Drafted fourth overall in the 1983 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos, offensive tackle Chris Hinton was immediately thrust into the spotlight when he was traded to the Baltimore Colts as the centerpiece of the historic deal for John Elway. While Elway's refusal to play for Baltimore reshaped the franchise's trajectory, Hinton quickly proved to be an elite, perennial All-Pro caliber anchor in his own right, famously joking years later that if Elway had stayed in Baltimore, Hinton wouldn't have been there to block for him anyway.

Plugging in immediately at guard as a rookie before switching to left tackle, Hinton weathered the franchise's turbulent relocation to Indianapolis in 1984 while serving as the focal point of the offensive line. Possessing rare technical precision and explosive functional power, he handled the league's premier pass rushers week after week. Across his seven seasons with the Colts, Hinton earned six Pro Bowl selections (1983, 1985–1989), two First-Team AP All-Pro selections (1987, 1989), and three Second-Team AP All-Pro honors (1985, 1986, 1988), spearheading a unit that paved the way for Eric Dickerson's dominant rushing campaigns in the late 1980s.

Hinton spent the final six years of his 13-season NFL career with Atlanta and Minnesota, earning a seventh Pro Bowl nod with the Falcons in 1993. His sustained excellence across the decade was permanently recognized when he was named to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team. The Colts formally honored his enduring impact by inducting him into the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor in 2001.