The Pro Football Hall of Fame revealed the 28 modern-era semi-finalists for the Class of 2023 on Tuesday. The list includes five players in their first year of eligibility.
Darrelle Revis
Joe Thomas
Jahri Evans
James Harrison
Dwight Freeney
19 of the 28 semi-finalists were semi-finalists last year. Henry Ellard and Albert Lewis made it to the semi-finalist stage in their final year of eligibility as modern era finalists.
Fifteen finalists will be revealed in January. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023 will be announced at NFL Honors in the days leading up to Super Bowl LVII. Then it’s on to Canton in August.
Pro Football Hall of Fame Modern-era Semi-Finalists
- Eric Allen, cornerback
- Jared Allen, defensive end
- Willie Anderson, offensive tackle
- Ronde Barber, cornerback
- Anquan Boldin, wide receiver
- Henry Ellard, wide receiver
- Jahri Evans, offensive guard
- London Fletcher, linebacker
- Dwight Freeney, defensive end
- James Harrison, linebacker
- Rodney Harrison, safety
- Devin Hester, kick returner/wide receiver
- Torry Holt, wide receiver
- Andre Johnson, wide receiver
- Albert Lewis, cornerback
- Robert Mathis, defensive end/linebacker
- Darrelle Revis, cornerback
- Steve Smith Sr., wide receiver
- Fred Taylor, running back
- Joe Thomas, offensive tackle
- Zach Thomas, linebacker
- Hines Ward, wide receiver
- DeMarcus Ware, linebacker/defensive end
- Ricky Watters, running back
- Reggie Wayne, wide receiver
- Vince Wilfork, defensive tackle
- Patrick Willis, linebacker
- Darren Woodson, safety
As always, the Hall of Fame semi-finalists list is a fine one. It’s a tough job to whittle it down to a final five. Here’s an attempt to do so.
It’s best to start with the first-year eligibles. Darrelle Revis and Joe Thomas will be in Canton next August. It’s as simple as that. Each was the league’s best at their respective position for pretty much the entirety of their career. Get those busts and spiffy gold jackets ready for Darrelle Revis and Joe Thomas.
After Revis and Thomas, it’s the usual scramble to fill the remaining spots. In my opinion, at least 16 of the remaining 26 semi-finalists have a legitimate argument to fill the remaining spots in the Class of 2023.
I’m going with the following to join Revis and Thomas
Jared Allen
Steve Smith Sr.
Patrick Willis
As a Minnesota Vikings fan, I’m probably a bit biased toward Jared Allen. I watched every one of his Vikings games and several of his games with those other teams. Until his final years, there wasn’t a moment when I wasn’t certain that I was watching one of the best pass rushers of his era. He easily ranks with Carl Eller and Chris Doleman as the best defensive ends in Vikings franchise history. It’s difficult to determine who among the three is the best. Eller and Doleman have a bust in Canton. Allen should as well.
Due to the receiver logjam that always seems to be present, I have to include one Class of 2023. Filling quotas is a ridiculous way to do this but here we go. Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne have been waiting longer but Steve Smith Sr.’s the receiver that I like best to be next. He was so much fun. He was also one of the best receivers of his era. He carried his Carolina Panthers to a Super Bowl and damn near knocked off the New England Patriots. As with Allen, I might be a bit biased with Smith. He was one of my favorite players, not just receivers, to watch.
I don’t understand the Hall of Fame journey of Patrick Willis. In my opinion, his career was worthy of induction in his first year of eligibility. He’d only been one of the best linebackers I’d ever seen. He didn’t even make it to the semi-finalist stage in his first year (2019). Last year was his first run as a finalist. I don’t get it. Willis is one of the best linebackers I’ve ever seen.
Devin Hester is probably the most difficult player to leave off the Class of 2023. If your team was playing his, he was terrifying. As a returner, he only had a handful of opportunities each game. Each opportunity was can’t miss football.
Earlier this year, Don Coryell was announced as the Contributor nominee and Chuck Howley Joe Klecko, and Ken Riley were announced as the senior nominees. They’re waiting for the modern-era players at the finalist stage.
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