Published by Yala Media Group | April 2026
The NFL has always been America’s most-watched sport, and the story of Muslim players in the league is one of quiet persistence, faith-in-public, and extraordinary individual achievement against the backdrop of a league where Islamic athletes have historically been rare. Out of over 1,700 active roster spots, fewer than 20 players are estimated to identify as Muslim at any given time — making every Muslim who has excelled in the NFL a milestone as much as an athlete.
That story got a new chapter in 2025 when Abdul Carter became the first openly Muslim player ever drafted in the top 10 of the NFL Draft — selected third overall by the New York Giants out of Penn State, making history that resonated far beyond the football field.
This guide covers the best Muslim players to have played in the NFL across the modern era — the legends who paved the way, the standouts who kept the tradition alive, and the current generation who carry the torch.
The trailblazer: Ahmad Rashad
No conversation about Muslims in the NFL begins anywhere other than Ahmad Rashad. Born Bobby Moore, he converted to Islam and changed his name while in the league — one of the first professional Muslim athletes in American sports history.
Drafted fourth overall in 1972 — a top-five pick that remained unmatched by a Muslim player until Abdul Carter in 2025 — Rashad played wide receiver for multiple teams before reaching his peak with the Minnesota Vikings from 1976 to 1982. Four Pro Bowl selections. A career that was marked not just by performance but by the simple, significant act of being a visibly Muslim man playing in America’s biggest sport at a time when that was genuinely unusual.
His post-playing career as a sportscaster — including years as an NBC Sports host — kept him in the public eye as a prominent Muslim figure in American media. Ahmad Rashad demonstrated it was possible to excel at the highest levels and remain publicly Muslim, making him the foundational figure for every Muslim NFL player who followed.
The contemporary great: Aqib Talib
If Ahmad Rashad is the pioneer, Aqib Talib is the most accomplished Muslim cornerback in NFL history. Drafted in the first round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2008, Talib developed into the elite corner he was always projected to be — most notably during his time with the Denver Broncos, where he was a cornerstone of the historically dominant 2015 defense that carried the Broncos to Super Bowl 50 victory.
Talib’s resume: six Pro Bowl selections, Super Bowl champion (Super Bowl 50 with Denver), and a career that spanned 11 seasons. His man coverage ability, his physicality, and his competitiveness at the position made him one of the most feared corners of his generation.
He has been public about his Muslim faith, and his career represents the fullest expression of what Muslim excellence in professional football looks like — a first-round pick who delivered on that promise across a decade of elite competition.
The Abdullah brothers: Husain and Hamza
The Abdullah brothers represent one of the most compelling stories in Muslim NFL history — two brothers who made simultaneous sacrifices for their faith that the sports world took notice of.
Husain Abdullah, a safety who played for the Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs, sat out the entire 2012 NFL season to perform Hajj and Umrah in Mecca. He walked away from his NFL career for a year to fulfill the fifth pillar of Islam — and then returned to play in the NFL the following year. His story is extraordinary not just for the faith it demonstrated but for the public conversation it created about Muslim athletes and their religious obligations.
Husain was also the center of the league’s most prominent Islamic incident when he was penalized for excessive celebration after scoring a touchdown in 2014 — the celebration being a prostration (sujood) of gratitude to Allah. The penalty generated significant backlash, the NFL subsequently clarified that players can celebrate by going to the ground for religious reasons, and the moment became one of the most discussed intersections of Islam and American sports.
Hamza Abdullah, a safety who played for the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals, shared his brother’s faith and his commitment to making it visible in professional settings. Together, the Abdullah brothers represent a model of Muslim athletes who brought their deen into the public conversation rather than keeping it private.
Mohamed Sanu: the most complete Muslim receiver
Mohamed Sanu is the most accomplished Muslim wide receiver in the modern NFL era. Drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2012, Sanu carved out a 10-year career as one of the most reliable possession receivers and Swiss Army knives in the league — a player who could line up everywhere, return kicks, throw halfback passes, and contribute in every phase of the game.
His most prominent seasons came with the Atlanta Falcons, where he was part of Matt Ryan’s offense during the 2016 season — the Falcons’ Super Bowl appearance year. He later played for the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers.
Sanu has been consistently open about his Muslim faith throughout his career, using his platform to represent the community with class and consistency.
Oday Aboushi: the Muslim offensive lineman
Oday Aboushi is a Palestinian-American Muslim offensive guard who has carved out a sustained NFL career across multiple teams including the New York Jets, Houston Texans, and Detroit Lions. A University of Virginia product, Aboushi represents the Muslim working-class player — not a headline grabber, but a consistent, professional, faith-driven competitor who has maintained a long career in one of the most demanding positions in football.
His Palestinian heritage and Muslim identity have made him a figure of particular significance to Arab American and Muslim American communities who see in him a specific kind of representation.
Ameer Abdullah: Muslim running back
Ameer Abdullah has maintained a career as a running back and return specialist with several NFL teams including the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings. While not a starter, Abdullah has sustained a multi-year NFL career while being openly Muslim — making him a consistent presence in the league’s small but meaningful Muslim community.
The historical standouts
Muhammad Wilkerson — a defensive end who was one of the most dominant interior pass rushers in the NFL during his prime years with the New York Jets. Wilkerson at his peak — particularly in 2015, when he recorded 12 sacks — was among the most disruptive defensive linemen in the league. His Muslim identity was a consistent part of his public profile throughout his career.
Azeez Al-Shaair — a linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans who has been openly Muslim throughout his career. Drafted out of Florida Atlantic, Al-Shaair has developed into a solid starter and provides representation in a position group not commonly associated with Muslim players.
Robert Saleh — the first Muslim head coach
Robert Saleh made history in 2021 when he was named head coach of the New York Jets, becoming the first Muslim-born head coach in NFL history. A Lebanese-American Muslim from Dearborn, Michigan — the heart of Arab Muslim America — Saleh’s appointment was a milestone not just for the league but for the Muslim community broadly. He coached the Jets from 2021 to 2024 and remains the most prominent Muslim figure in NFL coaching history.
The new generation: Abdul Carter
Abdul Carter’s selection as the third overall pick by the New York Giants in the 2025 NFL Draft made history. He became the first openly Muslim player ever drafted in the top 10 of the NFL Draft — breaking Ahmad Rashad’s record of being taken fourth overall in 1972 and surpassing every Muslim player who came between them.
Carter, an edge rusher from Penn State, wore an outfit at the draft ceremony that paid homage to his Muslim faith — making the moment personal and public simultaneously. His selection carries the symbolic weight that every top Muslim athlete in American sports carries: the message to every Muslim kid watching that faith and excellence are not in conflict.
What Carter does with this opportunity on the field — in what is shaping up as one of the most anticipated careers for a defensive player in recent years — will determine whether he joins Ahmad Rashad and Aqib Talib at the top of this list, or transcends them entirely.
What Muslim representation in the NFL means
Islam forbids not just harmful behaviors but the cultivation of character that makes harm less likely — patience, discipline, commitment to something greater than oneself, the willingness to sacrifice for principle. These are precisely the qualities that produce elite athletes.
The Muslim NFL player who prays before games, who fasts during Ramadan while maintaining NFL-level conditioning, who makes sujood after a touchdown in front of 80,000 people — this player is not just performing athletically. They are bearing witness to something. The Prophet ﷺ said: “The best of people are those who are most beneficial to people.” The Muslim athlete who uses a platform of millions of viewers to make their faith visible, while embodying the excellence and character that Islam cultivates, is doing exactly that.
Every Muslim who has played in the NFL — from Ahmad Rashad to Abdul Carter — has made it slightly more possible for every Muslim kid who wants to play to believe that they can.
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