Who’s gonna make it to the NFL Hall of Fame in 2022?
10 notables will be eligible for enshrinement next summer. Are any destined for Canton?
You may have noticed we missed Monday. That’s because, as a true Rhode Islander, I celebrate Victory Day. But also because early August represents the last gasps of weekend free time for most football writers and we collectively took advantage of that. Sorry! We’ll have Wednesday-Thursday-Friday newsletters for you instead.
One of the things we missed as the weekend wore down was some prime Hall of Fame discourse. Tom Flores, the first man to win a Super Bowl as a player, front office member, and head coach (twice!) finally got his due. Peyton Manning had an extremely Peyton Manning acceptance speech. Tom Brady and Tony Dungy decided nightmares were their new industry.
The class of 2021 was inducted alongside an extra-large, 20 person group left over from the league’s 100th anniversary in 2020. It featured three different first ballot honorees; Manning, Charles Woodson, and Calvin Johnson. It also saw John Lynch and Alan Faneca break through on voters’ ballots to earn their gold jackets (the long-suffering Drew Pearson also earned his place among the immortals, though his addition came via the Hall of Fame’s Senior Committee rather than the typical route). With a backlog of worthy candidates now cleared after one post (alright, mid)-pandemic weekend, a new group of candidates will join 2021’s holdovers when Canton levies its judgment.
Per the Hall of Fame’s official website, these are the nine players who’ll hit the ballots for the first time next year:
Anquan Boldin: Wide Receiver for Arizona Cardinals (2003–2009), Baltimore Ravens (2010–2012), San Francisco 49ers (2013–2015) and Detroit Lions (2016).
Chad Greenway: Linebacker for Minnesota Vikings (2006–2016)
Andre Johnson: Wide Receiver for Houston Texans (2003–2014), Indianapolis Colts (2015) and Tennessee Titans (2016)
Mario Williams: Defensive End/Linebacker for Houston Texans (2006–2011), Buffalo Bills (2012–2015) and Miami Dolphins (2016).
Tony Romo: Quarterback for Dallas Cowboys (2003–2016).
Robert Mathis: Defensive End for Indianapolis Colts (2003–2016).
Steve Smith: Wide Receiver for Carolina Panthers (2001–2013) and Baltimore Ravens (2014–2016).
DeMarcus Ware: Linebacker for Dallas Cowboys (2005–2013) and Denver Broncos (2014–2016).
Vince Wilfork: Defensive Tackle for New England Patriots (2004–2014) and Houston Texans (2015–2016).
That’s a solid group, but it also ignores Devin Hester’s budding eligibility. Let’s add the greatest punt returner in league history to the list and dissect who among them will earn their busts in Canton next summer.
Hah, no
Chad Greenway
The reason why: He’s Chad Greenway.
Mario Williams
The reason why: I thought the Texans were making a massive mistake in 2006 by not selecting Reggie Bush with the No. 1 pick, but Williams was absolutely the right call. However, he only has one first-team All-Pro honor to his name (plus two second-team awards) and his 97.5 career sacks are fewer than contemporaries like Elvis Dumervil and Simeon Rice.
Tony Romo
The reason why: Zero All-Pro honors. Two playoff wins. He could make it as an announcer if he keeps his current workrate, though.
Robert Mathis
The reason why: Mathis racked up 123 sacks in 13 seasons and won a Super Bowl while spending his entire career in Indianapolis. His rise from fifth-round pick from Alabama A&M to All-Pro is legendary. But he’s not getting in before Jared Allen (136 sacks and a semifinalist last year) and could be shunted into the Leslie O’Neal/John Abraham pool of “pretty good.” He’ll likely have his place in line usurped by former teammate Dwight Freeney when Freeney becomes eligible in 2023. He may have to wait for the veteran’s committee to truly appreciate his excellence.
Not this year, but it’s coming
Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, Andre Johnson
The reason why: There’s no denying Boldin, Johnson, and Smith were very good for a very long time, but the Hall typically takes its sweet time recognizing wide receivers who weren’t singular, record-book rewriting forces. Terrell Owens and Isaac Bruce both had to wait their turns to earn a bronze bust. While 2022’s relatively weak class should create an opportunity for a wideout to rise, it’s more likely we’d see Hines Ward or Reggie Wayne -- each semifinalists last year -- force their way up the ballot ahead of this new trio.
Johnson has the shakiest case of the three, but he'll likely get in several years down the line as the greatest HoF-eligible player in Texans franchise history (JJ Watt pushing off his retirement would help this case further). Boldin retired with the ninth-most receptions of anyone in league history; all eight of the players ahead of him are either enshrined or will be soon (Wayne, Jason Witten). Smith had more revivals than a methadone clinic and would provide one of the greatest shit-talking speeches Canton has ever seen. Please make this happen, voters.
Devin Hester
The reason why: The Hall doesn’t love the idea of special teamers among its ranks. Only three kickers or punters who didn’t also play other positions have been enshrined so far (Morten Andersen, Jan Stenerud, Ray Guy). There isn’t a single returner listed in their breakdown of honorees by position. Eric Metcalf and Brian Mitchell are nowhere to be found in Canton.
This is all terrible for Hester’s HoF chances, even if he was game-changing good. His 14 punt return touchdowns are a league record (four more than second-place Metcalf). His 19 total return touchdowns are also the most in NFL history. He was honored on the Hall’s all-2000s AND all-2010s rosters. He’ll get in eventually … just not for a while.
They’ve got one guy to beat…
DeMarcus Ware
The reason why: There’s no rule against electing two players with similar profiles to the Hall in a given year; Champ Bailey and Ty Law made it in 2019. Randy Moss and Terrell Owens joined the list in 2018. But Bailey (seven-time All-Pro) and Moss (was Randy Moss) were no-doubt first-ballot honorees, and it’s likely HoF voters don’t see one of those in this year’s group.
That could lead to a log jam between two prolific edge rushers who finished their careers with top 10 all-time sack numbers. Ware currently sits ninth on that list while Jared Allen, a semifinalist his first go-round of voting, has slipped to 12th since retiring in 2015. Every single player ahead of them on the official list is either already enshrined or will be once eligible (Julius Peppers and Terrell Suggs can just send their jacket measurements to Ohio whenever). These guys are both getting in.
The question is which will get the call in 2022. Ware made nine Pro Bowls and seven All-Pro (four first-team) squads. He led the league in sacks twice and won a Super Bowl in 2015 with the Broncos. Allen went to five Pro Bowls and was a four-time All-Pro (all first-team). He led the league in sacks twice and never even made it to a Super Bowl (for which he can blame late-stage Brett Favre in 2009).
Ware has the better resume, but Allen was arguably the bigger star -- he appeared in more NFL commercials, grew a mullet that perfectly complemented the No. 69 on his jersey, showed up in a Jackass movie, and was generally an affable goofball. Will that sway voters who perhaps remember his career a bit more vividly than a fellow great whose off-field impact wasn’t as big? Or hell, with a weak(ish) class of first-timers on the ballot, will both guys make it?
Vince Wilfork
The reason why: Patriot stars with borderline HoF resumes have an extra card to play beyond their Super Bowl rings. Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft’s lobbying -- both behind the scenesand publicly -- helped push Ty Law into the Hall despite just two All-Pro nods. Two more mainstays at Patriot Place will be up for voting in 2022. It’s likely either Wilfork or Richard Seymour -- a semifinalist this year -- will have a speech to write next summer.
Belichick sized the duo up as the two best defensive linemen he’d ever coached, in a letter to voters back in 2019. In fact, he singled Wilfork out specifically in a letter about Seymour, which tells you how much he loved the massive barbecue loving tackle who spent a decade in New England. Seymour has the better resume; more Pro Bowls (seven to five), All-Pro honors (they’re tied at four apiece, but Seymour has more first-team selections), and Super Bowl rings (three to two). He also has considerably more counting stats like sacks, tackles for loss, and quarterback hits.
But Wilfork’s value as an immovable object in the middle of the line was immense for an often-stingy run defense. Recent honorees like Steve Atwater and Drew Pearson suggest overall impact on championship teams is a trait that’s gained steam among the selection committee. Seymour is the likely choice here. He’s been waiting longer and has the edge in overall accolades. Still, Wilfork’s chances can’t be discounted thanks to the extra shine of a career that included 22 playoff starts in 13 seasons and an impact that resonated beyond the box score.