30 NFL players you won’t believe never won an award

19. Deacon Jones
Pro Football Hall of Fame: 1980

This one could have an asterisk since the AP Defensive Player of the Year award wasn’t introduced until after the AFL-NFL merger, but we have to mention when one of the best players at any position is out here without an award to his name. Deacon Jones is considered by some to be the best human being to play football. Better than Jim Thorpe, Jim Brown, Tom Brady, or Jerry Rice. 

Jones played in an era before sacks were counted, but we’re starting to go back and count just how dominant he was on a football field. According to unofficial numbers, Jones broke 20 sacks on three different occasions. He led the league in sacks five times. 

Jones didn’t have a Defensive Player of the Year award to win until he was towards the end of his career, but he still came close to putting hardware in his trophy case. In 1967, Jones’ 21.5 sacks and one safety were enough to put him in the MVP conversation. He unfortunately finished second to Johnny Unitas. Those darn quarterbacks.

Today, Jones has something that might be more important than his own award, he has an award named after him. The player who leads the league in sacks every season wins the Deacon Jones Award. We suppose that’s just as good.