Sixteen players in their first year of eligibility are among 167 modern-era players nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.
Four offensive linemen, the highest number among any position group, are among the first-year eligible players: Travis Frederick, Ryan Kalil, Joe Staley and Marshal Yanda. Others making the list for consideration for the first time are quarterback Eli Manning; running backs Marshawn Lynch and Darren Sproles; wide receiver Demaryius Thomas; tight ends Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker; linebackers Luke Kuechly and Terrell Suggs; defensive backs Antoine Bethea, Aqib Talib and Earl Thomas; and kicker Adam Vinatieri.
The roster of nominees consists of 94 offensive players, 56 defensive players and 17 special teams players.
In the next step of the selection process, a screening committee will reduce the list to 50 (plus ties, if any, for the 50th spot). The results of that reduction will be announced in mid-October.
The full 50-person Hall of Fame selection committee then will reduce the list to 25 semifinalists later this fall. Another vote will create the list of 15 finalists who will be discussed at the annual meeting ahead of Super Bowl LVIX that will produce the new class, which can consist of three, four or five modern-era players under the Hall of Fame’s bylaws.
MODERN-ERA NOMINEES
*-Finalist for the Class of 2024. Underline indicates first year of eligibility. (Players must have last played at least five full seasons ago to be eligible for nomination. Therefore, any individual who last played in 2019 is eligible for the first time in 2025.)
QUARTERBACKS (10): Marc Bulger, Randall Cunningham, Jake Delhomme, Doug Flutie, Rich Gannon, Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb, Eli Manning, Steve McNair, Tony Romo
RUNNING BACKS (31): Shaun Alexander, Terry Allen, Jamal Anderson, Tiki Barber, Larry Centers (FB), Jamaal Charles, Stephen Davis, Corey Dillon, Warrick Dunn, Charlie Garner, Eddie George, Priest Holmes, Steven Jackson, Chris Johnson, Thomas Jones, John Kuhn (FB), Vonta Leach, Dorsey Levens, Jamal Lewis, Marshawn Lynch, Eric Metcalf (also WR/PR/KR), Glyn Milburn (also WR), Lorenzo Neal (FB), Clinton Portis, Tony Richardson (FB), Robert Smith, Darren Sproles (also PR/KR), Fred Taylor*, Chris Warren, Ricky Watters, Ricky Williams
WIDE RECEIVERS (21): Anquan Boldin, Donald Driver, Antonio Freeman, Irving Fryar, Torry Holt*, Joe Horn, Chad Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Derrick Mason, Herman Moore, Muhsin Muhammad, Jordy Nelson, Andre Rison, Jimmy Smith, Rod Smith, Steve Smith Sr., Demaryius Thomas, Hines Ward, Reggie Wayne*, Wes Welker, Roddy White
TIGHT ENDS (6): Ben Coates, Vernon Davis, Antonio Gates*, Jeremy Shockey, Delanie Walker, Wesley Walls
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (26): Willie Anderson* (T), Bruce Armstrong (T/G), Matt Birk (C), Lomas Brown (T), Ruben Brown (G), Jahri Evans* (G), Travis Frederick (C), Jordan Gross (T), Ryan Kalil (C), Lincoln Kennedy (T), Olin Kreutz (C), T.J. Lang (G/T), Nick Mangold (C), Logan Mankins (G), Tom Nalen (C), Jeff Saturday (C), Mark Schlereth (G/C), Josh Sitton (G), Chris Snee (G), Joe Staley (T), Dave Szott (G), Brian Waters (G), Richmond Webb (T), Erik Williams (T), Steve Wisniewski (G), Marshal Yanda (G)
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (18): John Abraham (DE also LB), Jared Allen* (DE), La’Roi Glover (DT/NT), Casey Hampton (DT/NT), Robert Mathis (DE), Chester McGlockton (DT), Haloti Ngata (DT), Simeon Rice (DE), Clyde Simmons (DE/DT), Justin Smith (DE), Neil Smith (DE), Henry Thomas (DT/NT), Justin Tuck (DE), Ted Washington (NT/DT), Vince Wilfork (DT/NT), Jamal Williams (DT/NT), Kevin Williams (DT), Pat Williams (DT)
LINEBACKERS (20): Jessie Armstead, Brendon Ayanbadejo, Cornelius Bennett, Lance Briggs, Keith Brooking, NaVorro Bowman, Tedy Bruschi, Donnie Edwards, James Farrior, London Fletcher, James Harrison, Luke Kuechly, Willie McGinest (also DE), Ken Norton Jr., Julian Peterson, Bill Romanowski, Takeo Spikes, Terrell Suggs, Mike Vrabel, Lee Woodall
DEFENSIVE BACKS (18): Eric Allen* (CB), Eric Berry (DB), Antoine Bethea (S), Dré Bly (DB), Kam Chancellor (S), Nick Collins (DB), Antonio Cromartie (CB), DeAngelo Hall (DB), Rodney Harrison* (S), Eugene Robinson (DB), Samari Rolle (DB), Allen Rossum (DB), Bob Sanders (S), Aqib Talib (CB), Earl Thomas (S), Charles Tillman (CB), Troy Vincent (CB), Darren Woodson* (S)
PUNTERS/KICKERS (15): David Akers (K), Gary Anderson (K), Darren Bennett (P), Jason Elam (K), Jeff Feagles (P), Jason Hanson (K), John Kasay (K), Sean Landeta (P), Shane Lechler (P), Pat McAfee (P), Brian Moorman (P), Matt Stover (K), Matt Turk (P), Mike Vanderjagt (K), Adam Vinatieri (K)
SPECIAL TEAMS (2): Josh Cribbs (KR/PR also WR), Brian Mitchell (KR/PR also RB)
The Panthers have benched quarterback Bryce Young, but they’re not looking to get him off the roster entirely.
While some might think that sitting down the first overall pick of the draft 19 games into his career is the first step to shipping him off to another team, Panthers head coach Dave Canales said at his press conference on Wednesday afternoon that the team would not look into trading Young now that they’ve decided to go with Andy Dalton as their quarterback.
“That’s not something we’re really considering,” Canales said. “We have a great situation with our quarterbacks right now with guys that have experience. We love where we’re at and we’re all hands on deck. We’re focused on playing the Raiders this week.”
Nothing stops another team from calling the Panthers to see if they might change their mind, but Young’s play since entering the league seems unlikely to generate too many appealing offers from other clubs. The offseason could bring a different answer as the Panthers and other teams take stock of their options, but, for now, it seems Young will be the backup in Carolina.
Nearly eight years ago, 49ers CEO Jed York made a depressingly accurate comment about pro football.
“I own this football team,” York said after firing his third coach in three years. “You don’t dismiss owners. I’m sorry but that’s the facts, and that’s the case. That’s the fact.”
It’s a sad fact for fans of the most dysfunctional teams. Currently, the NFL’s most dysfunctional team is run by a drink-throwing, hat-removing, Veruca Salt multi-billionaire who thinks there’s a button he can press that will instantly turn his team from a train wreck into a contender.
So, no, you don’t dismiss David Tepper. There’s nothing Panthers fans can do, short of launching a sustained, multi-year boycott creating sufficient financial pressure to get him to sell the team.
Good luck with that. People don’t like to deprive themselves of things they like, even when that thing drives them to agony. Currently, Tepper’s team might drive its fans to something even worse than that — apathy.
And with Tepper, who (in my opinion, based on the available evidence and the application of common sense) forced Bryce Young onto his last coaching staff before forcing the new coaching staff to bench him, firmly in control of the team and likely looking for another incoming rookie quarterback to fall in love with (before falling out of love with him), it’s high time for college players who are finally making money to prepare to take a stand.
It happens rarely. It should happen often. For quarterbacks, that first team shapes much of the career. And that first team can ruin, or dramatically delay, the quarterback’s chance to realize his potential.
Look at the Jets. From Geno Smith to Christian Hackenberg to Sam Darnold to Zach Wilson, they’ve ruined one rookie quarterback after another. The Panthers are on that same track.
And the incoming quarterbacks have more power than ever before. Their money is the source of it. They have earned plenty. They have (or should have) banked a lot of it. They can make it clear to the Panthers, privately or if need be publicly, that they won’t sign a contract with the Panthers. That whoever is drafted by Tepper’s team will sit out for a year, live off his NIL money (and possibly earn more of it), and re-enter the draft the next time around.
That’s how it works. If a player is drafted and doesn’t sign a contract, he re-enters the next draft. If he does it again, he can pick whichever team he wants after the next draft.
The biggest challenge comes from the potential P.R. consequences. Media and fans have been so brainwashed about the honor and privilege of being drafted that few will acknowledge the very real difference between being drafted by the best organizations and the worst ones.
Look at Patrick Mahomes. He could have been drafted by a team that might have made it harder for him to fully blossom and thrive (like, you know, the Jets). Instead, he fell to the bottom of the top 10, the Chiefs jumped up 18 spots to get him, and the rest is the history that we all continue to witness.
At the other end of the spectrum, it’s the Jets and the Panthers. Quarterback whimperers, not whisperers. Teams that will keep Geno Smith from becoming Geno Smith and Sam Darnold from becoming Sam Darnold and, maybe, Zach Wilson from becoming Zach Wilson and Bryce Young from becoming Bryce Young.
Many believe that the Texans would have taken Young if they’d had the first pick in the 2023 draft, which would have sent C.J. Stroud to the Panthers. Who’s to say that, if this had happened, Young would be doing fine and Stroud would have just gotten benched?
Think back to 1999. If Akili Smith lands with the Eagles and Donovan McNabb goes to Cincinnati, maybe Smith ends up being a fringe Hall of Famer with Andy Reid, and McNabb starts 17 career regular-season games, winning only three.
It’s high time for incoming quarterbacks to take a stand when it comes to being forced to play for an inept organization. And there’s always strength in numbers. The Panthers should be the first target for a collective “no thanks” by the top prospects.
Panthers fans won’t like to hear that. But if Tepper can’t be fired or otherwise held accountable (short of something that would prompt the NFL to deploy Mary Jo White to Charlotte), something like an organized effort by the top quarterbacks to refuse to play for Tepper’s team could be the only thing to get him to shape up — or even better for Panthers fans sell out.
The Panthers benched one Week Two starter on Monday when they switched from Bryce Young to Andy Dalton at quarterback and they parted ways with another one on Tuesday.
Eku Leota started at outside linebacker in Sunday’s 26-3 loss to the Chargers and he has one of the team’s two sacks this season, but he’s no longer on the roster. The Panthers announced that they waived Leota, released tight end Jordan Matthews and signed tight end Feleipe Franks to the active roster.
Leota had four tackles in eight games for the Panthers last year and has four tackles to go with the sack this season. Matthews played 24 offensive snaps and 18 special teams snaps in the first two games.
Franks was elevated from the practice squad the last two weeks and has had a regular role on special teams.
Eighteen starts into his NFL career, quarterback Bryce Young has been benched.
So what’s next?
It’s hard to know with certainty, because it’s never easy for rational minds to predict with any accuracy the behavior of the irrational. Or, as the case may be, the dysfunctional.
Presumably, Young is done. Barring injury to new starter Andy Dalton. There’s no other current in-house option, other than Jack Plummer, who’s on the practice squad.
Maybe this is a Zach Wilson-style breather. More likely, it’s the product of the whimsy of owner David Tepper, whose fingerprints are on every decision made and/or cup containing each drink thrown.
Tepper, by all appearances, fell in love with Young. Now, Tepper has fallen out of love with him. Tepper could still fall in love with him again.
Or Tepper could prevent that by trading Young — if someone would trade for him. He’s making $915,000 in salary this year. He has $10.125 million in fully-guaranteed pay for 2025 and 2026.
Would Miami make sense, if Tua Tagovailoa would be out for the rest of the year? Beyond the Dolphins, there aren’t many obvious choices, for now.
If nothing materializes before the deadline (which is seven weeks away), the question becomes whether the Panthers would trade him in the offseason to one of the teams who had him above C.J. Stroud in the 2023 draft (and, no, the Panthers weren’t alone).
This all assumes that Tepper won’t change his mind, again, at some point before the end of the season. Tepper wants what he wants when he wants it, and one of the benefits of being in charge is that he can change his mind. And un-change it. And re-change it.
