The Green Bay Packers have 29 players who were primarily known as Packers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. These well-known players spent substantial time in Green and Gold and made their reputation in large part during their time with the Pack. But there are other players inducted in Canton who only briefly played for the Packers but are better remembered for their time with other teams. Do you remember these five Hall of Famers who briefly played for the Packers?
Five Hall of Famers Who Briefly Played for the Packers, Number Five: DT Steve McMichael
Defensive tackle Steve McMichael spent 15 years in the NFL and was a two-time Pro Bowler. After one season with the Patriots, he spent the next 13 years with the Bears and was an integral part of the team’s 1985 Super Bowl winning team.
“Mongo” finished his NFL career with the Packers in 1994. McMichael started 14 games and recorded 2.5 sacks. He also forced a fumble and recovered a fumble while making 28 total tackles. The former Texas star gave a young and improving Packers team veteran leadership as they made the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
McMichael passed away in 2025 from ALS at the age of 67. He will always be remembered as a Bear but finished his career in Green Bay.
Number Four: K Jan Stenerud
Jan Stenerud became the first pure kicker inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The native of Norway will be best remembered for his 13 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. Stenerud was one of the top kickers in the AFL and then the NFL and kicked three field goals in the Chiefs 23-7 win over the Vikings in Super Bowl IV.
The Montana State alum made six Pro Bowls during his career and led the league in field goals three times.
He joined the Packers late in the 1980 season and remained with the Pack through the end of the 1983 campaign. In 1981, he set a new Packers franchise record for field goal accuracy when he connected on 22-of-24 field goals for the season, a .917 percent success rate. He gave the Packers stability at kicker after the team struggled through the 1979 and 1980 season at the position.
Stenerud finished his career with the Vikings in 1984 and 1985 and retired at the age of 43.
Five Hall of Famers Who Briefly Played for the Packers, Number Three: Edge Julius Peppers
The Packers signed Julius Peppers to a free agent contract before the 2014 season. He spent three years in Green Bay and earned Pro Bowl honors in 2015 when he recorded 10.5 sacks.
Peppers will always be best remembered for the 10 seasons he spent with the Carolina Panthers where he was named the 2002 Defensive Rookie of the Year. Peppers went to nine Pro Bowls and earned All Pro honors three times.
The former North Carolina star possessed a unique combination of size and athleticism that made him a dangerous pass rusher. In his 17-year NFL career, Peppers recorded 159.5 sacks and was named to the NFL’s All Decade Teams of the 2000s and 2010s.
Number Two: CB Emlen Tunnell
When he retired in 1961, Emlen Tunnell was the NFL’s all-time interception leader with 79. He will always be remembered for his 11 seasons with the New York Giants who he helped lead to the NFL title in 1956. Tunnell made the Pro Bowl eight times with the Giants and earned All Pro honors four times.
He joined the Packers in 1959 when Vince Lombardi brought him with him from the Giants where Lombardi had served as an assistant coach before taking the head job in Green Bay. Tunnell played three seasons for the Packers, earning Pro Bowl honors in 1959. He gave the Packers veteran leadership and a player who knew Lombardi and knew how to win. Tunnell was also one of the first prominent African American players to play in Green Bay.
Tunnell’s final game came in the 1961 NFL Championship Game when Lombardi won his first championship. It came against his former team, the New York Giants.
Five Hall of Famers Who Briefly Played for the Packers, Number One: LB Ted Hendricks
Ted Hendricks spent the first five seasons of his Hall of Fame career with the Baltimore Colts and was a starter when they won Super Bowl V. “The Mad Stork” played the final nine years of his career with the Raiders. In between he spent the 1974 season in Green Bay.
Hendricks had a great season with the Packers. He earned Pro Bowl honors and All Pro honors after intercepting five passes and blocking seven kicks. His addition gave the Packers a great trio of linebackers that year with Hendricks and Fred Carr on the outside and Jim Carter in the middle.
Unfortunately, Hendricks signed with the WFL for 1975. The Raiders gave the Packers two first round picks for his rights.
Hendricks played on four Super Bowl winning teams and was named to the NFL’s All Decade Teams for both the 1970s and 1980s. Many people forget his one season in Green Bay.
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