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Hall of Fame | Antonio Gates leads smallest class in 20 years. Who's left out ... next?
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- Hall of Fame | Antonio Gates leads smallest class in 20 years. Who's left out ... next?
The picks are in — there aren't many. The debate over who was snubbed and who will get in next is open.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2025 , the smallest class in 20 years includes three modern era players: tight end Antonio Gates , edge rusher Jared Allen and cornerback Eric Allen , and one seniors finalist, receiver Sterling Sharpe.
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The 50 voters considered one coach finalist, former Cleveland Browns president Mike Holmgren, but he did not receive the requisite 80 percent "yes" votes. Nor did the voters approve contributor finalist Ralph Hay , owner of the the Canton Bulldogs when the NFL was born in Canton in 1920.
Modern era finalists who didn't get elected are quarterback Eli Manning , linebacker Luke Kuechly , receiver Steve Smith, receiver Reggie Wayne , receiver Torry Holt edge rusher Terrell Suggs , guard Marshal Yanda guard Jahri Evans tackle Willie Anderson safety Darren Woodson kick Adam Vinatieri running back Fred Taylor.
Procedural changes are cited as the reason for the small class. It remains to be seen whether the class is so alarmingly small that readjustments in procedure are considered.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 (from left) Eric Allen, Jared Allen, Antonio Gates, and Sterling Sharpe pose for a photo during a press conference, Feb. 6, 2025, at the Saenger Theater in New Orleans.
The dozen 2025 modern era finalists who didn't make it are contenders to be part of the Class of 2026, but all are subject to the maxim "get in while the getting's good." Each year brings a new wave of first-year-eligible candidates, and the next wave is formidable.
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Drew Brees eligible for Hall of Fame next year
Modern Era hopefuls must have been out of the league for five full seasons. Serious Class of 2026 candidates who fit that bill, having last played in 2020, include quarterback Drew Brees, receiver Larry Fitzgerald , defensive tackle Geno Atkins , center Maurkice Pouncey , running back Frank Gore and tight end Jason Witten .
Thirteen-time Pro Bowler Brees is seen as a first-ballot lock. He blows Manning out of the water in regular-season record with a 172-114 mark; Manning's was 117-117. In the postseason, Manning was 8-4 with two Super Bowl wins, while Brees was 9-9 with one Super Bowl win.
Larry Fitzgerald will join crowded group of Hall of Fame finalist receivers
Recent Hall of Fame elections have included a glut of wide receivers, which will be compounded with none of three finalists getting in, and Fitzgerald entering the fray.
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Stats-wise (career yards, yards per catch, TDs), the three 2025 finalists are very close: Smith (14,731, 14.3, 81); Holt (13,382, 14.5, 74); Wayne (14,345, 13.4, 82). Fitzgerald (17,492, 12.2, 121) figures to have many supporters.
Big career numbers obviously aren't the only thing voters consider. Seniors candidate Sharpe, for example, was a Packers wideout who played for just seven seasons, compiling 8,134 yards (13.7 average) and 65 touchdowns. But then, low career numbers kept Sharpe out until now.
Julian Edelman joins Frank Gore and Jason Witten among first-year eligible 2026 Hall of Fame candidates
Former Kent State quarterback Julian Edelman comes eligible for the Class of 2026. But there seems no chance he will be a finalist based on his NFL role as a wideout, with 6,822 regular-season receiving yards, even though he was a Super Bowl MVP who played on two other Patriots Super Bowl winners.
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Gore could leapfrog Taylor as a running back candidate. The top five all-time in rushing yards are Emmitt Smith (18,355), Walter Payton (16,726), Gore (16,000), Barry Sanders (15,268) and Adrian Peterson (14,918). Unsuccessful Class of 2025 finalist Fred Taylor is 17th at 11,695.
As for some of the other new candidates for her Class of 2026 …
Witten ranks second among tight ends in receiving yards with 13,046, trailing only Tony Gonzalez's 15,127. The next two are Travis Kelce (12,151) and Gates (11,841). The pecking order in receiving touchdowns for those four is Gates (116), Gonzalez (111), Kelce (77) and Witten (74). Ozzie Newsome, a Hall of Fame tight end who spent his 13-year NFL career in Cleveland, had 7,980 career yards and 47 TDs.
Chargers tight end Antonio Gates salutes after he scored a touchdown against the Denver Broncos on "Monday Night Football" in San Diego, Oct. 15, 2012.
Pouncey made nine Pro Bowls during his career with the Steelers while Atkins reached eight Pro Bowls with the Bengals . Both are on the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 2010s.
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Marty Schottenheimer, who launched his head coaching career with the Browns, was a semifinalist in the coach category this year. Schottenheimer stacked up well with Holmgren in regular-season record (200-126-1 vs. 161-111), but Holmgren had a big edge in postseason record, 13-11 with three Super Bowl appearances vs. 5-13 with no trips to Super Bowls.
Seniors candidates are men who last played in the NFL in 1999 or earlier. One of next year's candidates could be Jim Plunkett, who, like Manning, won two Super Bowls and had a .500 regular-season record (72-72).
Another seniors candidate is Clay Matthews , who played linebacker for the Browns from 1978-93.
This might have been the last chance for Ralph Hay, who has been dead for 80 years. Hay was a Canton automobile dealer who called together the meeting where a new pro football league was organized in 1920. It was renamed National Football League in 1922.
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Hay's team, the Canton Bulldogs, won NFL championships with a 10-0-2 record in 1922 and an 11-0-1 record in 1923.
The Class of 2025 was revealed during the NFL Honors show Thursday night.
Reach Steve at steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Antonio Gates, Sterling Sharpe lead small 2025 Hall of Fame class
