The 9 Heaviest Players In NFL History

Former Florida defensive lineman Desmond Watson signed with the Buccaneers after every team passed on him in the 2025 NFL Draft, and the 6’6″ behemoth who tipped the scales at 464 pounds at the combine will almost certainly become the heaviest player to ever appear in an NFL game if he ends up making the final roster.

The NFL is overflowing with some impressively large human beings, and that’s especially true when it comes to the players who are tasked with getting down and dirty in the trenches.

You’re not going to be able to hold your own at those positions unless you’re able to pack a staggering amount of weight onto your frame, and the guys who have the distinction of being the heaviest players to ever play in an NFL game definitely managed to check that box.

Aaron Gibson: 410 Pounds

Aaron Gibson used his beefy body to his advantage at Wisconsin while racking up a ton of accolades for his play at right tackle, and the Lions ultimately selected him with the 27th overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft. (he only spent a single season in Detroit and was sidelined for the bulk of his rookie year with a shoulder injury).

Gibson put on even more weight before signing with the Cowboys but fell victim to a knee injury that limited that stint to a single game, and had one last ride with the Bears while starting all 16 contests he appeared in during the 2004 campaign.

He ultimately played in 38 NFL games and mounted a comeback in the Arena Football League before his pro football career came to an end in 2010.

Nate Newton: 401 Pounds

Nate Newton started his career in the USFL before signing with the Cowboys in 1986, and the guard/tackle peaked at 401 pounds during an NFL career that lasted for 14 seasons (all but one of those were with Dallas, as he closed it out with the Panthers).

The fact that Newton was bigger than William “The Refrigerator” Perry (who we’ll discuss in a moment) led to him being dubbed “The Kitchen,” but he eventually realized his weight was a detriment after Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson beat him in a footrace in an attempt to drive that point home.

He was still a big guy after slimming down a bit, and that decision benefited a man who was a two-time Pro Bowler and key member of a Cowboys team that won three Super Bowls while he was on the roster.

In 2010, Newton underwent a gastrectomy in the hopes of losing the weight he largely maintained after retiring and eventually got down to 220 pounds.

Bryant McKinnie: 386 Pounds

Bryant McKinnie was a two-time All-American as an offensive tackle at Miami, and the Vikings scooped him up with the seventh overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft.

He initially lived up to the hype during an NFL career where he appeared in 179 games over the course of the 12 seasons he primarily spent in Minnesota ahead of stints with the Ravens and Dolphins.

His weight was the biggest reason his time with the Vikings came to an end, as he’d ballooned to 386 pounds from 360 the previous year when he showed up to training camp in 2011 before being cut.

His conditioning was also an issue in Miami, who traded for him in 2013 and ended up regretting that decision due to how he fared in what ended up being his final NFL season.

William Perry: 382 Pounds

There isn’t a single player on this list who’s more well-known than the man known as “The Fridge,” who is best known for what he achieved with the Bears during his 10-year NFL career.

The defensive tackle’s weight served as a hindrance at times, but Mike Ditka also loved to take advantage of it while deploying Perry as a fullback in short-yardage situations—none of which were more notable than the touchdown he scored when the Bears spanked the Patriots in Super Bowl XX.

That score was an absolute bloodbath for a casino that had offered 20/1 odds on the wager widely credited with popularizing prop bets for The Big Game, and he remains the heaviest player to score a touchdown in the championship showdown.

Daniel Faalele: 380 Pounds

Daniel Faalele is the first active player to make an appearance on this list, as the guard who was picked by the Ravens in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft recently wrapped up his third season with the team.

The Australian of Polynesian descent has an easier time getting away with his weight thanks to his 6’8″ frame, and he’s doing something right when you consider he started in all 17 games he played in for the first time in 2024.

Faalele has actually lost weight since he started making a name for himself, as he was 394 pounds when he headed to the United States to play high school football and weighed in at 384 pounds in the combine after wrapping up his college career at Minnesota.

Trent Brown: 380 Pounds

Trent Brown has played for five different teams since he was drafted by the 49ers in the seventh round in 2015 and most recently suited up for the Bengals before signing with the Texans ahead of next season.

The offensive tackle who played college football at Florida has appeared in 103 games so far and will be looking to bounce back from the knee injury that cut his season short after just three games in 2024.

Ted Washington: 375 Pounds

You might not think being one of the heaviest players in NFL history is conducive to a lengthy career, but it didn’t prevent Ted Washington from spending 17 seasons in the league.

The defensive tackle made his debut with the 49ers in 1991 after they nabbed him out of Louisville with the 25th overall pick.

When everything was said and done, he spent time with seven different teams while appearing in a grand total of 236 games, being named to four Pro Bowls, earning first All-Pro honors in 2001, and winning Super Bowl XXXVIII as a member of the Patriots.

Caleb Jones

I’m limiting this list to guys who’ve appeared in at least one NFL game as opposed to people who were simply signed by a team, and Caleb Jones technically checked that box after playing in a single one for the Packers in 2023.

The 6’9″ Indiana product went undrafted in 2022 before signing with Green Bay and was listed at 370 pounds ahead of what is currently his only NFL game: a showdown with the Lions on September 28, 2023.

Jordan Mailata

While there isn’t really a ton of competition, Jordan Mailata has the distinction of being the heaviest player in NFL history who never appeared in a single college football game; like Faalele, he hails from Australia but focused on rugby before making the leap to football.

It’s worked out pretty well for him so far, as the offensive tackle who was drafted by the Eagles with the 233rd overall pick in 2018 has appeared in 74 games over the course of his first five seasons and capped off his last one with a Super Bowl victory.