Getting into the Hall of Fame is a player’s biggest accomplishment. Throughout more than 100 years, only 382 have achieved this honor. Roughly 23,000 players have ever played a snap in the league, which means that only 1.7% of the players are enshrined in Canton.
So yes, the Hall of Fame is a tough place to get into. Big surprise. This means that most of the players on this list won’t actually be Hall of Famers. Some of them could get it in their first year of eligibility, and a couple more could get their gold jacket down the road. There are some very young players who I believe can have a Hall of Fame career, but know that if I put such a player is because there isn’t an older player who has a shot. At least not in my opinion.
Pro Football Reference has a great tool called the Hall of Fame monitor. Throughout the article, you will see me using it as a reference.
One last important thing to note is that I gave preference to older players. Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson will be in Canton five years after their retirement, but they have older teammates who will be waiting for them in the Hall of Fame. Also, I used players on active rosters, so Aaron Rodgers won’t be in the Green Bay spot.
Arizona Cardinals: Calais Campbell, DT
At 38 years old, Campbell is still going strong. After a 9-year stint with the Cardinals, including three Pro Bowls and two 2nd-Team All-Pros, he spent three seasons with the Jaguars, leading what would be the “Sacksonville Jaguars” defense. His 14.5 sacks were his best, earning him his only 1st-Team All-Pro and finishing second in the DPOY voting.
After that, he was in Baltimore for three seasons, then one-year stints with the Falcons and Dolphins. Since his last year with the Ravens, he managed 17 sacks, despite being 36 years old in 2022. He may have been overshadowed by other defensive linemen, but Campbell was a great player. Signing with the Cardinals for 2025, this may be Campbell’s last season in the NFL.
Atlanta Falcons: Chris Lindstrom, OG
Lindstrom has been a Pro Bowler and a 2nd-Team All-Pro in each of the last three seasons. It may not be much to get into the Hall, but being only 28 this season, Lindstrom is in the middle of his prime. If he manages to get some more Pro Bowls and maybe one or two All-Pro seasons, the highest-paid guard in the league could have a good case once he retires.
Baltimore Ravens: Derrick Henry, RB
Henry led the league in touchdowns and yards twice, had a 2000-yard season, and one Offensive Player of the Year award. Besides that, he ran for 1900+ in 2024. He was 30 years old last season. The last time a running back had a good season at his age was in 2015, when Adrian Peterson ran for 1485. Henry will go down as the best running back of his generation.
Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen, QB
Allen may have yet to be a 1st-Team All-Pro, but his 2024 MVP is a good starting spot. He had already finished in the top-3 two times (2020,2022) before finally winning it last season. Allen may have fewer accolades than other players, but his play will put him in a position to win more MVPs. If he manages to win a Super Bowl for Buffalo, his chances would increase a lot, too.
Carolina Panthers: Adam Thielen, WR
Thielen being a Hall of Famer is a long shot. But he’s someone who already beat the odds, going from D-II to the NFL. He had a great prime, getting over 200 receptions for 2500+ yards and 13 touchdowns in 2017-2018. It is very unlikely that Thielen will get into Canton, as he would have to do something crazy in the twilight of his career.
Chicago Bears: Joe Thuney, OG
Super Bowl wins are a team stat, but every time a player gets four rings as a starter, you listen. And Thuney was a key player in each of them, especially the ones with the Chiefs. A two-time All-Pro, Thuney finished 10th in OPOY last season, despite playing almost 900 snaps as a guard. One of the best pass-blockers in the league, Thuney has a real chance to get a bust in Canton.
Cincinnati Bengals: Ja’Marr Chase, WR
Initially, I had Burrow here. But while the QB will battle with the likes of Mahomes, Jackson, and Allen for personal accolades, Chase has only one other player in the top tier with him. Chase has topped 1000 yards in every season as a pro and is fresh off a triple crown year, leading the NFL in catches, yards, and touchdowns. He and Jefferson will be interchangeable as the best WR in the league for at least the next five years, meaning Chase could end his career with 5 or 6 All-Pros.
Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett, EDGE
Garrett missed some games as a rookie and finished his first season with 7.0 sacks. In the 7 years since, his “worst” season was in 2019, when he played in 10 games and finished with 10.0 sacks. Only 29 years old, don’t be surprised if he earns another DPOY award and finishes his career with over 150.0 sacks.
Dallas Cowboys: Micah Parsons, EDGE
The same thing I said about Garrett, but five years younger, no injuries, and (for now) without the DPOY award. Parsons is elite, and there’s no reason to think he will regress anytime soon.
Denver Broncos: Patrick Surtain II, CB
Cornerback is one of the most volatile positions in the league, so those who stand out usually have excellent careers. As I said, PFR has a Hall of Fame monitor, a metric to estimate a player’s chances of being enshrined. Surtain has a score of 40.23, still a long way to go. But he’s also entering his fifth season in the league, so there’s time. He has his 2024 DPOY in his favor, as he was only the third cornerback to do so in this century.
Detroit Lions: Penei Sewell, OT
Arguably the best offensive tackle in the league, Sewell has two All-Pros in just four seasons. The new Protector of the Year award will do wonders for offensive linemen, and Sewell is the favourite to win it this year. Even if he doesn’t do it in 2025, he will be a strong candidate for years to come. He started very strong, and he has the tools to get even better.
Green Bay Packers: Josh Jacobs, RB
Jacobs is a touchdown machine, averaging 10 touchdowns per season in his career. After a good-but-not-great stint with the Raiders, Jacobs had a strong first season with the Packers. Sadly for him, Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley played out of their minds, but Jacobs finished with over 1300 yards and 15 touchdowns. If Jacobs can maintain his touchdown numbers for a couple more seasons, he could hang the cleats with more than 100 TDs, something only 10 running backs have done.
Houston Texans: Danielle Hunter, EDGE
Before back-to-back injuries in 2020 and 2021, Hunter was in a very strong Hall of Fame track. He was once the youngest player to reach 50 sacks and the player with the most sacks by age 25. The injuries slowed him down, but he managed to pick himself back up, with 39.0 sacks in the three years after the injuries. He’s no longer on pace for 150 sacks, but he’s 0.5 away from 100 and could finish in the top 15 for career sacks – or higher.
Indianapolis Colts: Quenton Nelson, OG
Nelson’s career start was almost unprecedented. With three All-Pros in his first three seasons, the only other player to do that was Barry Sanders. He has yet to earn another All-Pro, but he has been to the Pro Bowl in every season of his career and has two 2nd-Team All-Pro nods as well.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Travis Hunter, WR/CB
Yes, I have a rookie here. Firstly, because there’s no one on the Jaguars roster with a Hall of Fame career. Secondly, Hunter could be a transcendent player (focus on could, he’s a rookie). He’s betting on himself, wanting to play as a receiver and cornerback in the league. He did it at a very high level in college, but the NFL is a different beast. If he plays both ways for his entire career and is even above average, he should be a lock for the Hall. The NFL hasn’t had a two-way player basically since the 1950s, when they allowed for unlimited substitutions.
Kansas City Chiefs: Travis Kelce, TE
That Hall of Fame monitor I mentioned a couple of times? Kelce is second all-time, behind only Tony Gonzalez. Honestly, if Kelce isn’t a first-ballot Hall of Famer, no other tight end should.
Las Vegas Raiders: Maxx Crosby, EDGE
Crosby is in a very funny situation. He’s very well known as one of the premier pass rushers in the league, but he’s still very underrated. He missed five games last season, snapping a two-year streak of at least 12.5 sacks. He’s still young and will turn just 28 before the season. If Crosby can have more seasons like 2023, when he had 14.5 sacks, two fumbles, and 23 tackles for loss, he could reach 115+ sacks and also be regarded as one of the best run defenders of the century.
Los Angeles Chargers: Khalil Mack, EDGE
Mack’s career fizzled out after an astonishing start. He was a DPOY by his third year and had four straight double-digit sack seasons. Getting his last All-Pro nod in 2018, his first year in Chicago, he only had more than 10 sacks in a season once, in a monster 17-sack season in 2023. Even though he hasn’t been the player he was for some time now, Mack is a part of the All-2010s Team, which is usually a good sign for a player’s chance to get to the Hall of Fame.
Los Angeles Rams: Davante Adams, WR
Davante Adams saved me from the not-at-all controversial Stafford debate. Adams’ case to the Hall of Fame is much more straightforward. He was arguably the best wide receiver in the league between 2018 and 2022, had six double-digit touchdown seasons in seven years, and is tenth all-time in TD receptions. If he has another 1000-yard season, he’d also be in the top 20 for yards, besides being 43 receptions away from being the 16th ever to surpass 1000 career catches.
Miami Dolphins: Tyreek Hill, WR
5 All-Pros, 8 Pro Bowls, one of the most dynamic players of his generation, and a true menace with the ball in his hands. Since becoming a full-time starter, Hill has just two seasons with less than 1000 yards. He also had back-to-back-to-back 110+ receptions and surpassed 1700 yards twice in that span.
Minnesota Vikings: Harrison Smith, DB
Yes, Harrison Smith is a Hall of Famer, and I’m ready to go to war for him. He was the seventh safety ever to reach 30+ interceptions and 20+ sacks, and he joins Rodney Harrison as the only ones to add 1000+ tackles on top of it. He had to battle with the likes of Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor for awards, but make no mistake: Smith was also one of the best safeties in the NFL. Few safeties have been as reliable and versatile as he.
New England Patriots: Christian Gonzalez, CB
It will take a lot of projection for Gonzalez, but bear with me. He missed most of his rookie season, suffering a torn labrum in his fourth game. However, during these four games, he looked like a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate and a future star. Staying healthy for the entire 2024 season, Gonzalez was a 2nd-Team All-Pro and finished fifth for Comeback Player of the Year, despite playing in a terrible Patriots’ defense. The defense should be a lot better in 2025, which would take some pressure off Gonzalez’s shoulders. If he can hit his ceiling, he could be a perennial All-Pro candidate.
New Orleans Saints: Cam Jordan, EDGE
Cam Jordan’s situation is a little similar to Harrison Smith’s. He was a fantastic player, but got overshadowed by excellent players at the same position. With 121.5 career sacks, Jordan is just 2 shy of cracking the top 20 in history, which would help solidify his case. He’s also an 8x Pro Bowler who was selected to the HOF All-2010s Team.
New York Giants: Russell Wilson, QB
There was a point in time when Wilson was a sure-fire Hall of Famer. By 2021, his last year in Seattle, Wilson had 9 Pro Bowls, two Super Bowl appearances, one ring, and great stats across the board. He fell off after leaving the Northwest, but he had a solid season with the Steelers in 2024. The last three years hurt his case, but he has a good chance of getting into Canton sometime in the future.
New York Jets: Sauce Gardner, CB
The last young player on the list, Gardner had a fantastic start. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year and was a Pro Bowler and All-Pro in his first two seasons. Although he had a down 2024, with his yards per completion skyrocketing from 10.7 to 16.4, he has yet to allow more than 1 TD in a season. It will be a long time before his career is over, but from what we’ve seen, there’s little reason to think he won’t be the player he was in 2022 and 2023 more often than not.
Philadelphia Eagles: Lane Johnson, OT
Lane Johnson is a beast. If someone had the idea of the Protector of the Year a few years earlier, Johnson would’ve been a great candidate to win one or two. He was always a force on the right side of the Eagles, and he has two All-Pros to prove it, plus three more 2nd-Team selections. With 6 Pro Bowls to go along with it, Johnson is as consistent as they come.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Aaron Rodgers, QB
He’s absolutely crazy, but you can’t pick five players in history who can throw a ball better than Aaron Rodgers.
San Francisco 49ers: Trent Williams, OT
Trent Williams has a case to be the best pass blocker of the 2010s. The only offensive tackle with more Pro Bowl selections is Bruce Matthews, who is tied for second in history. Williams also aged like fine wine, earning his three All-Pros after age 33.
Seattle Seahawks: Cooper Kupp, WR
You can say that Kupp has only two good seasons, and I’d agree with you. But it’s not my fault if one of these seasons was the best a receiver has had this century and arguably a top 3 all-time. He will have to do some work with the Seahawks to have a stronger case, but his 2021 campaign alone gives him an outside chance.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike Evans, WR
There’s an argument to be made that his streak of 1000-yard seasons became stat-padding some time ago. It doesn’t make it any less impressive to me. The NFL is very hard, and to be as consistent as he was for 11 years is almost impossible. He passed Randy Moss for second in history with the most seasons with at least 1000 yards, and tied Jerry Rice’s streak of 11. He leads all active players with 105 receiving touchdowns and sits 9th all-time.
Tennessee Titans: Johnny Hekker, P
You may think that if I’m putting a punter here, it’s because the Titans have a terrible roster. But this is very unfair to Hekker. He’s almost reaching 1000 punts, and can crack the top 10 for punt yards and yards per punt. Hekker was also incredible in trick plays, converting 12 fake punts into first downs. Punters are people too, you know.
Washington Commanders: Bobby Wagner, LB
You’ll have a hard time finding a better linebacker since the 2010s. He had five All-Pro seasons in a row, with 6 in total. Using the Hall of Fame monitor, Wagner already has more points than the average Hall of Fame linebacker, and it looks like he still has more in the tank. He led the league with 183 tackles at age 33, and had 132 more last year, with 34 years old. He never had a season with fewer than 100 tackles, had more than 150 four times (two after turning 30), and led the league three times. He also has 35 sacks, 20 takeaways, and four total touchdowns.
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