Looking at Jason Peters Hall of Fame Resume

By Tucker Bagley, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 

Jason Peters has had a tremendous career with the Philadelphia Eagles. For the price of a first-round draft pick and a fourth-round draft pick, the Eagles acquired the left tackle from the Buffalo Bills and Peters quickly went to work, cementing his place among the top offensive linemen in the league.

Except for 2012, which he missed while nursing a torn Achilles tendon, Peters has made the Pro Bowl in every year of his Eagles career and has been named a first-team All Pro twice. Those numbers are certainly good enough to warrant a spot in the Eagles' Hall of Fame and possibly a number retirement down the road, but if Peters decided to hang up his pads at the conclusion, would the Pro Football Hall of Fame come calling?

As of today, there are 29 offensive tackles in the Hall of Fame. Of those 29, only three have more Pro Bowl nods than Peters: Anthony Munoz, Willie Roaf and Jonathan Ogden, who each have 11 selections.

Despite being such an arbitrary honor, especially in recent times, being selected to so many Pro Bowls is certainly an indication of a player remaining at the top of his position, especially when Peters has been given a Pro Bowl bid in every year he's been healthy since 2007. In that time-span, the only player with more selections is Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas who has 10 consecutive Pro Bowl nods.

Another thing that has been remarkable about Peters' career is his longevity. Missing just one season with that Achilles injury, he has been the primary starter at his position for 11 seasons. However, Peters has shown zero interest in retiring after 2016 and all signs point to him protecting Carson Wentz's blindside in 2017, which would have him jump up to third among Hall of Fame tackles in seasons started.

If Peters could hang on through 2018, he would tie Rosey Brown and Jackie Slater for most seasons started among the 29 players enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a statistic that could certainly help set him apart from the rest of the field. 

Peters approximate career value (APV) also trends toward the top of this group. Created by Pro Football Reference and only dating back to 1960, APV tries to quantify a player's contributions over his entire career in one number that can be compared across eras and positions. As of today, Peters' APV is 101. Of the 13 Hall of Fame tackles whose careers started after 1960, Peters would rank fourth behind the trio of Munoz, Ogden and Roaf. 

Where Peters' candidacy may fall a bit short is with those All-Pro selections. With only two to his name, Peters would only be ahead of Slater, Bob St. Clair and Mike McCormack, who were never named first-team All Pro in their careers. Peters has been named second-team All Pro four times, so it isn't like writers and the people who are responsible for voting him into the Hall of Fame haven't noticed his extended period of greatness and two first-team All Pro selections are nothing to sneeze at either. But if detractors were to latch on to a number in order to delegitimize Peters' candidacy, this would be it. 

Peters' career isn't over and it may not be over for a few years, but it isn't everyday the Eagles have a Hall of Famer suiting up for them on a yearly basis. In fact, of the 19 Hall of Famers who have played a season with the Eagles, only two have played more than eight seasons for the Birds: Chuck Bednarik and Pete Pihos, who haven't played football since John F. Kennedy was in the White House. 

Things may change in the next few years depending on how Brian Dawkins fares during the voting process, but it's beginning to look like Peters could be a lock for enshrinement within the next decade. 

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