Linebackers in the NFL play an essential part in the defense. Not only are they tasked with between run and pass protection on a play-by-play basis, but they are typically the quarterback of the defense. One LB who had a dominant impact on the San Francisco 49ers and the league was Patrick Willis. With his Hall of Fame induction incoming, let’s look back at the legendary LB’s career.
Patrick Willis’ NFL Stats and Career Accomplishments
Willis attended the University of Mississippi, or Ole Miss, and played for the Rebels football team from 2003 to 2006.
The 49ers selected Willis No. 11 overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. Willis recorded nine solo tackles in his first NFL game and forced a fumble. One of his best performances came against the Minnesota Vikings with superstar RB Adrian Peterson. Willis and Co. kept the RB in check as he rushed for just three yards on 14 carries.
Willis finished his rookie campaign leading the NFL in tackles with 174. He was voted to a Pro Bowl and earned AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and first-team All-Pro honors. He intercepted his first pass and scored his first touchdown in 2008, returning an interception 86 yards against the Seattle Seahawks. He earned second-team All-Pro honors and was voted to his second Pro Bowl, his first as a starter.
Willis once again led the league in tackles in 2009 (152) and also recorded four sacks, three forced fumbles, eight pass deflections, and three interceptions. He earned his second first-team All-Pro honor and was voted to his third consecutive Pro Bowl. He also won the Butkus Award. Following the season, he signed a five-year, $50 million contract with $29 million guaranteed.
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During the 2010 season, Willis played through several injuries but tallied a career-high six sacks. He missed his first game in Week 17 with a broken right hand, but he still made his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl and earned first-team All-Pro honors.
In 2011, Willis anchored one of the most dominant defenses during his time with the 49ers. They did not allow a rushing touchdown until Week 16. He was named to his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl, the most in 49ers’ franchise history, and earned first-team All-Pro honors for the third year in a row.
After playing an entire season in 2012, Willis appeared in his first and only Super Bowl, a 34-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl 47.
In 2013, he would miss some time with a groin injury but still played 14 games. In 2014, hampered by a nagging toe injury, Willis was able to play six games before heading to the IR and realizing it was time for retirement.
Willis finished his eight-year NFL career as a seven-time Pro Bowler, five-time first-team All-Pro, two-time NFL tackle leader, and member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
He was inducted into the 49ers’ Hall of Fame in 2021. Willis is the latest 2000s and 2010s linebacker to get their gold jacket after Zach Thomas (2023), Ray Lewis (2018), Brian Urlacher (2018), and Junior Seau (2015) all got inducted.
Willis’ Long Wait For His Gold Jacket
Willis’ name has been in the Hall of Fame discussion for quite some time. “I can take that deep breath now and say it’s done,” Willis said back in February when he was announced as a Hall of Famer after his fifth time on the ballot and third as a finalist.
To those around him, his induction is long overdue.
“He just came to work every single day,” said NaVorro Bowman, Willis’ teammate at linebacker in San Francisco after being drafted in 2010. “He didn’t just want to learn his job, he wanted to learn everybody’s job. He approached it the right way. He was a great example to follow when I came in as a rookie. There was a never a letdown. … He just moved the right way, approached it the right way and just was a student of the game. That’s what made him a Hall of Famer.”
The final Gold Jacket of the night goes to @PatrickWillis52! Courtesy of @HaggarCo, he received it from Hall of Famer Mike Singletary.#PFHOF24 pic.twitter.com/5wfXHaiJ5M
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) August 3, 2024
Another notable name, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, who was a star linebacker himself during Willis’ time in the NFL, said that he used to study film of Willis during his time as a player to become a better tackler, calling Willis’ selection to the Hall a “no-brainer.”