Will former Falcons DE John Abraham be the next pass rusher in Hall of Fame?

CANTON, Ohio — Former Falcons defensive end John Abraham, who amassed 133.5 sacks over his 15-year NFL career, is considered one of the next great pass rushers to be considered for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Jared Allen, who’s in the Class of 2025, mentioned Abraham and Terrell Suggs as the next players at the position to likely receive a gold jacket and be enshrined in Canton.

“John Abraham was a stud,” Allen told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday. “Suggs was a phenomenal player. He 100% deserves to be in. Then guys like Abraham. Abraham was before his time; he was a monster setting the tone … I would say Suggs and Abraham for sure, from the edge standpoint.”

Suggs was one of the 15 modern-era finalists for the Class of 2025.

Allen played collegiately at Idaho State. He was drafted by Kansas City in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL draft. He went on to play for the Chiefs (2004-07), Vikings (2008-13), Bears (2014-15) and Panthers (2015). He finished his spectacular career with 136 sacks.

Abraham, who played at South Carolina, was drafted by the Jets in the first round (13th overall) of the 2000 draft. He was traded to the Falcons after six seasons in a shrewd deal by then-GM Rich McKay. He played for the Falcons (2006-12) and Cardinals (2013-14).

Abraham, 47, who anchored the defense on former coach Mike Smith’s four playoff teams, advanced to the top 50 in the Pro Football Hall of Fame voting for the Class of 2025.

“Now, the older I get, the more rational it looks,” Abraham told the AJC. “Now, when I was younger, I was younger, I was like, ‘Nah, I probably don’t deserve it. I don’t have this many numbers.’

“But, like, the more I go, and the years get further, and I’m still in the same spot, and I’m like, top five in certain areas. I was top 10 in one area. Now, I’m like, 13. It looks feasible to me now, while before, it didn’t.”

There has been a run on pass rushers over the past three Hall of Fame classes.

Dwight Freeney (16 seasons, 125.5 sacks) and Julius Peppers (17 seasons, 159.5 sacks) were in the Class of 2024. Freeney played most of his career with the Colts. He played one season with the Falcons and helped them reach the Super Bowl after the 2016 season. He was a starter in Super Bowl 51.

DeMarcus Ware (12 seasons, 138.5 sacks) was in the Class of 2023.

Suggs played 17 seasons and had 139 sacks. Robert Mathis, an Atlanta native, who played at Alabama A&M, before starring for the Colts, and Tampa Bay’s Simeon Rice are nominated pass rushers.

Mathis (13 seasons, 123 sacks) and Rice (12 seasons, 122 sacks) have over 100 sacks. Mathis also has a career record 54 forced fumbles.

“Now, it looks like it should be something that is a part of my (resume),” Abraham said.

Abraham also is a candidate for the Ring of Honor for the Jets and Falcons.

He’s proud of his career.

“Look at what I did for the football team,” Abraham said. “You know, because I helped the team win a lot of games, regardless of what was going on. People say that, you know, he didn’t win this; he didn’t do that. But there are times that you’ve seen me get that sack-cause-fumble and it changed the whole trajectory of a game.”

The Falcons were the No. 1 seed twice going into the playoffs with Abraham leading the defense. In 2010, a hole in the defense at nickel back got exploited by Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers in the second half, and they were blown out in a divisional-round game. The Packers went on to win the Super Bowl.

After the 2012 season, the Falcons reached the NFC championship game, but lost to Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers. Abraham was slowed in the game by a high-ankle sprain he suffered while playing in a meaningless regular-season finale.

The Falcons were 13-2 and had the No. 1 seed wrapped up. Load management wasn’t a thing in 2012.

The Falcons were the No. 1 seed twice going into the playoffs with John Abraham leading the defense. He is a candidate for the Ring of Honor for both the Jets and the Falcons. (AJC 2008)

“We would have been in the Super Bowl,” Abraham said emphatically. “It’s not even an ifs, ands or buts about it. We would have been in the Super Bowl. I think everybody just (doesn’t) understand if I wouldn’t have played that (regular-season) game, and I would have been 100% healthy I would have been wrecking in the playoffs. It would have been nothing, man, that’s one of the biggest things.”

Injuries slowed Abraham early in his career.

“I hate to harp on the same thing, but I missed 40-something games,” Abraham said. “You got to see, like, even with the numbers. I think I have eight seasons with double-digit (sacks). That’s more than (Dwight) Freeney (who had seven). I had two seasons (2004 and ’11) with 9.5 sacks.”

Abraham missed so many games early in his career because teams had to figure out why he kept getting hernia injuries. Falcons trainer Rod Medlin (who’s now with the Ravens) sent him to Vancouver to see a hockey trainer.

“That ended up being probably the biggest decision of my career,” Abraham said. “Because after I started going there, I started being healthier more because he worked with hockey players. Going there ended up really helping my confidence and playing, and really helped me with just being a better player.”

Allen believes Abraham’s day is coming.

“He played 15 years,” Allen said. “He’ll be in. Mathis is over 100. So, Freeney had like 121 (actually, 125), it was kind of an anomaly that he got in so quick because he was on the low-end of that. I don’t know just being through the process, I don’t know what the cutoff is. If everybody 100 or more gets in, some of the guys in the lower 100s are going to have to wait.

“You’re going to have guys like Myles Garrett coming out who’s going to be up there. The Watts (J.J. and T.J.) will be up there. You’re going to have some guys that are going to have some decent numbers over the next 10 years.”

Abraham believes he’ll get the call from the Hall in the future.