Next Class

As soon as the speeches of the new Pro Football Hall of Famers are done, football talking heads immediately turn to the Next Class. Some don’t even wait for the speeches. Last week, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell went above and beyond and predicted the next 10 classes. Anyway, here’s one look at a potential Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025. 

The first step in looking to a next Pro Football Hall of Fame Class is to consider the first-time eligibles. The current group of voters have shown a great fondness for jamming first-year eligibles into the Hall. This year brings several that will one day be fitted for a spiffy Gold Jacket. 

Eli Manning

Terrell Suggs

Marshawn Lynch

Earl Thomas

Alibi Talib

Adam Vinatieri

Luke Kuechly

Marshal Yanda

All of the above will one day have a bust in Canton. Should any make it in their first year?

The second step in looking to a next Pro Football Hall of Fame Class is to consider the finalists of the year before. 

Jared Allen

Eric Allen

Willie Anderson

Jahri Evans

Antonio Gates

Rodney Harrison

Torry Holt

Fred Taylor

Reggie Wayne

Darren Woodson

Personally, as a Minnesota Vikings fan with a strong appreciation of proper recognition of the game’s past, Jared Allen stands out here. This was his fourth time as a Hall finalist. Four! Not only that, it was also his second trip to the top 10. You know who wasn’t a four time finalist with a prior top-10 appearance? Dwight Freeney. Like Allen, a defensive end. Somehow, in his second-year of eligibility and after not being a finalist for the 2023 Class, Freeney leapfrogged Allen in 2024. That doesn’t seem right. I blame Tony Dungy’s presence and influence in the voter’s room. 

So, the modern-era members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 should come from the above 18 players. 

After February’s reveal of the Pro Football Hall of Class of 2024, my immediate thought on the next class looked like this:

Luke Kuechly

Jared Allen

Antonio Gates

Darren Woodson

Willie Anderson

Time has revised it. 

I have two issues with the current Hall of Fame voters.

1. They have a strong tendency to push through first-year eligibles. The honor of making it in the first year has to mean something more than it currently does. If any sort of debate is needed on the player, they should wait. 

2. Some voters have said publicly that they’ve closed the Hall doors on any player or coach that played or coached before their time. Those voters should be replaced immediately. The Pro Football Hall of Fame honors the league’s past and that past extends to the league’s first decades. Technically, the Hall is supposed to honor all of professional football and that extends to the 1890s but I’ll stick with the league’s history. That’s the past 124 years. All of it. Lazy voting is the reason there are several players and coaches deserving of induction that have long been ignored. 

As my February projection shows, Luke Kuechly was the only first-year eligible that I thought deserved first-year induction. I felt the same way about Patrick Willis in his first year. If I recall correctly, Willis wasn’t even a finalist that first year. Kuechly and Willis were the best off-the-ball linebackers of their era. They were also two of the best linebackers of my lifetime. They rival Jack Ham, Randy Gradishar, and Derrick Brooks. Ham and Brooks made it to Canton in their first year. For whatever reason, Gradishar had to wait 35 years. If it took a few years for Willis, it could take a few years for Kuechly. Who knows with these voters? One thing I do believe is that these voters will push Eli Manning through in the first year.

My Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 looks like this:

Luke Kuechly

Jared Allen

Antonio Gates

Willie Anderson

Torry Holt

Here’s the Class that I currently believe will be in Canton next August:

Eli Manning

Terrell Suggs

Jared Allen

Antonio Gates

Willie Anderson

To fill out my Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025, here are the picks for the Senior and Coach/Contributor Candidates:

Senior:

Verne Lewellen

Ox Emerson

Al Wistert

Coach/Contributor:

Buddy Parker

My guess is that none of the four have a realistic shot at being considered. They all played or coached before the lazy voters were born. 

For what it’s worth, Bill Barnwell has the following 2025 Class:

Eli Manning

Antonio Gates

Terrell Suggs

Jared Allen

Adam Vinatieri

A kicker! In his first year! Whatever. As long as Allen’s there. If Allen’s there, I’ll be in Canton as well. It’d be nice to see Kevin Williams join him.