Despite a trying 2023 season, former Alabama defensive back Kareem Jackson reached a career milestone by playing in his 200th NFL regular-season game.
Suspended twice for a total of six games by the NFL for hits on receivers, Jackson was waived by the Denver Broncos during 2023 before returning to his original team, the Houston Texans, for the remainder of the campaign.
Jackson’s 10 games were his fewest in 14 NFL seasons, but they pushed his career total to 203, making him the 18th player from an Alabama high school or college to play in 200.
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That club could get another member in 2024. Auburn alumnus Josh Harris is set for his 13th season as an NFL long snapper. He’ll enter his third season with the Los Angeles Chargers at 190 games.
The No. 1 player on the list, kicker Al Del Greco with 248 games, appeared in every game in 14 of his 17 seasons.
The top non-specialist on the list, quarterback Philip Rivers with 244, played in the final 241 games of his career – a streak that spanned 15 full seasons.
When playoff games are included, Del Greco remains ahead of Rivers by one game, but he’s not the overall leader. Punter Chris Mohr appeared in 239 regular-season and 19 postseason contests – a 258-game total that’s one more than Del Greco’s overall number.
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The 10 players with Alabama football roots who have appeared in the most NFL games:
Al Del Greco kicks a 50-yard field goal as time runs out to lift the Tennessee Titans to a 15-13 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in an NFL game on Dec. 3, 2000, in Philadelphia.AP Photo/Chris Gardner
1. Al Del Greco, Auburn: 248 games
Green Bay Packers 1984-1987, St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals 1987-1990, Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans 1991-2000: A kicker, Del Greco made 347 field goals, including a league-leading 36 in 1998, and scored 1,584 points during his NFL career, which included playing for two franchises that changed cities. Undrafted, Del Greco ranks 59h in NFL history in games.
2. Philip Rivers, Athens High School: 244 games
San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers 2004-2019, Indianapolis Colts 2020: A quarterback, Rivers played in two games in each of his first two seasons as Drew Brees’ backup. In the next 15 seasons, he started every game. Rivers played in 241 consecutive regular-season games to close his career, the 10th-longest streak in NFL history and the longest for a player with Alabama football roots. Rivers left the NFL ranked fifth in passing yards and fifth in touchdown passes in league history.
3. Chris Mohr, Alabama: 239 games
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1989, Buffalo Bills 1991-1999, Atlanta Falcons 2001-2004: A punter, Mohr averaged 40.4 yards on 1,152 punts in his career. He punted in three Super Bowls with Buffalo, and with 19 playoff appearances, Mohr’s 258 overall games are the most for a player with Alabama football roots. Although Mohr was out of football for one season after his rookie year, during the 15 seasons in which he did play, he missed one game.
4. Tony Richardson, Daleville High School, Auburn: 234 games
Kansas City Chiefs 1995-2005, Minnesota Vikings 2006-2007, New York Jets 2008-2010: A fullback, Richardson was a good enough ball-carrier to rush for as many as 697 yards and seven touchdowns in a season. He went from undrafted to a three-time Pro Bowler, noted for clearing the way for 1,000-yard rushers Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson, Chester Taylor, Adrian Peterson and Thomas Jones.
5. Kevin Greene, Auburn: 228 games
Los Angeles Rams 1985-1992, Pittsburgh Steelers 1993-1995, San Francisco 49ers 1997, Carolina Panthers 1996, 1998-1999: The outside linebacker’s sack total of 160 is the third-highest in NFL history and the highest for a player who was primarily a linebacker. He led the NFL in sacks in 1994 and 1996, was a two-time first-team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler and entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
6. Wayne Gandy, Auburn: 219 games
Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams 1994-1998, Pittsburgh Steelers 1999-2002, New Orleans Saints 2003-2005, Atlanta Falcons 2006-2008: Gandy was a starter at both offensive-tackle positions during his career for four franchises. In his first 13 seasons, Gandy missed one game.
6. Terrell Owens, Benjamin Russell High School: 219 games
San Francisco 49ers 1996-2003, Philadelphia Eagles 2004-2005, Dallas Cowboys 2006-2008, Buffalo Bills 2009, Cincinnati Bengals 2010: A wide receiver, Owens ranks third in receiving yards, third in touchdown receptions and eighth in receptions in NFL history. He was a five-time first-team All-Pro and a six-time Pro Bowler and entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the Class of 2018.
6. Takeo Spikes, Auburn: 219 games
Cincinnati Bengals 1998-2002, Buffalo Bills 2003-2006, Philadelphia Eagles 2007, San Francisco 49ers 2008-2010, San Diego Chargers 2011-2012: An inside linebacker, Spikes started in all but three of his 219 games. Spikes made 1,425 tackles and was a first-team All-Pro once and a Pro Bowler twice.
9. Jerrel Wilson, Murphy High School: 217 games
Kansas City Chiefs 1963-1977, New England Patriots 1978: The punter on the all-time AFL team selected by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Wilson was a three-time Pro Bowler after the AFL-NFL merger and punted in two Super Bowls with the Chiefs. He averaged 43.0 yards on his 1,072 punts and led the league in punting average five times.
10. Dwight Stone, Florala High School: 216 games
Pittsburgh Steelers 1987-1994, Carolina Panthers 1995-1998, New York Jets 1999-2000: A wide receiver who spent his first two seasons at running back, Stone built his longevity on his ability as a kick returner and a special-teamer. He caught 154 passes – 107 from 1991 through 1993 when he made 35 of his 52 career starts – and returned 186 kickoffs in his 14 NFL seasons in a career that started as an undrafted player.
Other 200-game players
The other players with Alabama football roots who have appeared in at least 200 NFL regular-season games are linebacker Karlos Dansby (Woodlawn, Auburn) with 212, defensive end Trace Armstrong (John Carroll Catholic) and tight end Ed West (Colbert County, Auburn) with 211 apiece, guard-center Chris Gray (Homewood, Auburn) with 208, tight end Howard Cross (New Hope, Alabama) with 207, outside linebacker Cornelius Bennett (Ensley, Alabama) with 206, defensive back Kareem Jackson (Alabama) with 203 and offensive lineman Adam Schreiber (Butler) with 202.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.