Fubo News presents the players who are overdue to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Watch the NFL on Fubo all season long.
On Tuesday morning, the Pro Football Hall of Fame began the process of selecting the class of 2024. That first step was the announcement of 173 modern-era nominees, made up of 94 offensive players, 62 defensive players, and 17 special teams players.
This initial list, which is noticeably more expansive than last year’s 129 initial nominees, will be debated and voted on by the selection committee in the coming months. The list of nominees will next be trimmed to a semifinalist list and then a finalist list consisting of 19 individuals. That list will then be voted on, with a group of four to nine players ultimately getting inducted. The official class of 2024 will be announced leading up to this year’s Super Bowl in February.
Through this process in recent years, some players have seemingly slipped through the cracks. While those who are in their first year on the ballot often get most of the attention, let’s take a look at some players who have gotten overlooked by the committee – from those who have been on the ballot for just a few years to those who have spent decades waiting for a call.
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FB Larry Centers
That’s right, we’re starting with a fullback. Before players like Christian McCaffrey or even guys like Matt Forte and LaDanian Tomlinson, Larry Centers was the first ever true ‘receiving’ back. He was the first back to record a 100-catch season – doing so eight years before anybody else. His 827 receptions are still the most ever by a back, and the fourth-most among all non-wide receivers behind only Tony Gonzalez (already in the HOF), Jason Witten (not yet eligible) and Antonio Gates (entering his first ballot). Centers is entering his 16th year of eligibility, so it seems as though the committee has already made up their minds on his candidacy. But that doesn’t make him any less of a snub.
WR Torry Holt
During the 2000s – a breakthrough period for passing offenses in the NFL – no player was more productive than Holt. As a member of The Greatest Show on Turf Rams teams, Holt caught 868 passes for 12,594 yards, both of which rank as the most by any player in the league between 2000 and 2009 (that also doesn’t include his impressive rookie campaign in 1999). Even with all that volume he was still a big-play threat, with his 14.5 yards per catch during that window ranking sixth (min. 500 catches). Isaac Bruce – the other star receiver from The Greatest Show On Turf – is already in. Holt, who has been eligible since 2014, should join him.
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WR/KR Devin Hester
In the past, the Hall has lacked in recognizing more specialized players rather than those who play traditional roles. With the first wave of greats from the NFL’s age of specialization coming that needs to change, and Hester would be a great candidate to start with. Widely considered to be the greatest return specialist of all time, he has the NFL record with 20 combined special teams touchdowns, including 14 punt return touchdowns. At his peak he was such a threat, the Indianapolis Colts kicked the ball out of bounds in Super Bowl XLI, giving the Bears the ball at the 40, after a rookie Hester housed the opening kickoff. His impact on the game is unquestionable, and for that, he should get in, even if he wasn’t a star as a traditional wide receiver.
TE Ben Coates
Maybe it’s because he was stuck on some bad New England Patriots teams, but Coates has been overlooked by the committee for years. Between 1991 and 2000 (the full span of Coates’ career), Coates caught the second most passes (499) and had the second-most receiving yards (5,555) of any tight end in the NFL, second only to current Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe. No tight end, including Sharpe, caught more touchdowns (50) than Coates. Despite all of that, he’s rarely even reached the finalist round since becoming eligible in 2005.
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DL Jared Allen
Only two players in NFL history have more career sacks than Allen (136, T-16th all-time) and aren’t in the Hall of Fame. One is Julius Peppers, who is in his first year on the ballot and is a virtual lock to get in. The other is Terrell Suggs, who doesn’t become eligible until next year. Allen was a finalist last year, so maybe this is the season he gets over the hump.
DL Dwight Freeney
Freeney’s case is similar to Allen’s. His overall sack total isn’t quite as high (125.5, 26th most all-time), but he did play two fewer seasons. He also has more playoff pedigree than Allen, having spent most of his career with the dominant 2000s Colts teams and then as a part of the Super Bowl-bound Falcons in 2016. In 22 career playoff games, he has 11 sacks. Like Allen, Freeney was a finalist last year, so he appears to be close in the minds of the committee.
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ILB Patrick Willis
Willis’ career wasn’t as long as some other Hall of Fame linebackers, but boy was he dominant. A five-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler in just eight NFL seasons, he was a member of the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team. He led the NFL in tackles twice – including as a rookie – and was often cited by other players he played with as the most dominant linebacker of his era. Ray Lewis once called him “a worthy successor” to his place as the league’s best inside linebacker. Willis was a finalist in 2023.
OLB James Harrison
From undrafted rookie to NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Harrison dominated as a pass-rusher in the 2000s and 2010s. He spent most of that time with the Pittsburgh Steelers and retired as the all-time sacks leader for the historic franchise. For his career he had 84.5 sacks, the fourth-most of any player from his time in the league from 2002-2017.
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S Rodney Harrison
Harrison is quietly one of the biggest Hall of Fame snubs not just in football, but all of pro sports. He was a dominant force during his playing career, and during his tenure with the New England Patriots was the best strong safety in the NFL. There’s probably not better example of his success than his distinction of being the inaugural member of the NFL’s 30-30 Club, becoming the first player in league history with 30 career sacks and 30 career interceptions. Only Ray Lewis – a first-ballot Hall of Famer – has matched him since, with nobody else coming particularly close. Harrison’s candidacy has gained more traction in recent years after a slow start when he became eligible in 2013, but critiques about him being a ‘dirty’ player and a PED suspension early in his career still loom large.
K Gary Anderson
Simply put, the Pro Football Hall of Fame needs to do a better job of recognizing kickers and punters. Some more obvious inductions are on their way such as Adam Vinatieri, but why not start now with Anderson, who retired as the league’s all-time leading scorer? If scoring more points than literally anybody else ever isn’t worth induction, what is?
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