There’s a case for former Falcons DE John Abraham’s Hall of Fame selection

Former Falcons great John Abraham is waiting to get that knock on his door.

He already knows his jacket size.

After terrorizing quarterbacks for 15 seasons in the NFL with the New York Jets and the Falcons, he had a career worthy of a gold jacket and bust, which goes with enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Abraham, a native of Timmonsville, South Carolina, played at South Carolina after just one season at Lamar High. He was drafted in the first round (13th overall) in 2000 by the Jets before being traded to the Falcons in 2006.

“I’m more like trying to focus on the Hall of Fame,” Abraham told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Now, the older I get, the more rational it looks. Now, when 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. I’m like, top five in certain (key) areas.”

Abraham was a sack master and finished with 133.5 career sacks, playing as a linebacker and then as a defensive end.

“I was top 10 in one area,” Abraham said. “Now, I’m like 13th. It looks feasible to me now, while before it didn’t. Now, it looks like it should be something that is a part of my (resume).”

The last former Atlanta Falcons player to go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame was kicker Morten Andersen in 2017.

He joined Claude Humphrey (1968-74, 76-78) and Deion Sanders (1989-93) as longtime Falcons in the shrine. Tommy McDonald (1967), Brett Favre (1991), Eric Dickerson (1993) and Chris Doleman (1994-95) played for the Falcons, but earned their gold jackets while playing for other teams.

“But if I’m looking at the bigger picture, right, it’s like, ‘Shoot, like, the Hall of Fame is there?’” Abraham said. “Like, hopefully you can get those guys just to get on your team and try to help you with the Hall of Fame. … ‘I think he is the Hall of Famer just because of his numbers and what he’s done for the football teams.’ You know, because I helped my teams win a lot of games, regardless of what was going on.”

Abraham’s specialty was the sack-strip-fumble.

“That changed the whole trajectory of games,” he said.

It’s not just a numbers deal. Injuries slowed Abraham early in his career.

“I hate to harp on the same thing — I missed 40-something games,” Abraham said. “Like, think about it, I missed 40-some games. So if I had 15 complete years, even if I had 14, or even if I had 10 more games, like, I would have been in the top five in 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.”

Abraham went to five Pro Bowls and was an alternate twice.

Jared Allen, who’s in the Hall of Fame 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 AJC. “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.

Abraham, 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 and the Class of ’26.

Falcons coach Raheem Morris was the defensive backs coach at Hofstra when the Jets drafted Abraham. Later, Morris was at Tampa Bay when Abraham was playing for the Falcons.

“I’ve got such a unique perspective of Johnny,” Morris said. “I was at Hofstra when he was taken by the Jets. It was a joy to watch him just dominate on the football field there.”

He was to continue to shine with the Falcons after the trade.

“He was a really great pass rusher, and everything he brought to the game, with the energy and knowing him personally,” Morris said, “it was kind of really cool for me. I got to see him as a young player. I got to see him as a maturing older player who was terrorizing us. I’ve got nothing but hopeful thoughts. I hope he definitely gets it. That would be awesome.”

There has been a run on pass rushers over the past four 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 more than 100 sacks. Mathis also has a career-record 54 forced fumbles.

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

With all that he’s accomplished, Abraham is 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, you know, ‘He didn’t win this; he didn’t do that.’ But there are times that you’ve seen me get that sack-caused-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 nickelback 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.

“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.”