something that’s as reliable as he is, the Chevrolet Tahoe. Sitting atop the U.S. News and World Report’s large SUV rankings, the Tahoe is praised for its top-of-the-line interior, gentle ride, and powerful V8 engine. A finalist for the 2016 Best Large SUV for Families award, the Tahoe will be able to haul you and your friends, as well as all of your tailgating equipment. With the ability to tow over 8,000 pounds, the possibilities for tailgate shenanigans are endless.
          

BMW 7-Series

Player: Michael Oher, Left Tackle for the Carolina Panthers

Vehicle: BMW 7-Series ($81,300)

Some may know him from the Sandra Bullock film The Blind Side, but Michael Oher is more than just a character, he’s a force to be reckoned with on the offensive line. A Super Bowl champion, Oher needs a car that has enough space for his 6-foot-4-inch, 315-pound frame, but is also luxurious enough for an NFL star. The BMW 7-Series meets both of those requirements.

Known as one of the most luxurious cars on the market, the BMW 7-Series is fully redesigned for the 2016 model year. The formerly available long wheelbase model has now become standard. The base 2016 740i is powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine producing 320 horsepower. The rear seats have been referred to as thrones, with 126.4 inches of leg-stretching space between the wheels. Throw in the available massaging, heated, and ventilated rear seats and you may never want to leave.
        

Smart ForTwo

Player: James Harrison, Linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers

Vehicle: Smart ForTwo ($14,650)

Known by players and fans alike as one of the fiercest, hardest-hitting players in the league, James Harrison has a soft spot when it comes to his car. Most would expect Harrison to drive something similar to Michael Oher’s 7-Series, with plenty of legroom to spread out and relax. Instead, the most feared player in the league drives the most adorable car on the market, the Smart ForTwo.
Although the ForTwo can only hold two people (hence the “For Two”), it has a surprisingly spacious seating area. The bigger-than-expected front seats take away from the ForTwo’s cargo capacity however; it has less than 10 cubic feet of trunk space. If you’re worried about safety, Smart has placed eight airbags around the interior of the tiny car to make sure you have protection in a worst-case scenario.        

Rolls-Royce Ghost

Player: Antonio Brown, Wide Receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers

Vehicle: Custom Rolls Royce Ghost (Around $300,000 Before Customization)

Imagine pulling up to Heinz Field in your Smart ForTwo and having to park next to a $300,000-plus Rolls Royce. Antonio Brown, the star receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, is a major fan of super luxury vehicles. The four-time Pro Bowler has had multiple Rolls Royce vehicles during his career, each one more impressive than the next. Rolls Royce gave Brown the Ghost, which is wrapped with a chrome and gold finish, before Super Bowl 50.

With a curb weight close to 5,500 pounds, the Ghost can reach 60 mph in less than five seconds due to its 6.6-liter 12-cylinder engine. The behemoth under the hood produces 563 horsepower and 575 pound-feet of torque, all connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Premium leather covers almost every surface of the Ghost's interior, except for the floor, which has an inconceivably soft carpet to rest your tired feet on.        

Mazda 626

Player: Alfred Morris, Running Back for the Dallas Cowboys

Vehicle: 1991 Mazda 626 ($2)


From the most expensive vehicle on the list to the least expensive. Current Cowboys running back Alfred Morris still drives the car he bought in college for a whole $2. Morris’ 1991 Mazda 626 was recently completely refurbished by Mazda, who was just as surprised as you are right now that it was still running.

The 110 horsepower sedan’s 626 nomenclature was retired by Mazda after the 2002 model year and was replaced by the Mazda6. The last American Mazda 626 was produced in Flat Rock, Michigan. However, they were produced until 2006 in Columbia. Morris’ 626, interestingly named “Bentley,” may never need to be taken off the road, and that’s just fine by him.         

Jeep Grand Cherokee

         Player: Tom Brady, Quarterback for the New England Patriots

Vehicle: Jeep Grand Cherokee ($29,995)

One of the most decorated players in NFL history, it’s easy to hate on New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (and even easier for me as a Jets fan). The four-time Super Bowl champion does have pretty good taste in cars though, being seen driving an Audi R8 and a Jeep Grand Cherokee. The Grand Cherokee is the perfect vehicle for those Boston winters, with three different four-wheel drive systems and an adjustable air suspension.

Powered by a 3.6-liter V6 base engine, the Grand Cherokee makes it easy to plow through snow drifts and get up to speed on the highway. Speaking of the highway, the Grand Cherokee is no slouch there either. With surprisingly composed handling and an extremely powerful SRT trim, the Jeep can perform just as well on the road as it does off it.        

Mercedes-Benz SL

Player: Larry Fitzgerald, Wide Receiver for the Arizona Cardinals

Vehicle: Mercedes-Benz SL ($85,050)

Larry Fitzgerald may go down as the most reliable wide receiver in NFL history, currently holding six franchise records with the Cardinals and thirteen NFL records, so it makes sense that he would drive a reliable German car. The nine-time Pro Bowler drives through the Arizona desert in a Mercedes-Benz SL, one of the more impressive German performance vehicles.

The Mercedes-Benz SL currently sits at the No. 5 spot on the U.S. News and World Report best luxury sports car rankings. This is partly due to the SL’s impressive engine lineup, which includes the base 329-horsepower twin-turbocharged V6, a 449-horsepower twin-turbocharged V8, a twin-turbocharged 577-horsepower V8, and a 621-horsepower twin-turbocharged V12. The interior does not let down either, with plenty of room for its two passengers.         

Chevrolet Camaro

Player: Patrick Peterson, Cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals
Vehicle: Chevrolet Camaro ($25,700)

One of the youngest stars in the game, 26-year-old Patrick Peterson, the lockdown cornerback of the Arizona Cardinals, knows a bit about power. In an interview with AZCentral, Peterson stated that, “I’m a Chevy guy, even a bigger Camaro fan.” It makes sense then that he owns a 2011 Chevrolet Camaro, painted with the Cardinals’ red and black color scheme.

The Camaro was fully redesigned for the 2016 model year, dropping the standard V6 from 2015 and opting for a turbocharged four-cylinder on the base trim. Though some people may look at that as the exact opposite of what a muscle car should do, the turbo four has impressed automotive journalists across the nation. It’s always better to go for more power though, and Chevy offers it with a 6.2-liter V8, the same engine in the Corvette, that produces 455 horsepower and 455 pound-feet of torque.        

Mercedes-Benz G-Class

Player: Russel Wilson, Quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks

Vehicle: Mercedes-Benz G-Class ($119,900)

Another young superstar, Russell Wilson, opts for a vehicle that’s slightly different than his Arizona counterpart's. Wilson drives a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, a large SUV that comes standard with a twin-turbocharged V8 engine producing 416 horsepower. All that power diminishes its fuel efficiency however; the G-Wagon only gets 13 mpg in the city and 14 on the highway, some of the worst numbers in the class.
But, being a Super Bowl champion means you can afford to upgrade your vehicles, and Mercedes pushes the limits of what an SUV can do. The AMG G65 trim features a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 engine that pushes out 621 horses and 738 pound-feet of torque, making it one of the most powerful cars on this list. All of that power can accelerate the almost 6,000 pound SUV to 60 mph in almost five seconds flat.        

Cadillac Coupe DeVille

Player: Jared Allen, Retired Defensive End

Vehicle: 1969 Cadillac Coupe DeVille ($19,900 in “excellent” condition)

Although he may be recently retired, former Chiefs, Vikings, Bears, and Panthers defensive end Jared Allen was a dominant force in the NFL. Allen, known for his impressive on-field performances and hilarious off-field antics, has a car that more than suits his personality. Jared Allen’s daily driver is a pink 1969 Cadillac Coupe DeVille.

The ’69 Coupe DeVille is a classic American car with a long wheelbase, a heavy curb weight, and a look that can only be described as beautiful. It doesn’t get more American than being built in Detroit, where Cadillac engineered the DeVille with a 340-horsepower V8 engine. In 1969, Cadillac decided to refresh the DeVille and give it a new front end that had styling similarities with their own Eldorado.

The DeVille nameplate was retired in 2005 and officially become the Cadillac DTS in 2006, although production of the DTS only lasted until 2011