John Antonio Nettles-Abraham (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, and universally cited as one of the greatest defensive linemen in the history of the New York Jets.
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.
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. 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. In 2002, he recorded 48 tackles, with 10 sacks, and was again named to the Pro Bowl. In 2003, he only recorded 37 tackles and six sacks in six games before his season ended with another groin injury. Abraham was designated with the franchise tag by the Jets on February 21, 2006.
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.
On December 12, 2010, Abraham recorded two sacks against the Carolina Panthers. 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.
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.
On June 21, 2012, Abraham signed a 3-year $16.72 million contract to remain in Atlanta.
On March 1, 2013, Abraham was released by the Atlanta Falcons. 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. In his first season in Arizona, he recorded 11.5 sacks, which ranked seventh in the NFL, and 4 forced fumbles. 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. the Cardinals placed him on injured reserve on September 19, effectively ending his career.
NFL career statistics
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2"| Legend
|-
| Bold
| Career high
|}
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team
! rowspan="2"| GP
! colspan="5"| Tackles
! colspan="3"| Fumbles
! colspan="6"| Interceptions
|-
! Cmb !! Solo !! Ast !! TfL !! Sck !! FF !! FR !! Yds !! Int !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! PD
|-
! 2000 || NYJ
| 6 || 15 || 11 || 4 || 3 || 4.5 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
! 2001 || NYJ
| 16 || 67 || 57 || 10 || 14 || 13.0 || 6 || 3 || 7 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
! 2002 || NYJ
| 16 || 62 || 49 || 13 || 11 || 10.0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 2
|-
! 2003 || NYJ
| 7 || 32 || 24 || 8 || 8 || 6.0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
! 2004 || NYJ
| 12 || 49 || 35 || 14 || 13 || 9.5 || 3 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 2
|-
! 2005 || NYJ
| 16 || 58 || 44 || 14 || 6 || 10.5 || 6 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 2
|-
! 2006 || ATL
| 8 || 24 || 21 || 3 || 3 || 4.0 || 4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 1
|-
! 2007 || ATL
| 16 || 32 || 31 || 1 || 10 || 10.0 || 4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 4
|-
! 2008 || ATL
| 16 || 38 || 37 || 1 || 20 || 16.5 || 4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 1
|-
! 2009 || ATL
| 16 || 35 || 30 || 5 || 6 || 5.5 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 1
|-
! 2010 || ATL
| 15 || 41 || 36 || 5 || 18 || 13.0 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 6 || 6.0 || 6 || 0 || 4
|-
! 2011 || ATL
| 15 || 35 || 25 || 10 || 10 || 9.5 || 4 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 2
|-
! 2012 || ATL
| 16 || 35 || 32 || 3 || 12 || 10.0 || 6 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 8
|-
! 2013 || ARI
| 16 || 37 || 31 || 6 || 14 || 11.5 || 4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 3
|-
! 2014 || ARI
| 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
! colspan="2"| Career || 192 || 560 || 463 || 97 || 148 || 133.5 || 48 || 6 || 7 || 1 || 6 || 6.0 || 6 || 0 || 30
|}
Awards and highlights
NFL
- 3× First-team All-Pro (2001, 2008, 2010)
- 5× Pro Bowl (2001, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2013)
- NFL forced fumbles co-leader (2001)
- Ranked No. 69 in the Top 100 Players of 2011
Atlanta Falcons franchise records
- Career sacks (68.5)
College
- Second-team All-SEC (1999)
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. 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.