Jim Thornton is a career quality starter β a tight end whose body of work places Thornton in the top quarter of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Thornton's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Jim Thornton
A high-end tight end defined as much by exceptional availability β almost never missed time as by their on-field impact (top 20% all-time). Coaches and teammates could count on them being available.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 95 Β· #1206 Β· High-ValueWorth 95 points of value above a freely-available replacement tight end β top 27% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 6 of 6 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +15.8 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
6 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
46
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
6
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+15.8
Avg surplus
peak +25
6 seasons Γ ~15.8 surplus β VORP 95
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at onceβno tab hopping.
3 grids split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Receiving | Rushing | Defense | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | |||||
| 1988 | β | CHI | 16 | β | β | 15 | 135 | 0 | β | 9.0 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | 2 | 2 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | β | CHI | 16 | β | β | 24 | 392 | 3 | β | 16.3 | β | β | β | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 1990 | β | CHI | 16 | β | β | 19 | 254 | 1 | β | 13.4 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 1991 | β | CHI | 16 | β | β | 17 | 278 | 1 | β | 16.4 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | 1 | 0 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | β | NYJ | 13 | β | β | 12 | 108 | 2 | β | 9.0 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | 1 | 1 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | β | NYJ | 15 | β | β | 20 | 171 | 0 | β | 8.6 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | 3 | 1 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 92 | β | 0 | 107 | 1,338 | 7 | β | 12.5 | β | β | β | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 7 | 4 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | β | |
Rushing
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 23 | CHI | 16 | β | β | 15 | 135 | 0 | β | 9.0 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | 24 | CHI | 16 | β | β | 24 | 392 | 3 | β | 16.3 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | 25 | CHI | 16 | β | β | 19 | 254 | 1 | β | 13.4 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | 26 | CHI | 16 | β | β | 17 | 278 | 1 | β | 16.4 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | 28 | NYJ | 13 | β | β | 12 | 108 | 2 | β | 9.0 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | 29 | NYJ | 15 | β | β | 20 | 171 | 0 | β | 8.6 | β | β | β |
| Career | 92 | 0 | 107 | 1,338 | 7 | β | 12.5 | β | β | β |
Defense
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 64 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a well-rounded profile that scores 64 of 100, era-normalized against rec yds/g peers across 6 scored seasons.
62
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
67
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 64 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 64Β· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 62
On-field 42.8
Availability 19.2
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rec yds/g)
1988bestavg 62elite 701994
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position6
Depth
of 100
Reached 7% of the all-time Receptions leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
7% of the all-time Receptions leader7
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: 89%.
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average tight ends aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (California State-Fullerton), 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
Jim HarbaughQB4yDennis GentryRB4yWilliam PerryDT4yRichard DentDE4yNeal AndersonRB4yBrad MusterFB4yWendell DavisWR4yGlen KozlowskiWR4yRon MorrisWR4yCap BosoTE4yTrace ArmstrongDE3yMike TomczakQB3yMaury BufordP3yMark GreenRB3yJames HastyDB2yMo LewisOLB2yRonnie LottCB2yBoomer EsiasonQB2yVictor GreenDB2yMarvin WashingtonDE2yRob MooreWR2yGlenn CadrezOLB2yMatt SuheyRB2yJeff LagemanDE2y
1988 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #105
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterJim inherited the Chicago Bears TE room from Cap Boso (1987β1991), and handed it to Keith Jennings (1991β1997).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1994final season
Last recorded season with NYJ
- 1993team change
Joined NYJ (from CHI)
- 1988draft
Drafted by CHI β Round 4, Pick 105
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'2" / 242 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 6-season peers. See all β
64
peak 67
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
C+1988
B+1989
B1990
B1991
C+1993
C+1994
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 6 seasons.
96%
Era Translator
Rec Yds 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 Rec Yds | Rec Yds/G | β 2025 Rec Yds | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 135 | 8.4 | 354+219 | 20.8 |
| 1989 | 392 | 24.5 | 687+295 | 40.4 |
| 1990 | 254 | 15.9 | 532+278 | 31.3 |
| 1991 | 278 | 17.4 | 568+290 | 33.4 |
| 1993 | 108 | 8.3 | 335+227 | 19.7 |
| 1994 | 171 | 11.4 | 413+242 | 24.3 |
Data: nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:players, wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), nfl.com:official-stats (facts-only reference), espn.com:stats-api (games-played, facts-only reference) Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
95 career value over replacement β #1206 all-time of 4,642. 15.8/season above a replacement-level TE.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #105 (Rd 4) Β· CHI Β· 1988 Β· +27.2 vs expected KV-H
64actual
36.8 expected Β· Ξ+27.2
Fan Rating
Rate Jim Thornton β All-Time
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