Chidi Ahanotu is a career quality starter β a pass rusher whose body of work places Ahanotu in the top quarter of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Ahanotu's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Chidi Ahanotu
Height6'2"
Weight285 lb
BornOct 11, 1970
Age55
CollegeCaliforniaSee College Stats
Rookie yr1993
Draft1993 Β· Rd 6, Pick 145 Β· TB
A high-end edge rusher defined as much by excellent availability over their career as by their on-field impact (top 20% all-time). Coaches and teammates could count on them being available.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 178 Β· #476 Β· EliteWorth 178 points of value above a freely-available replacement interior lineman β top 11% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 11 of 12 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +16.2 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
11 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
47
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
11
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+16.2
Avg surplus
peak +35
11 seasons Γ ~16.2 surplus β VORP 178
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at onceβno tab hopping.
1 grid split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Defense | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | |||||
| 1993 | β | TB | 16 | β | 26 | 19 | β | β | β | 1.5 | 1.5 | β | 3 | 1 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | β | TB | 16 | β | 46 | 31 | β | β | β | 1.0 | 1.0 | β | 1 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1995 | β | TB | 16 | β | 48 | 36 | β | β | β | 3.0 | 3.0 | β | 6 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1996 | β | TB | 13 | β | 47 | 37 | β | β | β | 5.5 | 5.5 | β | 1 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1997 | β | TB | 16 | β | 47 | 37 | β | β | β | 10.0 | 10.0 | β | 3 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1998 | β | TB | 4 | β | 17 | 9 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1999 | β | TB | 13 | β | 28 | 18 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 6.5 | 18.5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | β | TB | 15 | β | 45 | 26 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 3.5 | 9.5 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | β | LA | 12 | β | 23 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 2.0 | 10.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | β | BUF | 15 | β | 34 | 20 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 5.0 | 16.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | β | SF | 13 | β | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | β | TB | 10 | β | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| Career | β | 159 | β | 397 | 273 | 62 | 22 | 15 | 47.0 | 84.0 | 0 | 22 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
Defense
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 23 | TB | 16 | β | 26 | 19 | β | β | β | 1.5 | 1.5 | β | 3 | 1 | β | β | β | 6.3 |
| 1994 | 24 | TB | 16 | β | 46 | 31 | β | β | β | 1.0 | 1.0 | β | 1 | 0 | β | β | β | 5.9 |
| 1995 | 25 | TB | 16 | β | 48 | 36 | β | β | β | 3.0 | 3.0 | β | 6 | 0 | β | β | β | 7.2 |
| 1996 | 26 | TB | 13 | β | 47 | 37 | β | β | β | 5.5 | 5.5 | β | 1 | 0 | β | β | β | 9.6 |
| 1997 | 27 | TB | 16 | β | 47 | 37 | β | β | β | 10.0 | 10.0 | β | 3 | 0 | β | β | β | 14.7 |
| 1998 | 28 | TB | 4 | β | 17 | 9 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β | 1.8 |
| 1999 | 29 | TB | 13 | β | 28 | 18 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 6.5 | 18.5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | β | 0 | 0 | 11.2 |
| 2000 | 30 | TB | 15 | β | 45 | 26 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 3.5 | 9.5 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 |
| 2001 | 31 | LA | 12 | β | 23 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 2.0 | 10.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 |
| 2002 | 32 | BUF | 15 | β | 34 | 20 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 5.0 | 16.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10.1 |
| 2003 | 33 | SF | 13 | β | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 |
| 2004 | 34 | TB | 10 | β | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 7.3 |
| Career | 159 | 397 | 273 | 62 | 22 | 15 | β | β | 0 | 22 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 97.9 |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 68 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 68 of 100, era-normalized against sacks/g peers across 12 scored seasons.
62
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
73
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 66.4 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 68Β· confidence 96%
What builds the career mark of 62
On-field 44.4
Availability 17.6
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative sacks/g)
1993bestavg 59elite 702004
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position22
Depth
of 100
Reached 24% of the all-time Sacks leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
24% of the all-time Sacks leader24
0 categories β₯25% of the all-time leader0
A 0β100 scale where 100 = matched the all-time leaderat this position. Built only from visible encyclopedia data β career production vs. the all-time leader, plus efficiency (EPA) and comparable-player confidence β so it's a transparent context score, not a subjective rating. Tiers: Elite β₯ 85 Β· Strong β₯ 65 Β· Solid β₯ 45 Β· Depth < 45. Comparable-player confidence: 93%.
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average defensive linemen aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
Postseason Career
4 playoff gamesDefense
Tkl7Solo3Ast4PD1
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (California), but no parsed college box-score table is present in this profile artifact. The section stays here so every profile has a consistent college-stats landing point without fabricating unavailable rows.
Reference Graph
Career teammates and draft class, derived from year-by-year rosters β every name is linked.
Top Teammates
Dave MooreTE10yJohn LynchFS8yDerrick BrooksOLB7yHardy NickersonMLB7yWarren SappDT6yMike AlstottFB6yTrent DilferQB6yBrad CulpepperDT6yTyoka JacksonDE6yRonde BarberFS5yShelton QuarlesMLB5yDonnie AbrahamCB5ySteve WhiteDE5yEric CurryDE5yWarrick DunnRB4yJackie HarrisTE4yAlshermond SingletonOLB4yCourtney HawkinsWR4yPatrick HapeTE4yReidel AnthonyWR4yJerry EllisonRB4yErrict RhettRB4yHorace CopelandWR4yFloyd YoungCB4y
1993 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #145
#131John Henry MillsRB#132Chris GrayG#133Everett LindsayG#135Lonnie PaleleiOT#137Tyrone HughesDB#138Rich GriffithTE#141Doug EvansDB#144Richie AndersonFB#147Greg JeffriesCB#151Mitch LyonsTE#157Carlos EtheredgeTE#160Frank WycheckTE#162Willie WilliamsCB#166Chris DalmanG#168Barry MinterLB#170Michael McCraryDE
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterChidi inherited the Tampa Bay Buccaneers DL room from Eric Curry (1993β1997), and handed it to Brad Culpepper (1994β1999).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 2004team change
Joined TB (from SF)
- 2004final season
Last recorded season with TB
- 2003team change
Joined SF (from BUF)
- 2002team change
Joined BUF (from LA)
- 2001team change
Joined LA (from TB)
- 1993draft
Drafted by TB β Round 6, Pick 145
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'2" / 285 lb
Frame
Knox
StatVault's proprietary player intelligence, informed by full career data. How Knox works β
Historical Knox Β· KV-H
Era-normalized career quality β z-scored against 12-season peers. See all β
68
peak 73
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
C+1993
C+1994
C+1995
B1996
A1997
F1998
B+1999
C+2000
C+2001
B2002
B2003
B+2004
Availability
Era Translator
Sacks translated to the 2025NFL β each season's standing among its own-era peers, projected onto 2025's scoring environment. Modern-era (1999+) coverage.
| Season | Actual Sacks | Sacks/G | β 2025 Sacks | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 1-0.5 | 0.1 |
| 1994 | 1 | 0.1 | 1 | 0.1 |
| 1995 | 3 | 0.2 | 3 | 0.2 |
| 1996 | 5.5 | 0.4 | 7+1.5 | 0.4 |
| 1997 | 10 | 0.6 | 10 | 0.6 |
| 1998 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 6.5 | 0.5 | 8+1.5 | 0.4 |
| 2000 | 3.5 | 0.2 | 3-0.5 | 0.2 |
| 2001 | 2 | 0.2 | 2 | 0.1 |
| 2002 | 5 | 0.3 | 6+1 | 0.3 |
| 2003 | 4 | 0.3 | 5+1 | 0.3 |
| 2004 | 5 | 0.5 | 8+3 | 0.5 |
Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:draft_picks, wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), nfl.com:official-stats (facts-only reference), nfl.com:official-stats (games-played, facts-only reference) Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
178 career value over replacement β #476 all-time of 4,642. 14.8/season above a replacement-level DL.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #145 (Rd 6) Β· TB Β· 1993 Β· +35 vs expected KV-H
68actual
33 expected Β· Ξ+35
Fan Rating
Rate Chidi Ahanotu β All-Time
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