Bouncing around early in his career, linebacker Jack Del Rio played for the New Orleans Saints, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Dallas Cowboys for a total of seven seasons before signing with the Vikings before the start of the 1992 NFL season.
He immediately found a role in Minnesota’s starting lineup. Del Rio took over as the team’s middle linebacker and starting 57 games during his four seasons with the Vikings. He proved himself to be a great investment as a tackling machine.
In those four seasons, he had 504 combined tackles, with 440 of those being solo and 7.5 being quarterback sacks. Del Rio also intercepted 10 passes during that time, returning one for a touchdown, while adding five fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles.
The 6-foot-4, 246-pound linebacker is ninth all-time in solo tackles for the Vikings. He showed off his consistency, setting the bar high for any middle linebacker hoping to replace him after his retirement.