How does one compare players from different positions? How about from different eras? In a game like professional football, where different time periods favor different facets of the game and different roles have wholly different stat categories, it often becomes an exercise in personal preference.
Fortunately, there’s a metric that’s been in effect that tries to place everyone on the same playing field, so to speak. Pro Football Reference’s Approximate Value metric has been around for years, and it does the heavy lifting to evaluate each player’s seasons, based on the era they played in. Career AV is the totality of the player’s tenure in the league, and it is with this that we’ll take a look at who is the most deserving of the recently announced 15 finalists for induction into the Hall of Fame in 2026.
The Cowboys have two representatives in the final 15, TE Jason Witten and safety Darren Woodson. Woodson was an integral member of one of the league’s all-time great defenses and team dynasties, the early-to-mid-1990s Cowboys. Witten was an ironman of lesser Cowboys teams that never made it over the hump despite his being the best in the league at his position for a long time.
They are two very interesting cases and in a year where the 15 finalists don’t have a plethora of all-time greats, both have a strong chance to make it out of the finals and into gold jackets. While there are certainly other factors that will be considered when that room is convened and arguments are made for the candidates, here’s how each of the 15 stack up when it comes to Career AV, and Average AV per season.
Career AV Rankings
Average AV per Season Rankings
Brees has the second-highest Career AV of all time, trailing only Tom Brady. This is a metric that clearly favors quarterbacks, with Jerry Rice the only non-QB in the top-seven all time. That said, Eli Manning sits as the No. 14 overall QB in terms of Career AV. He’s currently behind both Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford, lending context to the argument over his worthiness. His 169 Career AV is just one point higher than Steve Young, who was a backup in five of his first six seasons and played one year less than Manning.
As for Witten and Woodson, metric-wise it’s a pretty difficult argument to make for either to be included in this class… on the surface.
However when looking at where they rank within their respective positions, the argument gets strengthened. Witten is currently in fourth place among all-time tight ends, trailing only Tony Gonzalez (147), Anthonio Gates (127) and Travis Kelce (116 entering 2025).
Woodson is a bit harder to quantify, as his slot duties regularly categorized him as a DB instead of a pure safety. The sample size is tainted by players who are primarily CBs, a position where AV is easier to come by. When included among safeties, he’d rank around 19th in Career AV.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Ranking 15 HoF Finalists by Career AV, do Witten, Woodson have a shot?
Reporting by K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
