The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2025 was revealed on Thursday night during NFL Honors, with four individuals (three modern-era candidates and one senior finalist) receiving the Canton call.
- Eric Allen, CB: Philadelphia Eagles, 1988-1994; New Orleans Saints, 1995-1997; Oakland Raiders, 1998-2001.
- Jared Allen, DE: Kansas City Chiefs, 2004-2007; Minnesota Vikings, 2008-2013; Chicago Bears, 2014-2015; Carolina Panthers, 2015.
- Antonio Gates, TE: San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, 2003-2018.
- Sterling Sharpe*, WR: Green Bay Packers, 1988-1994.
*Senior inductee
Here are my quick thoughts on the newest members of football's most revered club:
Wow.
It's rare that I'm left stunned by a Hall of Fame class announcement, and yet, here I am. I know Eli Manning -- who was eligible for the first time this year -- was a polarizing candidate, but still, driving into New Orleans this week for Super Bowl LIX and seeing Eli on giant billboards around town, it felt inevitable.
I thought Eli -- a New Orleans native -- was going to make it this year, and I also believed former Patriots and Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri was a lock, especially when you consider one of his biggest -- maybe the biggest? -- kicks came in New Orleans to defeat the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.
That's enough about who didn't make it, though -- it's time to celebrate those who did get in!
Antonio Gates, Eric Allen (there's the New Orleans connection) and former Bears legend -- OK, more like Chiefs and Vikings legend -- Jared Allen were all amazing and well deserving. I actually thought Gates was going to get in on the first ballot last year. He made eight straight Pro Bowls and was a three-time first-team All-Pro. You might not know this, but he also played college basketball. Shocking, I know.
All that said, the person I'm happiest for is Sterling Sharpe. He was absolutely legendary during his seven NFL seasons in a career that was cut short by an injury. I'm not afraid to say Sharpe might have been regarded as the premier receiver of the 1990s if he had been able to continue his career.
Sharpe was selected seventh overall in the 1988 draft, which included receivers Tim Brown and Michael Irvin, as well as fellow Pro Football Hall of Famers Randall McDaniel, Thurman Thomas, Dermontti Dawson and Eric Allen. Of the receivers in that class, Sharpe was the best.
Remember, rookie receivers didn't always come into the league and start dominating right away like we expect them to do in the modern NFL. It took some time for the players to get acclimated to the pros, but Sharpe led the NFL with 90 receptions during his second season, when he earned the first of his three first-team All-Pro nods. It should be noted Irvin and Brown have a combined one first-team All-Pro selection between them. Sharpe also won the triple crown in 1992, leading the league in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. That was the first season he was paired with Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre. Bonus points for those of you who remember Favre's predecessor, Don Majkowski. Sharpe had a league-high 112 receptions in 1993, posting 100-plus catches in back-to-back years. He led the NFL with 18 touchdown receptions in 1994, his final season. He was an all-around beast.
He retired at 29 years old due to a neck injury. Yes, that means Sharpe was not a part of the Packers' Super Bowl-winning team in 1996. I don't want to play this game, but would the Packers have broken through in 1995 against a vulnerable Cowboys team if Sharpe had been able to continue his career? Would they have lost to the Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII with a healthy Sharpe? These are questions that can't be answered, but the relative brevity of his career kept him out of Canton for way too long.
That's now been rectified.
It feels like this year's class -- the smallest since 2005 -- includes some guys who had been previously overlooked. Also, a special shoutout to Jared Allen. Too bad the Vikings aren't playing the Chiefs this year in the Super Bowl because that would have been perfect. It does give us a reason to watch the infamous play from 2008 where former Lions QB Dan Orlovsky ran out of the back of the end zone for a safety against the Vikings, if for no other reason than to see Jared cheering as he chases him down.
On that note, congratulations to the Class of 2025!
