As a longtime NFL fan, I've certainly noticed many instances when a player I'm familiar with is the son of a former player, or later has a son of his own who makes it, or sometimes even both. So I got to thinking, who is the best overall father/son combination? Fortunately, my research was helped considerably by the NFL Hall of Fame website. It included a list of the 280 fathers and sons who have played in the NFL, as of 6/21/20. Anyway, I went through all of the guys on the list, and then consulted their playing statistics on pro-football-reference.com Specifically I was looking for length of career, how many games they played in and started, number of Pro Bowls and All Pro teams the player made, and then I used a newer stat to me, Approximate Value, abbreviated as AV. This stat is assigned yearly, and measures how good a season that player had. An AV of 3 or less is probably a reserve player, about 5-8 is a solid starter, and 10 or above is usually a Pro Bowl/All Pro caliber season, roughly. And a career AV of say, 100 is probably enough to qualify the player as Hall of Fame caliber, depending on how long a career they had, of course. AV is only calculated for guys who played in 1960 or later, so we have to go by the other means to rate players who played before this time. Also, obviously, I note if the player was elected into the Hall of Fame. If you're curious, no father and son have both been elected to the Hall, and to date no brothers have. (Although Eli Manning may well become the first someday, joining his brother Peyton.) Enough background, let's get to it. This is in alphabetical order, so everyone can fight amongst themselves on who is the best of the best. Each player's line is rendered as:
Father (f) or Son (s), Player name, position(s) played, team(s) played for, seasons played, (an asterisk (*), indicates the players is active as of 2021) number of games played, number of games started, number of Pro Bowl teams, if any, number of All Pro teams, Hall of Fame membership (if he was elected), number of NFL Titles or Super Bowls won, and then his career Approximate Value, or AV.
1) (f) Orlando Brown, tackle, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, 1994-99, 2003-05, 9 years, 129 games, 119 starts, 54 AV.
(s) Orlando Brown, Jr., tackle, Baltimore Ravens, 2018-2020*, 3 seasons, 48 games, 42 starts, 2 Pro Bowls, 30 AV.
2) (f) Ross Browner, defensive end, Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, 1978-87, 10 seasons, 139 games, 123 starts, 59 AV.
(s) Max Starks, tackle, Pittsburgh Steelers, St. Louis Rams, 2004-13, 10 seasons, 125 games, 96 starts, 2 Super Bowls, 51 AV.
3) (f) Rubin Carter, nose tackle/defensive tackle, Denver Broncos, 1975-86, 12 seasons, 166 games, 152 starts, 88 AV.
(s) Andre Carter, defensive end/linebacker, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders, etc., 2001-13, 13 seasons, 184 games, 147 starts, 1 Pro Bowl, 75 AV.
4) (f) Craig Colquitt, punter, Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, 1978-84, 1987, 7 seasons, 97 games, 2 Super Bowls, 16 AV. (Note that punters and kickers aren't credited with starts even if they're the only one of this position on the team, and their AVs are low, even for decent ones.)
(s) Britton Colquitt, punter, Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, 2010-20*, 11 seasons, 176 games, 1 Super Bowl, 24 AV.
(s) Dustin Colquitt, punter, Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers, 2005-20*, 16 seasons, 244 games, 1 Super Bowl, 34 AV.
5) (f) Bob Griese, quarterback, Miami Dolphins, 1967-80, 14 seasons, 161 games, 151 starts, 8 Pro Bowls, 2 All Pros, 2 Super Bowls, Hall of Fame, 138 AV.
(s) Brian Griese, quarterback, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, etc., 1998-2008, 11 seasons, 93 games, 83 starts, 1 Pro Bowl, 61 AV.
6) (f) Wes Hamilton, guard, Minnesota Vikings, 1976-84, 9 seasons, 116 games, 92 starts, 47 AV.
(s) Ben Hamilton, guard/center, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, 2002-06, 08-10, 8 seasons, 118 games, 110 starts, 63 AV.
7) (f) Craig Heyward, running back, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, etc., 1988-98, 11 seasons, 149 games, 107 starts, 1 Pro Bowl, 44 AV.
(s) Cameron Heyward, defensive tackle, Pittsburgh Steelers, 2011-20*, 10 years, 149 games, 114 starts, 4 Pro Bowls, 2 All Pros, 90 AV.
8) (f) Dub Jones, halfback/defensive back, etc., Cleveland Browns, Brooklyn Dodgers, 1946-55, 10 seasons, 114 games, 73 starts, 2 Pro Bowls, 1 All Pro, 2 AAFC Titles, 3 NFL titles.
(s) Bert Jones, quarterback, Baltimore Colts, Los Angeles Rams, 1973-82, 10 seasons, 102 games, 96 starts, 1 Pro Bowl, 1 All Pro, 1 League MVP, 92 AV.
9) (f) Steve Jordan, tight end, Minnesota Vikings, 1982-94, 13 seasons, 176 games, 149 starts, 6 Pro Bowls, 60 AV.
(s) Cameron Jordan, defensive end, New Orleans Saints, 2011-20*, 10 seasons, 160 games, 159 starts, 6 Pro Bowls, 1 All Pro, 103 AV.
10) (f) Jake Kupp, guard/tight end, New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys, etc., 1964-75, 12 seasons, 154 games, 131 starts, 1 Pro Bowl, 60 AV.
(s) Cooper Kupp, wide receiver, Los Angeles Rams, 2017-20*, 4 seasons, 54 games, 40 starts, 31 AV.
(Note, another son, Craig Kupp, played in 1 NFL game, and accumulated 0 AV.)
11) (f) Howie Long, defensive end/nose tackle, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, 1981-93, 13 seasons, 179 games, 151 starts, 8 Pro Bowls, 2 All Pros, 1 Super Bowl, Hall of Fame, 119 AV.
(s) Chris Long, defensive end, St. Louis Rams, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, 2008-18, 11 seasons, 162 games, 103 starts, 2 Super Bowls, 58 AV.
(s) Kyle Long, tackle, Chicago Bears, 2013-19*, 7 seasons, 77 games, 76 starts, 3 Pro Bowls, 44 AV.
12) (f) Archie Manning, quarterback, New Orleans Saints, Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, 1971-75, 77-84, 13 seasons, 151 games, 139 starts, 2 Pro Bowls, 94 AV.
(s) Peyton Manning, quarterback, Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, 1998-2010, 2012-15, 17 seasons, 266 games, 265 starts, 14 Pro Bowls, 7 All Pros, 2 Super Bowls, Hall of Fame, 272 AV.
(s) Eli Manning, quarterback, New York Giants, 2004-19, 16 seasons, 236 games, 234 starts, 4 Pro Bowls, 2 Super Bowls, 169 AV.
13) (f) Ed McCaffery, wide receiver, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, 1991-2003, 13 seasons, 185 games, 109 starts, 1 Pro Bowl, 3 Super Bowls, 81 AV.
(s) Christian McCaffery, running back, Carolina Panthers, 2017-20*, 4 seasons, 51 games, 45 starts, 1 Pro Bowl, 1 All Pro, 43 AV.
(Note, another son, Max McCaffery, played briefly and accumulated 0 AV)
14) (f) Terry Metcalf, running back/wide receiver, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Redskins, 1971-77, 1981, 6 seasons, 81 games, 61 starts, 3 Pro Bowls, 63 AV.
(s) Eric Metcalf, running back/wide receiver, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, San Diego Chargers, etc., 1989-2002, 13 seasons, 179 games, 77 starts, 3 Pro Bowls, 2 All Pros, 78 AV.
15) (f) Jackie Slater, tackle/guard, Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 1976-95, 20 seasons, 259 games, 211 starts, 7 Pro Bowls, 129 AV.
(s) Matt Slater, wide receiver, New England Patriots, 2008-20*, 13 seasons, 189 games, 3 starts, 9 Pro Bowls, 2 All Pros, 3 Super Bowls, 0 AV. (I know his line looks weird--he's only been a special teamer, but he's been great at it, enough to be a frequent Pro Bowler, etc.)
16) (f) Billy Ray Smith, defensive tackle/defensive end, Baltimore Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Rams, 1957-62, 64-70, 13 seasons, 168 games, 145 starts, 1 Super Bowl, 82 AV.
(s) Billy Ray Smith, Jr., linebacker, San Diego Chargers, 1983-92, 10 seasons, 126 games, 111 starts, 55 AV.
17) (f) Jessie Tuggle, linebacker, Atlanta Falcons, 1987-2000, 14 seasons, 209 games, 189 starts, 5 Pro Bowls, 92 AV.
(s) Grady Jarrett, defensive tackle, Atlanta Falcons, 2015-20*, 6 seasons, 93 games, 78 starts, 2 Pro Bowls, 43 AV.
(Another son, Justin Tuggle, played briefly, accumulating 8 AV.)
18) (f) Ted Washington, linebacker, Houston Oilers, 1973-82, 10 seasons, 128 games, 117 starts, 59 AV.
(s) Ted Washington, Jr., nose tackle/defensive tackle, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, etc., 1991-2007, 17 seasons, 236 games, 204 starts, 4 Pro Bowls, 1 All Pro, 1 Super Bowl, 121 AV.
One kind of funny pairing. Rudy Barber and his son Kantroy both had brief, undistinguished careers. Which were amazingly similar:
(f) Rudy Barber, linebacker, Miami Dolphins, 1968, 1 season, 2 games, 0 starts, 1 AV.
(s) Kantroy Barber, running back, Miami Dolphins, 1999, 1 season, 2 games, 0 starts, 0 AV.
Next let's look at some more complicated family lines in the NFL, cases where there were a lot more guys than just a father and a son. Let's start with the Matthews. First up is the grandfather, Clay.
Clay Matthews, defensive end/defensive tackle/offensive tackle, San Francisco 49ers, 1950, 53-55, 4 seasons, 45 games, 40 starts. No AV because of his era, but appeared to be an average starter. Anyway, Clay had two sons, Clay Jr. and Bruce:
Clay Matthews, Jr., linebacker, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, 1978-96, 19 seasons, 278 games, 248 starts, 4 Pro Bowls, 139 AV.
Bruce Matthews, guard/center/tackle, Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans, 1983-2001, 19 seasons, 296 games, 293 starts, 14 Pro Bowls, 7 All Pros, Hall of Fame, 215 AV.
Clay Jr. then had two sons, Clay III, and Casey who made the NFL:
Clay Matthews III, linebacker, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, 2009-19*, 11 seasons, 156 games, 150 starts, 6 Pro Bowls, 1 All Pro, 95 AV. (He might be done but he's not officially retired now.)
Casey Matthews, linebacker, Philadelphia Eagles, 2011-14, 4 seasons, 64 games, 15 starts, 10 AV.
Bruce then had two sons who made the NFL. (A third one, Mike, nearly did, but didn't actually play a regular season NFL game.) They are Jake and Kevin:
Jake Matthews, tackle, Atlanta Falcons, 2014-20*, 7 seasons, 111 games, 111 starts, 1 Pro Bowl, 63 AV.
Kevin Matthews, center, Tennessee Titans, 2010, 2012, 2 seasons, 17 games, 3 starts, 3 AV.
There's one more--Bruce's nephew, and therefore Jake and Kevin's cousin, also played in the NFL. He's Troy Niklas:
Troy Niklas, tight end, Arizona Cardinals, 2014-17, 4 seasons, 41 games, 18 starts, 1 AV.
Now let's consider another, even more complicated family line. The scion is Palmer Pyle:
Palmer Pyle, guard, Baltimore Colts, Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, 1960-64, 66, 6 seasons, 61 games, 33 starts, 19 AV.
Palmer's brother, Mike, also played:
Mike Pyle, center, Chicago Bears, 1960-69, 9 seasons, 121 games, 119 starts, 1 Pro Bowl, 61 AV.
Palmer's son then made it to the NFL. Born Eric Pyle, he changed his last name to Kumerow:
Eric Kumerow, defensive end/linebacker, Miami Dolphins, 1988-90, 3 seasons, 42 games, 0 starts, 4 AV.
Eric's son, Jake, then later made it into the NFL:
Jake Kumerow, wide reeceiver, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Chargers, 2018-20*, 3 seasons, 25 games, 6 starts, 3 AV.
However, Pyle's daughter married a man who also played in the NFL, John Bosa:
John Bosa, defensive end, Miami Dolphins, 1987-89, 3 seasons, 31 games, 21 starts, 10 AV.
Then John's two sons grew up to play too, and are so currently:
Joey Bosa, defensive end, San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, 2016-20*, 5 seasons, 63 games, 59 starts, 3 Pro Bowls, 43 AV.
Nick Bosa, defensive end, San Francisco 49ers, 2019-20*, 2 seasons, 18 games, 18 starts, 1 Pro Bowl, 13 AV.
Now let's move to the families with the most brothers who played in the NFL. I found two examples of families where 4 brothers made it:
1) Ross Browner, defensive end, Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, 1978-87, 10 seasons, 138 games, 123 starts, 59 AV.
Jim Browner, defensive back, Cincinnati Bengals, 1979-80, 2 seasons, 18 games, 6 starts, 3 AV.
Keith Browner, linebacker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, etc., 1984-88, 5 seasons, 65 games, 44 starts, 19 AV.
Joey Browner, defensive back, Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1983-92, 10 seasons, 145 games, 117 starts, 6 Pro Bowls, 3 All Pros, 87 AV.
2) Gloster Richardson, wide receiver/flanker, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, 1967-74, 8 seasons, 92 games, 40 starts, 1 Super Bowl, 25 AV.
Tom Richardson, wide receiver, Boston Patriots, 1969-70, 2 seasons, 15 games, 0 starts, 0 AV.
Ernie Richardson, tight end, Cleveland Browns, 1974, 1 season, 2 games, 0 starts, 0 AV.
Willie Richardson, flanker/wide receiver, Baltimore Colts, Miami Dolphins, 1963-71, 9 seasons, 109 games, 54 starts, 2 Pro Bowls, 1 All Pro, 40 AV.
Finally, let's get to the incredible story of the Nesser family. Six of the brothers played in the NFL. I can't tell you their AVs or much of their other stats, given they played up to 101 years ago.
Ted Nesser, center/tackle/guard, Columbus Panhandles, 1920-21, 2 seasons, 14 games, 10 starts. Also the head coach of the team.
Frank Nesser, fullback/guard/tackle, Columbus Panhandles/Tigers, 1920-22, 25-26, 5 seasons, 40 games, 26 starts, 1 rushing touchdown, 1 receiving touchdown, 1 extra point.
Fred Nesser, tackle/end/fullback, Columbus Panhandles, 1921, 1 season, 7 games, 7 starts.
John Nesser, guard/tackle, Columbus Panhandles, 1921, 1 season, 2 games, 1 start. At age 45.
Phil Nesser, guard/tackle/wingback, Columbus Panhandles, 1920-21, 2 seasons, 7 games, 4 starts. At ages 40 and 41.
Al Nesser, guard/end/center, Akron Pros, New York Giants, Cleveland Bulldogs, 1920-28, 31, 10 seasons, 93 games, 75 starts, 2 fumble return touchdowns, 1interception return touchdown, 1 other unspecified touchdown, 1 All Pro, 1 NFL title.
To add to it, Ted's son Charlie also played, at either age 16 or 18:
Charlie Nesser, back, Columbus Panhandles, 1921, 1 season, 9 games, 6 starts.
Now, let's get into the obvious--the NFL in the early 1920's was clearly a much different game. There were many, tiny teams, and not a regular, codified schedule. The best athletes were probably participating in baseball, or boxing, since those were more popular, and paid better. Plus, Ted Nesser was the head coach, so he'd presumably be biased in favor of his kin. But, all those factors admitted, it's still pretty incredible that 6 Nesser brothers played in the NFL, and 5 for one team, at the same time. Evidently they were renowned for their sizes at the time--they were considered big linemen because they averaged around 210 pounds. (I know, that's laughable compared to the 300 plus pound linemen of today.) And Ted and his son Charlie are the only father and son to play on the same team, at the same time. I don't think these feats will ever be broken! Finally, the Nesser's brother in law, John Schneider, and a nephew, Ted Hopkins, also played for the Panhandles in the early 1920's.
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