Julius Peppers, Antonio Gates, All Potential Candidates for 2024 Hall of Fame Class
Saturday is a big day in Canton, Ohio. That's where nine new members will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as eight former players and one former coach compose the Class of 2023.
Cornerback Darrelle Revis and offensive tackle Joe Thomas are both being inducted in their first year of eligibility. Linebacker/defense end DeMarcus Ware was in his second. As for the others, they had to wait a bit longer before getting this upcoming special moment in Canton.
Who could be in the next wave of Hall of Famers? It's time to start looking ahead and thinking about who may compose the 2024 class.
Here's a look at some notable former players and coaches who could be getting inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame themselves this time next year.
Notable First-Year Players
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Eric Berry, S
Jamaal Charles, RB
Antonio Gates, TE
Derrick Johnson, LB
Andrew Luck, QB
Brandon Marshall, WR
Haloti Ngata, DT
Julius Peppers, DE
Josh Sitton, OG
Max Unger, C
Kyle Williams, DT
Of this group, there are two players most likely to be inducted into the Hall of Fame on their first attempts: Peppers and Gates.
Peppers played 17 seasons in the NFL, spending time with the Carolina Panthers (10 years), Chicago Bears (four) and Green Bay Packers (three). He was a three-time All-Pro selection, a nine-time Pro Bowler and the 2002 Defensive Rookie of the Year. In 266 career games, he racked up 159.5 sacks, the fourth most since sacks became an official stat in 1982.
Gates was easily one of the best tight ends of his era, as he was a three-time All-Pro selection and eight-time Pro Bowler who spent the entirety of his 16-year NFL career with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers. He had 955 catches for 11,841 yards and 116 touchdowns in 236 games.
It'll be interesting to see if Luck ever gets inducted. He was likely on a Hall of Fame trajectory before retiring after playing only six seasons. The former Indianapolis Colts quarterback played well throughout the 2010s.
Class of 2023 Finalists
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Jared Allen, DE
Willie Anderson, OT
Dwight Freeney, DE
Devin Hester, KR/PR/WR
Torry Holt, WR
Andre Johnson, WR
Reggie Wayne, WR
Patrick Willis, LB
Darren Woodson, S
At some point, Hester should likely get into the Hall of Fame, even though he didn't contribute much on either offense or defense in his 11-year career. He's the greatest returner in NFL history, though, having scored 14 punt return touchdowns and five kick return TDs.
There are some solid wide receivers on this list who missed out on getting inducted in 2023. Holt, Johnson and Wayne all have solid cases and could eventually get in.
Freeney is another notable player on this list. He had 125.5 sacks in 218 games over 16 NFL seasons.
All of these players were among the 15 finalists for the 2023 class.
Senior Committee Consideration
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Ken Anderson, QB
Maxie Baughan, LB
Roger Craig, RB
Randy Gradishar, LB
Joe Jacoby, OL
Albert Lewis, DB
Steve McMichael, DT
Eddie Meador, DB
Art Powell, WR/DB
Sterling Sharpe, WR
Otis Taylor, WR
Al Wistert., OL/DL
These 12 players have already been named as finalists for the 2024 class by the seniors committee. All of these candidates played no later than 1998, allowing them to be in consideration by the committee.
The committee will meet Aug. 22 to cut the list down to three. Then, they'll be put up for election and will need to get 80-percent approval from the selection committee in January.
Lewis is an interesting name on this list, as it'll be the first time he's eligible through the seniors committee. However, he was among the 15 finalists for the Class of 2023. He played 16 years in the NFL, recording 42 interceptions in 225 games.
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