The following is a list of players who have captained the Essendon Football Club in the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League (VFL/AFL) and AFL Women's (AFLW).
| Seasons | Captain | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1897–1900 | George Stuckey | 1897 premiership captain | |
| 1901–1902 | Tod Collins | 1901 premiership captain | |
| 1903–1904 | Jim Anderson | ||
| 1904 | Hugh Gavin (stand-in) | ||
| 1905 | William Robinson | ||
| 1906 | Jack McKenzie | ||
| 1907–1909 | William Griffith | ||
| 1910 | Allan Belcher | ||
| 1911 | David Smith | 1911 premiership captain | |
| 1912–1915 | Allan Belcher | 1912 premiership captain | |
| 1918 | Fred Baring | ||
| 1919 | Allan Belcher | ||
| 1920–1921 | Percy Ogden | ||
| 1922–1924 | Syd Barker | 1923 and 1924 premiership captain | |
| 1925–1928 | Frank Maher | ||
| 1929–1930 | Norm Beckton | ||
| 1931–1933 | Garnet Campbell | ||
| 1934–1935 | Keith Forbes | ||
| 1936–1937 | Jack Baggott | ||
| 1937 | Keith Forbes (stand-in) | ||
| 1938 | Len Webster | ||
| 1939–1950 | Dick Reynolds | 1942, 1946, 1949 and 1950 premiership captain | |
| 1951–1957 | Bill Hutchison | ||
| 1958–1964 | Jack Clarke | 1962 premiership captain | |
| 1965–1968 | Ken Fraser | 1965 premiership captain | |
| 1969 | Don McKenzie | ||
| 1970–1971 | Barry Davis | ||
| 1972–1975 | Des Tuddenham | ||
| 1976 | Graham Moss | ||
| 1977–1979 | Ken Fletcher | ||
| 1980–1981 | Simon Madden | ||
| 1982 | Neale Daniher | ||
| 1982 | Ron Andrews (stand-in) | ||
| 1983–1988 | Terry Daniher | 1984 and 1985 premiership captain | |
| 1989–1991 | Tim Watson | ||
| 1992–1995 | Mark Thompson | 1993 premiership captain | |
| 1996–1997 | Gary O'Donnell | ||
| 1998–2005 | James Hird | 2000 premiership captain | |
| 1999 | Michael Long (stand-in) | ||
| 2006–2009 | Matthew Lloyd | ||
| 2006 | David Hille (stand-in) | ||
| 2010–2016 | Jobe Watson | ||
| 2016 | Brendon Goddard (stand-in) | ||
| 2017–2022 | Dyson Heppell | ||
| 2023– | Zach Merrett |