NFL reading room: 32 teams, 32 book recommendations
If you’re looking for a good book about your favorite NFL team to read in the quiet months before the preseason, you’ve come to the right place. It’s Sports Books Week at The Athletic, and we’ve compiled a list of enjoyable reads about every team.
We went to our NFL beat writers with one question: Which book would you recommend about the team you cover? The results were wide-ranging, from behind-the-scenes looks at football locker rooms to chronicles of Cinderella and undefeated seasons, to books written by the players themselves. Some titles you may recognize, others may be new. We hope you find a few suggestions to enrich your reading experience. Books written by The Athletic staffers are marked with an asterisk (*).
You can find these lists across The Athletic today, with book recommendations for NBA, MLB, NHL, college football, men’s college basketball and women’s basketball. As in every case, we want to hear what you think of our picks and what’s on your bookshelf. Which books about the NFL have you enjoyed the most? Are there any stories you’d like to see turned into a book? Let us know in the comments section below and happy reading!
Arizona Cardinals
“100 Things Cardinals Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die” | Kent Somers
Somers, who covered the Cardinals for more than 20 years for the Arizona Republic, takes readers on a guided tour of the franchise’s history. — Scott Bordow
Atlanta Falcons
“Tales from the Atlanta Falcons Sidelines: A Collection of the Greatest Falcons Stories Ever Told” | Matt Winkeljohn
There has been some good and plenty of bad during the Falcons’ history, and longtime Atlanta sports writer Matt Winkeljohn breaks the best of the best stories for the Falcons. — Daniel Shirley
Baltimore Ravens
“Next Man Up: A Year Behind the Lines in Today’s NFL” | John Feinstein
The Ravens rarely open the curtain, but Feinstein was allowed inside the Ravens’ operations for the 2004 season. — Jeff Zrebiec
Buffalo Bills
“Relentless: The Hard-Hitting History of Buffalo Bills Football” (Vols. 1 and 2) | Sal Maiorana
Nobody has covered the Bills longer than Sal Maiorana. His depth of knowledge shines through in this comprehensive history of the franchise. Even diehard Bills fans will learn about their team reading this. — Matthew Fairburn
Carolina Panthers
“The Carolina Panthers: The First Season of The Most Successful Expansion Team in NFL History” | Joe Menzer and Bob Condor
Menzer, who covered the team at its inception, and Condor take readers behind the scenes of the Panthers’ inaugural 1995 season. Behind head coach Dom Capers and rookie quarterback Kerry Collins, the Panthers played their home games at Clemson and still managed to win seven games. — Joe Person
Chicago Bears
“Chicago Bears Centennial Scrapbook” | Dan Pompei and Don Pierson*
Written to honor last year’s Bears100 celebration, two of the deans of the beat wrote the definitive history of the team. The authors spent hours with George Halas’ daughter and franchise matriarch Virginia McCaskey, who wrote the foreword to the book. — Kevin Fishbain
Cincinnati Bengals
“PB: The Paul Brown Story” | Paul Brown with Jack Clary
The 1979 autobiography gives a great look inside how one of pro football’s pioneers built two franchises, from his roots in Massillon, Ohio, to founding the Bengals. It’s so poignant since it comes from the source himself. — Jay Morrison
Cleveland Browns
“The Browns Blues: Two Decades of Utter Frustration: Why Everything Kept Going Wrong for the Cleveland Browns” | Terry Pluto
Pluto is a longtime Cleveland sportswriter and award-winning author. He dives deeply into the misses that have riddled the new-era Browns and explores the disconnect between the fan base and the ever-changing Browns. — Zac Jackson
Dallas Cowboys
“Boys Will Be Boys: The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty” | Jeff Pearlman
A very detailed behind-the-scenes look at the Cowboys dynasty of the 1990s, the book starts with a player stabbing another player in the neck with scissors at training camp and it never really slows down from there. — Jon Machota
Denver Broncos
“If These Walls Could Talk: Denver Broncos: Stories from the Denver Broncos Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box” | Dave Logan and Arnie Stapleton
Dave Logan — one of only a few athletes to be drafted by the NFL (Cleveland Browns), MLB (Cincinnati Reds) and NBA (Kansas City Kings) — played nine years in the NFL before beginning his next two careers as one of the most successful high school coaches in America and a Colorado media legend. For the last 30 years, Logan has called Broncos games, first as a color analyst and then the play-by-play announcer, to serve as the voice of the team for all three of its Super Bowl victories. In his soon-to-be released book with Associated Press reporter Arnie Stapleton (it hits shelves Sept. 29), Logan recounts many stories from his decades working alongside Broncos executives, coaches and players. — Nicki Jhabvala
Detroit Lions
“Dutch Clark: The Life of an NFL Legend and the Birth of the Detroit Lions” | Chris Willis
Willis, head of the NFL Films’ research library, gives readers the inside story not just on Clark — whose jersey hangs from the Ford Field rafters — but of how Clark helped form football’s foundation in Detroit. A little hard to find (and pricey when you do), but it’s a really interesting trip back in time. — Chris Burke
Green Bay Packers
“The People’s Team: An Illustrated History of the Green Bay Packers” | Mark Beech
Through extensive archival research and unmatched insider access to players and team officials, past and present, Mark Beech tells the first complete rags-to-riches history of the Packers, a full chronicle of the most illustrious team in NFL history. — Matt Schneidman
J.J. Watt is a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and five-time Pro Bowler entering his 10th season with the Texans. (Wesley Hitt / Getty Images)
Houston Texans
“Mega Watt: J.J. Watt’s Surge to Greatness” | Kristie Rieken
J.J. Watt is the most popular player in Texans franchise history, and the author of this book, local AP sportswriter Kristie Rieken, has covered his entire pro career. — Aaron Reiss
Indianapolis Colts
“The Glory Game: How the 1958 NFL Championship Changed Football Forever” | Frank Gifford with Peter Richmond
Gifford, a star for the Giants, details the 1958 NFL Championship game that launched the modern NFL — won by the Baltimore Colts over Gifford’s Giants, 23-17, in overtime — with the voices of those who lived it, like Johnny Unitas, Sam Huff, Art Donovan, Lenny Moore and Raymond Berry. — Zak Keefer
Jacksonville Jaguars
“Jags to Riches: The Cinderella Season of the Jacksonville Jaguars” | Pete Prisco and John Oehser
The Jaguars haven’t had much success in the last decade, but this book chronicles their second season in 1996, when Mark Brunell and a surprising team made the AFC Championship game, losing to the Patriots. — Greg Auman
Kansas City Chiefs
“America’s Trailblazing Middle Linebacker: The Story of NFL Hall of Famer Willie Lanier” | Joe Zagorski
Beyond becoming a Hall of Famer, Willie Lanier was the first African American middle linebacker in pro football history. Lanier is one of the most celebrated players in the Chiefs’ history. Zagorski’s book, published earlier this year, offers a full picture of Lanier’s remarkable life. — Nate Taylor
Las Vegas Raiders
“You’re Okay, It’s Just a Bruise: A Doctor’s Sideline Secrets About Pro Football’s Most Outrageous Team” | Rob Huizenga, M.D.
The former Raiders team physician has some great sideline and locker room stories that I still haven’t forgotten. — Vic Tafur
Los Angeles Chargers
“Junior Seau: The Life and Death of a Football Icon” | Jim Trotter
Insight into the amazing on-field accomplishments, and the tragic death, of the Hall of Fame linebacker. — Daniel Popper
Los Angeles Rams
“Hollywood’s Team: The Story of the 1950s Los Angeles Rams and Pro Football’s Golden Age” | Jim Hock and Michael Downs
The L.A. Rams of the 1950s had big personalities and major talent, plus a part-owner named Bob Hope and a PR exec named Pete Rozelle. — Rich Hammond
Miami Dolphins
“Undefeated: Inside the Miami Dolphins’ Perfect Season” | Mike Freeman
The passing of coach Don Shula this year is a good reason to look back on the 1972 Dolphins, still a model of NFL perfection nearly 50 years later. The characters are well-known, but there are new stories to be learned from a memorable undefeated season. — Greg Auman
Minnesota Vikings
“Last Kings of the Old NFL: The 1969 Minnesota Vikings” | Pat Duncan
No, they’ve never won a Super Bowl, but the Vikings have one championship claim to fame — they were the last team to win the NFL title prior to its merger with the AFL. This book tells the story of the Vikings’ arrival as an NFL force under Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant as the team beat the Browns to win the NFL crown before losing to the Chiefs in Super Bowl IV. — Zack Pierce
New England Patriots
“The Education of a Coach” | David Halberstam
Halberstam is a Pulitzer Prize winner. He shines a light on how Belichick’s passion for football and coaching developed. — Sean Leahy
New Orleans Saints
“From Bags to Riches: How the New Orleans Saints and the People of Their Hometown Rose From the Depths Together” | Jeff Duncan*
The book explains the unique relationship between the Saints and the city of New Orleans, how the struggling NFL team and storm-weary New Orleanians lifted one another’s spirits — and fortunes — in the post-Hurricane Katrina years, 2006-2010. — Jeff Duncan
New York Giants
“No Medals for Trying: A Week in the Life of a Pro Football Team” | Jerry Izenberg
This book is an all-access pass to a week in the life of one of the best teams of the 1980s. It’s a particularly revealing look at coach Bill Parcells, and provides insight into who and what contributed to arguably the most successful stretch in franchise history. — Dan Duggan
New York Jets
“All the Way: My Life in Four Quarters” | Joe Namath with Sean Mortimer and Don Yaeger
Arguably the greatest Jet in team history, Joe Namath published a book last year chronicling his NFL career both on and off the field. It’s a must-read. — Connor Hughes
Coach Doug Pederson led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl title in franchise history in 2017. (Matthew Emmons / USA Today)
Philadelphia Eagles
“Underdogs: The Philadelphia Eagles’ Emotional Road to Super Bowl Victory” | Zach Berman
Berman, who did not pay me for this recommendation, blends his wealth of knowledge of the players and personalities involved with the Eagles’ Super Bowl championship with the narrative of how that special season unfolded. A great trip down recent memory lane, and he’ll still sign your copy if you ask. — Bo Wulf
Pittsburgh Steelers
“Their Life’s Work: The Brotherhood of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers” | Gary M. Pomerantz
Best and most complete look back on the 1970s Steelers and their current lives. — Ed Bouchette
San Francisco 49ers
“Season of the Witch: Enchantment, Terror, and Deliverance in the City of Love” | David Talbot
One of the final chapters, “Playing Against God,” is about how the 49ers’ rivalry with the Cowboys and Super Bowl title to end the 1981 season gave a suffering city a much-needed boost. This is a powerful read that illustrates how sports can transcend the field and bring people together in tough times. — David Lombardi
Seattle Seahawks
“Things That Make White People Uncomfortable” | Michael Bennett and Dave Zirin
Bennett’s book, written while he was protesting injustice, is perfect for the current state of affairs. — Michael-Shawn Dugar
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
“The Quarterback Whisperer: How to Build an Elite NFL Quarterback” | Bruce Arians and Lars Anderson
A must-read for anyone who wants the colorful background on the Bucs’ second-year head coach, from his playing days in high school and Virginia Tech to his decades as an NFL assistant, memorably working closely with some of the league’s best quarterbacks. — Greg Auman
Tennessee Titans
“Blitz Your Life: Stories From an NFL and ALS Warrior” | Tim Shaw
Shaw, still involved with the Titans and a source of inspiration to them, chronicles his time as a special teams ace in the NFL — and the ALS diagnosis that ended his playing career and started his life’s work. — Joe Rexrode
Washington Redskins
“Hail to the Redskins: Gibbs, the Diesel, the Hogs, and the Glory Days of D.C.’s Football Dynasty” | Adam Lazarus
There’s no argument over the greatest era in Washington football, and Lazarus takes readers on a joyful nostalgia trip with looks at Joe Gibbs, John Riggins, “The Hogs” and all the key members of those three Super Bowl champions over 10 years. — Ben Standig
(Top photo illustration: Wes McCabe / The Athletic)
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