Are These NFL Players Future Hall of Famers or Not?

The 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame candidates were announced during the last week of 2023. Those 15 candidates will be whittled down on Jan. 16 and 17 by the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. They can choose up to five modern era players to be enshrined. The candidates include guys like TE Antonio Gates, DE Julius Peppers, and WR Torry Holt. The enshrinement ceremony is set for Aug. 1-4 in Canton, Ohio, home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

With talk of Hall of Famers, it brought to light some current NFL players that might be on the HoF bubble. Some of these guys might need to play an extra year or so to solidify their chances of making it to Canton. Here’s a few candidates.

QB – Russell Wilson

Wilson definitely has the pedigree. He’s a nine-time Pro Bowler and, more importantly, he has a Super Bowl ring. Wilson led the Seattle Seahawks to a win over Denver in Super Bowl XLVIII and then led the Seahawks back to the Super Bowl the following season. They didn’t win and Wilson hasn’t been back since. 

He’s accumulated 43,653 passing yards and 334 touchdown passes. Wilson is 19th on the NFL’s career passing yardage list and 13th on the career TD pass list. Most experts think Wilson is a lock, but did he hurt himself with his last two seasons in Denver? Wilson is 35 and has at least a few more years in him to cement himself in the Hall of Fame discussion.

RB – Derrick Henry

Like Wilson, many think Henry is a lock, but one thing the selection committee looks for is the impact made by the player. Henry’s Titans have made the playoffs in four of his eight NFL seasons. He has led the NFL in rushing twice and rushing touchdowns twice. Henry was the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2020 after rushing for 2,027 yards and 17 touchdowns. Henry’s 9,502 career rushing yards doesn’t come close to cracking the Top 25. Henry ran for 1,167 yards and 12 TDs in 2023 and he may need another season or two of similar numbers to solidify a spot in Canton.

Wide Receivers

There are three wide receivers that are on the fringe when it comes to talking about induction into the Hall of Fame. The big one is DeAndre Hopkins. He’s got 11 years in the league and 12,355 career receiving yards, but Hopkins has played in six career playoff games. Yes, he’s been a first- or second-team All Pro five times, but has he made enough of an impact to earn a nod to the Hall?

Davante Adams and Mike Evans both have double-digit seasons in the league. Adams has 10,871 career receiving yards. Evans has 11,680 and he has something the other two do not – a Super Bowl ring. Adams and Hopkins have multiple first-team All-Pro designations. Evans has only ever been a second-teamer. All three might need a few more seasons to approach the status of former NFL WR Larry Fitzgerald (17, 492 yards, 121 TDs). Fitzgerald is expected to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He last played in 2020 after 17 seasons.

Defensive Players

A handful of current defensive players may be locks to make the Hall. Fletcher Cox, with a Super Bowl win, 6 Pro Bowls, and 4 All-Pro nods is probably one. But, what about 13-year pro Cameron Heyward? Has he done enough? No Super Bowl wins, but four All-Pros, and 6 Pro Bowls. He reached double digit sacks just three times, but he does play more on the interior in Pittsburgh’s 3-4 scheme.

Time will tell, but many of these guys might need another year or two of outstanding play to grab a spot in the game’s ultimate resting place, the Pro Football Hall of Fame.