Waiting for Gold: Class of '25 finalists anxious to hear Hall of Fame fate

Wed Feb 5 2:14pm ET
Field Level Media

Fifteen former players will take a deep breath and hope to hear their name called when the Pro Football Hall of Fame announces its newest slate of modern-era selections on Thursday night ahead of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.

The Hall of Fame Selection Committee can elect up to five players from the 15-member list. The announcement will air during the NFL Honors broadcast starting at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday on Fox and the NFL Network.

The group includes six first-time nominees: Eli Manning, Terrell Suggs, Steve Smith Sr., Luke Kuechly, Adam Vinatieri and Marshal Yanda. Nine other nominees return as finalists, with Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne experiencing the longest waits as they enter their sixth cycle hoping to be selected.

Manning said he was trying to keep this week in perspective as he waits to hear whether he is a first-ballot selection into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

"It's one of those things, you can't control it," Manning said to NFL Network. "So why worry about it? You'll know one way or the other.

"It's not that I'm not going to lose sleep over this. ... (But) I'm going to enjoy being in New Orleans no matter what."

Vinatieri also spoke about his nerves heading into the selection. He is hoping to become the third primary kicker to reach the Hall of Fame, joining Jan Stenerud and Morten Andersen.

"Holding my breath, obviously, but there's no guarantee at this level," Vinatieri said to radio station WEEI in Boston. "Everybody that's in the top 15 is definitely worthy, and probably rightfully so. We'll see. I don't know what the expectation should be, but I'm very optimistic."

Five defensive players are among the 15 finalists: ends Jared Allen and Suggs, linebacker Kuechly, cornerback Eric Allen and safety Darren Woodson. A trio of offensive linemen -- Willie Anderson, Jahri Evans and Yanda -- also are on the list.

Running back Fred Taylor, wideouts Smith Sr., Holt and Wayne, and tight end Antonio Gates also are on the doorstep of hearing their name called.

In addition to the 15 modern-era finalists, the selection committee reviews three senior finalists, one coach and one contributor. The committee can select up to eight people from all of the groups of finalists.

The senior finalists are Maxie Baughan, Sterling Sharpe and Jim Tyrer. Super Bowl-winning coach Mike Holmgren and contributor Ralph Hay also are candidates.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame's induction ceremony is expected to take place during the first week of August in Canton. The ceremony will be part of an Enshrinement Week that also is set to include the annual preseason Hall of Fame Game and the Enshrinees' Gold Jacket Dinner.

Modern-era finalists:

CB Eric Allen (two-time finalist); 14 seasons: 1988-94 Philadelphia Eagles, 1995-97 New Orleans Saints, 1998-2001 Oakland Raiders

The six-time Pro Bowl player from Arizona State finished with 54 career interceptions, which ranks No. 21 all time. He returned eight interceptions for touchdowns, which is tied for eighth in NFL history.

DE Jared Allen (five-time finalist); 12 seasons: 2004-07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2008-2013 Minnesota Vikings, 2014-15 Chicago Bears, 2015 Carolina Panthers

A fourth-round draft pick from Idaho State, the four-time All-Pro had 136 sacks. Every player ahead of him on the all-time sack list, other than fellow first-time finalist Terrell Suggs, is in the Hall of Fame

OT Willie Anderson (four-time finalist); 13 seasons: 1996-2007 Cincinnati Bengals, 2008 Baltimore Ravens

The 6-foot-5, 340-pound Anderson started 184 of 195 career games and was named to four Pro Bowls in a row from the 2003-06 seasons. He blocked for nine 1,000-yard rushers in his career, and he helped pave the way for Corey Dillon to set single-game records for rushing yards by a rookie (246) and rushing yards by any player (278). Each record stood for nearly three years, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

G Jahri Evans (two-time finalist); 12 seasons: 2006-16 New Orleans Saints, 2017 Green Bay Packers

Evans greatly overachieved as a fourth-round pick (No. 108 overall) out of Division II Bloomsburg (Pa.) University. He started each of the 183 games in which he played, and he was selected to six consecutive Pro Bowls from the 2009-14 seasons. He was part of a Saints team that won Super Bowl XLIV, and he was named to the Saints Hall of Fame in 2021.

TE Antonio Gates (two-time finalist); 16 seasons: 2003-18 San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers

Gates entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent after playing basketball at Kent State. He went on to become one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history. The eight-time Pro Bowl selection caught 116 touchdown passes, which ranks No. 1 all time among tight ends and No. 7 all time among all receivers. He had 21 career multi-touchdown games, which also is the most by any tight end. He was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 2000s.

WR Torry Holt (six-time finalist); 11 seasons: 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars

Holt was a key member of the "Greatest Show on Turf" teams in St. Louis that included Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, Ricky Proehl and others. To cap his rookie season, he had seven catches for a 109 yards and a touchdown to help the Rams beat the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. He led the NFL in receiving yards in 2000 and 2003, and he had 80-plus catches in eight consecutive seasons. Holt was named to seven Pro Bowls.

LB Luke Kuechly (first-time eligible, finalist); 8 seasons: 2012-19 Carolina Panthers

As the No. 9 overall pick out of Boston College in 2012, Kuechly immediately took over as the heart of the Panthers' defense. He twice led the NFL in tackles, including in his rookie season. He topped 100 tackles in each of his eight seasons, and he also notched 18 interceptions, 12.5 sacks and 31 quarterback hits in his career. He won the Butkus Award as the top linebacker in the NFL in 2014, 2015 and 2017 and a five-time All-Pro before retiring at age 28 after suffering multiple concussions in his career.

QB Eli Manning (first-time eligible, finalist); 16 seasons: 2004-2019 New York Giants

Peyton's little brother was the No. 1 pick in 2004 by the Chargers and was traded to the New York Giants, where he spent 16 seasons, started 210 consecutive games (of 236), won two Lombardi trophies and was two-time Super Bowl MVP.

WR Steve Smith Sr. (first-time finalist); 16 seasons: 2001-13 Carolina Panthers, 2014-16 Baltimore Ravens

The Panthers selected Smith in the third round (No. 74) out of Utah in 2001, and he quickly emerged as a top-tier talent. He was the only rookie to make the Pro Bowl that season, which was the first of five Pro Bowls that he would reach. He finished his career with 1,031 catches for 14,731 yards and 81 touchdowns. He also scored six touchdowns on special teams (four punt returns, two kick returns).

OLB Terrell Suggs (first-time eligible, finalist); 17 seasons: 2003-18 Baltimore Ravens, 2019 Arizona Cardinals, 2019 Kansas City Chiefs

Suggs was one of the most dominant players on one of the most dominant defenses in the NFL for more than a decade. The seven-time Pro Bowl selection racked up double-digit sacks in seven seasons and finished his career with 139 sacks. He was named as the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2003, and he won Defensive Player of the Year in 2011.

RB Fred Taylor (two-time finalist); 13 seasons: 1998-2008 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2009-10 New England Patriots

The former Florida Gator was the Jaguars' first-round pick (No. 9 overall) in 1998, and he scored 17 touchdowns from scrimmage as a rookie to set a franchise record that still stands. He topped 1,000 rushing yards seven times in his career, including his best season in 2003 when he rushed for 1,572 yards. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry during his career and finished with 74 touchdowns (66 rushing, eight receiving).

K Adam Vinatieri (first-time eligible, finalist); 24 seasons: 1996-2005 New England Patriots, 2006-19 Indianapolis Colts

Vinatieri earned four Super Bowl rings -- three with the Patriots and one with the Colts. He is the career points leader for both franchises, with 1,158 career points for New England and 1,515 career points for Indianapolis. He also is the NFL's all-time leader in points (2,673), field goals (599) and 100-point seasons (21). He was named to the NFL 100 All-Time Team and the league's All-Decade Team of the 2000s.

WR Reggie Wayne (six-time finalist); 14 seasons: 2001-14 Indianapolis Colts

Wayne stood out during both the regular season and the playoffs during his long career, which included 12 trips to the postseason. He topped 1,000 receiving yards eight times, and he was selected to the Pro Bowl six times in a seven-year period. He also won a Super Bowl with the Colts, and he caught 93 passes in the postseason, which ranked second all-time when he retired. He finished his career with 1,070 catches for 14,345 yards and 82 touchdowns.

S Darren Woodson (three-time finalist); 12 seasons: 1992-2003 Dallas Cowboys

Woodson was a key defender on three Super Bowl-winning teams in Dallas (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX). He was named to five Pro Bowls and he finished his career as the Cowboys' all-time leader with 1,350 tackles. He had 26 interceptions including the postseason, and he returned two of those interceptions for touchdowns. He was named to the Cowboys' Ring of Honor in 2015.

G/OT Marshal Yanda (first-time eligible, finalist); 13 seasons: 2007-19 Baltimore Ravens

Yanda earned eight Pro Bowl selections and helped the Ravens win Super Bowl XLVII against the San Francisco 49ers. He started 166 of 177 career games. After an injury cut short his season in 2017, he returned to finish his career with back-to-back Pro Bowl campaigns in 2018-19. He was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 2010s.

Waiting for Gold: Class of '25 finalists anxious to hear Hall of Fame fate

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