By John Sarianides

Denver Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Ware announced his retirement on Monday, ending one of the most productive careers in NFL history.

Ware finished his career with 146 total sacks including playoff games. He was one of the most dominant defenders in the NFL during his 12 year NFL career.

From his rookie season in 2006 to 2012, you could make the case Ware was the best defensive player in the league. During that span, he averaged 16.5 sacks per season. That’s insane! I know he played in an era where offenses threw the ball more but to accumulate almost 100 sacks in a six year period is absurd production. He double digit sack seasons in eight of twelve years in the league.

When you think of all time greats, you don’t mention Ware because he was a great player who played on underachieving teams in Dallas. Despite that, it is hard to ignore his body of work and that is why I think he is a no brainer first ballot Hall of Famer.

I have said for years that the Hall of Fame process is flawed. It needs to be re-evaluated. That being said, there is no doubt that Ware gets in on his first year on the ballot. If he doesn’t, then we seriously need to think about removing some of the voters or something. Ware was arguably the best defensive player of his era. Don’t think so? Check his stats. They are as impressive as any player that has played in the NFL the past 12 years. Ware was a professional on and off the field. He will take his place amongst other greats in Canton in 2021.