John Abraham (American football)

Last updated

John Abraham
John Abraham.jpg
Abraham in 2005
No. 94, 56, 55
Position
Personal information
Born (1978-05-06) May 6, 1978 (age 47)
Timmonsville, South Carolina, U.S.
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight263 lb (119 kg)
Career information
High school Lamar (Lamar, South Carolina)
College South Carolina (1996–1999)
NFL draft 2000: 1st round, 13th overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles 560
Sacks 133.5
Forced fumbles 47
Fumble recoveries 6
Interceptions 1
Defensive touchdowns 1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

John Antonio Nettles-Abraham [1] (born May 6, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and linebacker for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks, and was selected by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2000 NFL draft. Abraham also played for the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals. A three-time first-team All-Pro and five-time selection for the Pro Bowl, Abraham is often regarded as one of the greatest defensive ends of the 2000s, [2] [3] and universally cited as one of the greatest defensive linemen in the history of the New York Jets. [4]

Contents

Early life

Abraham was born in Timmonsville, South Carolina. For most of his youth, he was called Tony; he didn't know his first name was John until one of his teachers at Lamar High School in Lamar, South Carolina started calling him John because there was another Tony in his class. [1] At Lamar High, he made a name for himself in track, where he set the current South Carolina record for the 200-meter dash, at 22.6 seconds, and ran the 100-meter dash in 11.26 seconds. He also competed in the throwing events, recording top-throws of 13.61 meters in the shot put and 43.05 meters in the discus. He also played basketball.

College career

Abraham's mother was reluctant to let him play organized football, only relenting in his senior year. Despite this, he showed enough promise that he was recruited by both Clemson and South Carolina. [5] He ultimately chose to play for South Carolina under head coach Brad Scott. While he was a Gamecock, he amassed 23.5 quarterback sacks, ranking second on South Carolina's career list, and was a second-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection. He rose to prominence even as the Gamecocks were one of the worst teams in college football during his junior and senior years; they went 1-10 in 1998 and 0-11 in 1999.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight
6 ft 3+58 in
(1.92 m)
252 lb
(114 kg)
All values from NFL Combine [6]

New York Jets

Abraham was selected by the New York Jets in the first round (13th overall, via pick acquired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for Keyshawn Johnson) of the 2000 NFL draft. [7] General manager Bill Parcells believed Abraham reminded him of Lawrence Taylor, and urged him to push himself in the same way he had pushed Taylor two decades earlier. [1]

Abraham made an immediate impact in his rookie season, recording 12 tackles and 4.5 sacks in only six games before a torn groin ended his season. [8] [1] In 2001, he recorded 58 tackles and 13 sacks, and was named to the AFC Pro Bowl. [9] In 2002, he recorded 48 tackles, with 10 sacks, and was again named to the Pro Bowl. [10] In 2003, he only recorded 37 tackles and six sacks in six games before his season ended with another groin injury. [11] [1]

Abraham tied a franchise record set by Joe Klecko and Mark Gastineau with four sacks in a game on November 4, 2001, against the New Orleans Saints. [12] Abraham was designated with the franchise tag by the Jets on February 21, 2006. [13]

Atlanta Falcons

Wanting a trade after the 2005 season despite being franchised by the Jets, Abraham was heavily courted by the Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons. He chose the Falcons, since Atlanta was closer to his hometown. The Jets received Atlanta's 2006 NFL draft first round pick (No. 29), which was acquired from the Denver Broncos, in return for Abraham. [14] [1] His first season in Atlanta ended after eight games due to groin issues and a broken thumb. [1]

In 2008, he had a career high 16.5 sacks through the entire season and ranked third in the league that year. [15] [16]

On December 12, 2010, Abraham recorded two sacks against the Carolina Panthers. [17] The two sacks gave him 100.5 for his career, making him only the 25th player in NFL history to eclipse 100. On December 27, on Monday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints, Abraham recorded his first career interception after deflecting and catching a Drew Brees pass attempt. [18]

In December 2010, Abraham was selected to his fourth Pro Bowl. He was ranked 69th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011. [19]

On June 21, 2012, Abraham signed a 3-year $16.72 million contract to remain in Atlanta. [20]

On March 1, 2013, Abraham was released by the Atlanta Falcons. [21] Although he had just added 10 sacks to his franchise record, the Falcons had lost patience with him. He was frequently late to team events and fell asleep at meetings. [1]

Arizona Cardinals

After his release, Abraham drew interest from several teams, but later admitted he "self-sabotaged" himself by being late and having a bad attitude. He had long wanted to play for the New England Patriots, but they lost interest after he showed up for a workout 20 pounds under his normal playing weight. [1] He ultimately signed with the Arizona Cardinals on July 25, 2013. [22] In his first season in Arizona, he recorded 11.5 sacks, which ranked seventh in the NFL, [23] and 4 forced fumbles. [24] After a productive first season with the Cardinals, Abraham left Arizona's week one Monday Night Football game on September 8, 2014, after his head collided with the hip of San Diego Chargers tackle D. J. Fluker. Although the impact didn't look severe at first, doctors discovered his brain was bleeding on both sides. [1] A day later, he spoke with Bruce Arians for several hours discussing if he should retire. At the time, he had been suffering memory loss for over a year. He ultimately took a leave of absence from which he never returned; [25] the Cardinals placed him on injured reserve on September 19, effectively ending his career. [26]

NFL career statistics

YearTeamGPTacklesFumblesInterceptions
CmbSoloAstTfLSckFFFRYdsIntYdsAvgLngTDPD
2000 NYJ 61511434.5200000.0000
2001 NYJ 166757101413.0637000.0000
2002 NYJ 166249131110.0100000.0002
2003 NYJ 73224886.0100000.0000
2004 NYJ 12493514139.5310000.0002
2005 NYJ 16584414610.5610000.0002
2006 ATL 82421334.0400000.0001
2007 ATL 16323111010.0400000.0004
2008 ATL 16383712016.5400000.0001
2009 ATL 163530565.5100000.0001
2010 ATL 15413651813.0100166.0604
2011 ATL 15352510109.5410000.0002
2012 ATL 16353231210.0600000.0008
2013 ARI 16373161411.5400000.0003
2014 ARI 100000.0000000.0000
Career 19256046397148133.54767166.06030

Awards and highlights

NFL

Atlanta Falcons franchise records

  • Career sacks (68.5) [27]

College

Personal life

Abraham was raised by his mother, Maggie Lee Abraham. In a 2025 interview with The Athletic, he recalled that Maggie Lee was intentionally cold to him because his father, Curly John "Man" Nettles, was never able to make it on his own. Maggie Ann didn’t want to risk her son becoming a "mama's boy" like his father. Nettles was only in Abraham's life sporadically; at most, Abraham saw him once a year. He also recalled that he drank frequently during his NFL career, only letting up briefly after a 2003 accident on Long Island led the NFL to randomly test him. He believes he suffered multiple concussions during his career, in part because his coaches with the Jets taught him to lead with his helmet. After he was forced to retire, he went into a nine-year spiral of depression and suicidal thoughts, only recovering after multiple stints in rehab. [1]

Abraham has a daughter, Endraya. [28] He enjoys watching basketball in his spare time and his favorite team is the Los Angeles Lakers. He cites running back Walter Payton and wide receiver Jerry Rice as his childhood heroes. He attended the Jets' May 5, 2003 blood drive to benefit hospitals throughout Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Dan Pompei (September 25, 2025). "Ex-NFL sack master John Abraham paid a steep price for success. He's still recovering". The Athletic.
  2. Majeski, Eric (April 12, 2010). "The NFL's Top 15 Defensive Ends 2002-2009". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  3. Brandt, Gil (June 28, 2017). "Gil Brandt's greatest defensive ends of all time". NFL.com. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  4. Schawillie, Philip (May 24, 2013). "The 25 Greatest Players in New York Jets' History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  5. "John Abraham College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  6. "2000 NFL Draft Listing". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  7. "John Abraham 2000 Game Log". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  8. "John Abraham 2001 Game Log". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  9. "John Abraham 2002 Game Log". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  10. "John Abraham 2003 Game Log". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  11. "ABRAHAM EQUALS JET SACK MARK". New York Daily News. November 8, 2001. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  12. "Jets designate Abraham franchise player". Patriots.com. February 21, 2006. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  13. Pasquarelli, Len (March 22, 2006). "Falcons complete trade for Jets' DE Abraham". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  14. "John Abraham 2008 Game Log". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  15. "2008 NFL Defense". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  16. "Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers - December 12th, 2010". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  17. "Falcons' Abraham on Saints defeat: 'Losing last week really hurt'". NFL.com. January 1, 2011. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  18. "2011 NFL Top 100". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  19. Hanzus, Dan (June 21, 2012). "John Abraham happy with Falcons, Mike Nolan reunion". NFL.com . Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  20. Gregg, Rosenthal (March 1, 2013). "Michael Turner, John Abraham cut by Atlanta Falcons". NFL.com. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  21. Darren Urban (July 25, 2013). "Cardinals Get Eric Winston, John Abraham". Azcardinals.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  22. "Mind-blowing stats for free agency". National Football League . February 27, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  23. "profile". Nfl.com. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  24. Adam Schefter (September 10, 2014). "LB John Abraham leaves Cardinals". ESPN. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  25. Weinfuss, Josh (September 19, 2014). "John Abraham (concussion) to IR". ESPN . Retrieved October 2, 2014.
  26. "Atlanta Falcons Career Defense Leaders". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  27. Atlanta Falcons bio Archived May 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine

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