by Tony | Aug 20, 2024 | Hall of Fame, NFL History
As we look ahead to the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, the list of potential inductees includes an interesting mix of first-year eligible players and returning finalists who have come close in previous years. This class is poised to generate significant debate, as due to overall career length (Kuechly), hot and cold regular season performance vs postseason heroics (Manning) and position (Vinatieri), there are arguments for and against basically all the first year candidates. Add in a list of at least six candidates that have made the final five cut list in the last two years, with Jared Allen making it in 2023 but not 2024, and it shapes up to be an interesting class for sure.
2025 First-Year Hall of Fame Eligibles
- Luke Kuechly: Kuechly, with his seven Pro Bowl selections, five First-Team All-Pro nods, and 2013 Defensive Player of the Year award, leads this year’s list of first-time eligible players. Though his career was cut short by injury, his impact on the field was undeniable, making him a strong contender for first-ballot induction–and the election of Patrick Willis signifies that career length isn’t as big of a deal as some might think.
- Eli Manning: Manning’s Hall of Fame credentials are well-known, with two Super Bowl MVPs and top-10 rankings in passing yards and touchdowns. His postseason heroics, particularly in defeating the Patriots twice, could secure his place in the Hall on his first try.
- Marshawn Lynch: Known for his punishing running style and “Beast Mode” persona, Lynch rushed for over 10,000 yards and 85 touchdowns in his career. His memorable playoff performances, including the iconic “Beast Quake” run, make him a compelling candidate.
- Earl Thomas: A key member of the Seahawks’ “Legion of Boom,” Thomas was a seven-time Pro Bowler and a three-time First-Team All-Pro. His ball-hawking ability and leadership in the secondary played a critical role in Seattle’s Super Bowl XLVIII victory.
- Adam Vinatieri: Vinatieri is arguably the most clutch kicker in NFL history, with four Super Bowl rings and multiple game-winning kicks in the biggest moments. As the NFL’s all-time leading scorer, his induction feels inevitable.
- Terrell Suggs: Suggs, a dominant force on the Ravens’ defense, ranks eighth all-time in sacks with 139 and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2011. His physical style and leadership helped Baltimore secure two Super Bowl titles.
- Travis Frederick: Frederick was a five-time Pro Bowler and a key piece of the Cowboys’ dominant offensive line. His sudden retirement due to illness cut short a promising career, but his impact during his time in the league was significant.
- Darren Sproles: Sproles, one of the most versatile players in NFL history, was a dynamic return specialist, rusher, and receiver. His ability to make plays in multiple phases of the game earned him a spot in the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2010s.
Returning Finalists
- Torry Holt: Holt, who was one of the final five candidates eliminated in 2024, remains a top contender for induction. As a key member of the “Greatest Show on Turf,” Holt’s career was defined by consistency and excellence, amassing over 13,000 receiving yards and 74 touchdowns.
- Reggie Wayne: Like Holt, Wayne was also among the final five eliminated in 2024. His connection with Peyton Manning and his clutch performances in big games make him one of the top wide receivers not yet in the Hall.
- Antonio Gates: Gates, the greatest tight end in NFL history in terms of touchdown receptions, was another final 10 finalist in 2024. His athleticism and ability to create mismatches made him a nightmare for defenses and a cornerstone of the Chargers’ offense for years.
- Willie Anderson: Anderson, a four-time Pro Bowler and three-time First-Team All-Pro, was also in the final 10 in 2024. As one of the most dominant right tackles of his era, Anderson’s candidacy continues to gain momentum.
- Darren Woodson: Woodson, a key member of the Cowboys’ defense during their 1990s dynasty, also made it to the final five eliminated in 2024. His physicality and versatility at safety earned him three Super Bowl rings and five Pro Bowl selections.
- Jared Allen: After being in the final 10 in 2023 but not in 2024, Allen remains a strong candidate. With 136 career sacks, Allen was one of the most feared pass rushers of his era, and his consistent production over 12 seasons makes him a likely Hall of Famer.
- Jahri Evans: Evans, a six-time Pro Bowler and four-time First-Team All-Pro, was a dominant force on the Saints’ offensive line. His blocking helped New Orleans to multiple playoff appearances, including their Super Bowl XLIV win.
- Rodney Harrison: Harrison, a hard-hitting safety known for his physical style, was a key part of the Patriots’ dynasty in the early 2000s. With two Super Bowl rings and four All-Pro selections, his candidacy continues to be debated.
- Fred Taylor: Taylor’s career numbers, including nearly 12,000 rushing yards, have kept him in the conversation, though injuries during his career may have impacted his chances. His consistency and explosiveness at running back make him a strong candidate.
- Eric Allen: Allen, with 54 career interceptions and six Pro Bowl selections, was one of the best cornerbacks of his era. His leadership in the secondary and ability to make big plays in critical moments keep him in the discussion for induction.
Semifinalists From 2024
The list of semifinalists cut before the final round of voting in 2024 includes several players who may continue to make a push for the Hall in 2025:
With another year of no sure thing first year candidates, and a considerable logjam still existing at WR, the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class debate will undoubtedly be as interesting as the debate for the 2024 class–and that’s just the modern day candidates, as obviously the senior & contributor candidates are also hotly debated.
Leave your comments below on where you think the class debate will head!
by Tony | Jan 16, 2024 | Hall of Fame
**EDIT: This article was originally posted on October 24, 2022. Given the news that Jason Kelce is retiring, we thought it relevant to push back to the top of the page.**
In the interest of keeping some Hall of Fame discussion ongoing and fresh, hopefully I’ll be a bit more proactive about posing these questions when I see/hear them out in the wild. I came across this one over the weekend when working on another football related project:
To be honest, another player I wouldn’t even have thought to ask the question about–obviously I know who he is, and I knew he was decent, but I was surprised when I looked up his profile on Pro-Football-Reference.com to see that he is a four-time First-Team AP All-Pro, and five-time Pro Bowler (interesting as well that two of his All-Pro seasons were not Pro Bowl seasons). He’s playing in his 12th season, and has started/played in every game in nine of those seasons, including the last seven seasons.
Responses were (unsurprisingly) mixed: (more…)
by Tony | Nov 28, 2023 | Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame released it’s list of Semifinalists Tuesday morning, knocking the list down to 25 names for consideration for the final 5 in the Class of 2024. The biggest surprise? Likely that it wasn’t turned into an hour long prime time special for NFL Network </snark>.
The list of semifinalists, straight from ProFootballHallofFame.com:
- Eric Allen, CB – 1988-1994 Philadelphia Eagles, 1995-97 New Orleans Saints, 1998-2001 Oakland Raiders | (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2021-24)
- Jared Allen, DE – 2004-07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2008-2013 Minnesota Vikings, 2014-15 Chicago Bears, 2015 Carolina Panthers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2021-24)
- Willie Anderson, T – 1996-2007 Cincinnati Bengals, 2008 Baltimore Ravens | (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2021-24)
- Tiki Barber, RB – 1997-2006 New York Giants | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2024)
- Anquan Boldin, WR – 2003-09 Arizona Cardinals, 2010-12 Baltimore Ravens, 2013-15 San Francisco 49ers, 2016 Detroit Lions | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2022-24)
- Jahri Evans, G – 2006-2016 New Orleans Saints, 2017 Green Bay Packers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2023-24)
- London Fletcher, LB – 1998-2001 St. Louis Rams, 2002-06 Buffalo Bills, 2007-2013 Washington Redskins | (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2023-24)
- Dwight Freeney, DE – 2002-2012 Indianapolis Colts, 2013-14 San Diego Chargers, 2015 Arizona Cardinals, 2016 Atlanta Falcons, 2017 Seattle Seahawks, 2017 Detroit Lions | (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2023-24)
- Antonio Gates, TE – 2003-2018 San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers (First Year Eligible)
- Eddie George, RB – 1996-2003 Houston/Tennessee Oilers/Titans, 2004 Dallas Cowboys (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2022, 2024)
- James Harrison, LB – 2002-2012, 2014-17 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2013 Cincinnati Bengals, 2017 New England Patriots | (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2023-24)
- Rodney Harrison, S – 1994-2002 San Diego Chargers, 2003-08 New England Patriots | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2021, 2023-24)
- Devin Hester, PR/KR/WR – 2006-2013 Chicago Bears, 2014-15 Atlanta Falcons, 2016 Baltimore Ravens | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2022-24)
- Torry Holt, WR – 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars | (Times as a Semifinalist: 10 – 2015-2024)
- Andre Johnson, WR – 2003-2014 Houston Texans, 2015 Indianapolis Colts, 2016 Tennessee Titans | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2022-24)
- Robert Mathis, DE/LB – 2003-2016 Indianapolis Colts | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2022-24)
- Julius Peppers, DE – 2002-09, 2017-18 Carolina Panthers, 2010-13 Chicago Bears, 2014-15 Green Bay Packers (First Year Eligible)
- Steve Smith Sr., WR – 2001-2013 Carolina Panthers, 2014-16 Baltimore Ravens | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2022-24)
- Fred Taylor, RB – 1998-2008 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2009-2010 New England Patriots | (Times as a Semifinalist: 5 – 2020-24)
- Hines Ward, WR – 1998-2011 Pittsburgh Steelers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 8 – 2017-2024)
- Ricky Watters, RB – 1992-94 San Francisco 49ers, 1995-97 Philadelphia Eagles, 1998-2001 Seattle Seahawks | (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2020, 2022-24)
- Reggie Wayne, WR – 2001-2014 Indianapolis Colts | (Times as a Semifinalist: 5 – 2020-24)
- Vince Wilfork, DT – 2004-2014 New England Patriots, 2015-16 Houston Texans | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2022-24)
- Patrick Willis, LB – 2007-2014 San Francisco 49ers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 5 – 2020-24)
- Darren Woodson, S – 1992-2003 Dallas Cowboys | (Times as a Semifinalist: 8 – 2015, 2017, 2019-2024)
From that list, 10 more names will be trimmed to get to the list of 15 Modern-Era finalists in early January, who will be considered alongside Coach/Contributor Buddy Parker, and Senior Nominees Randy Gradishar, Steve McMichael and Art Powell. At a meeting before Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas in February, the selection committee will trim that list to 10, and then down to the final five, who will then be given a final Yes/No vote alongside the Coach/Contributor and Senior Nominees. It’s been years since the full slate of Modern-Era nominees didn’t get elected, though, to my recollection.
The finalists from the Class of 2023 to not make the final five included (bold indicates they were in the final 10):
- Jared Allen
- Willie Anderson
- Dwight Freeney
- Devin Hester
- Torry Holt
- Andre Johnson
- Albert Lewis
- Reggie Wayne
- Patrick Willis
- Darren Woodson
With three WR making the final 10 for the Class of 2023 but none making the final five–and only two first year semifinalists joining the list–this may be the year the voters clear up the logjam by getting at least 1-2 in.
Drop your thoughts/predictions in the comments below!
by Tony | Oct 13, 2023 | Hall of Fame
A couple weeks back, when the Minnesota Vikings beat the Carolina Panthers, Harrison Smith put up an insane stat line with 14 total tackles (8 solo, 6 assisted), 3 sacks and a forced fumble–apparently the first player in NFL history to put up that stat line. Being a lifelong Minnesota native & Viking fan, it started a lot of talk (or maybe amplified) talk locally about Smith being a Hall of Famer.
I’m not even clear a couple weeks later if I just never heard that talk before, or if it hadn’t really started until this season, which is very possibly his last season in purple (if not his last altogether). A lot of fans locally speculated that the team would move on after last season, given their salary cap woes–but Smith agreed to cut his salary from $14.7 million to $8 million (with $2 million in incentives) to play a 12th season with the Vikings, who brought in Brian Flores as their new defensive coordinator for 2023…a move that many saw as a perfect fit for a player like Smith.
It wasn’t that I didn’t know Smith was an amazing player–anyone regularly watching the team since he was taken 29th overall in 2012 knows he’s often been the lynchpin in the defense, with a penchant for making big plays when the team needed them most. He came into the 2023 season with 34 career interceptions, 16.5 sacks, and 946 tackles. While he has definitely slowed down, he finished the 2022 season with 85 tackles and 5 interceptions in 14 games, although was perhaps not used as aggressively in Ed Donatell’s new 3-4 scheme as he was in previous coach Mike Zimmer’s schemes. But I had never really given much consideration to whether or not he was Hall of Fame caliber…not to say I thought he wasn’t worthy of consideration–but that ultimately with so many top tier safeties in the league these days, he would be in that list of guys that would maybe be fringe HOF conversation after several years of debate.
But Tweets…err…Xs(?) like the one below after that Panthers game got me thinking–clearly a lot of Viking fans think it’s a forgone conclusion that Smith will get his gold jacket…so am I underrating him?
Another post I saw had this graphic, which made me think maybe I really was underrating just how good his career really has been:
Of course, we all know stats aren’t the only thing that will be considered for the Hall of Fame–and some stats like tackles are generally considered somewhat subjective, meaning they’ll have even less influence. His award profile according to ProFootballReference is 6x Pro Bowl, 1x All-Pro–which falls well short of Polamau’s 8x Pro Bowl, 4x All-Pro, 2x Super Bowl Champion, All-2000’s team, and 2010 Defensive Player of the Year award.
Not that it’s at all a perfect measurement, but the ProFootballReference “Similar Player” feature has Smith listed with Adrian Wilson, Eric Davis and Mark Carrier–solid players, but not exactly knocking on the door to Canton. Their HOF Monitor rating has him at 41.48–94th among DB, and compared to the average DB HOF score of 98.02. The lowest ranked player on that list of DB’s currently in the Hall of Fame is Dick LeBeau at 48.20. The lowest ranked more contemporary HOF player is John Lynch. Patrick Peterson, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Eric Weddle are all considerably higher than Smith–as are Chris Harris Jr., Stephon Gilmore and Tryann Mathieu
All of this makes me think that Smith has a much more difficult road to the Hall of Fame than many Vikings fans think–he’s a shoo-in for the Vikings Hall of Fame, possibly a Ring of Honor level player, and might even end up having his number retired (maybe sharing the honor with Paul Krause, who has been vocal about his belief that his number should be retired).
But what says the Zoneblitz.com readership, does Harrison Smith have any shot at Canton?
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by Tony | Sep 19, 2023 | Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the official list of 173 Modern Era Candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including nine first year eligible candidates.
Those nine include:
- WR Brandon Marshall
- WR Jordy Nelson
- TE Antonio Gates
- RB Jamaal Charles
- OL TJ Lang
- OL Josh Sitton
- OL Max Unger
- DL Haloti Ngata
- DL Julius Peppers
The full list comprised of 94 offensive, 62 defensive and 17 special teams players can be seen on the Hall of Fame website. The list will be cut down to 25 semifinalists, announced in November.
by Tony | Sep 13, 2023 | Hall of Fame
On Zoneblitz, we obviously spend a lot of time thinking & discussing who should be elected to the Hall of Fame–but something I hadn’t really considered much was whether or not anyone should have their bust removed from Canton altogether. I’m not even sure if there is a way to go about doing that (given a couple people who haven’t been), although obviously there are some that are probably not really welcomed back each year for the ceremony, and likely not promoted in exhibits through the Hall.
What got me thinking about this was an article–or rather a listicle–that came up in my Facebook feed last week (although it was written back in January of 2022). It’s one of those articles designed to make you scroll for half a mile, see about 8-dozen ads, and then share it on your own socials–but I’m not going to make you go read the article (although you’re welcome to, if you’d like), unless you really want to see their logic.
While some of them <cough>OJ<cough> aren’t a big surprise, curious what you’ll think of the rest of the list. From SportScroll.com, here’s 30 NFL players that should be removed from the Pro Football Hall of Fame:
(more…)
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Kraft wont get elected yet ... Gronk will be after Belichick. I am predicting Ken Anderson as the next senior…
Paul so what your saying is we’ll get another small class of consisting of Drew Brees Larry Fitzgerald Bill Belichick…
From what I can gather, the Hall is resisting any changes for the class of 2026 election as they would…
Paul totally
2025 election was wrong-plain and simple, plus very stupid as only delaying election of 1 or 2 more moderns and…