Pittsburgh Steelers: Why Hines Ward Will Never Be Inducted into NFL Hall of Fame

After 14 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, wide receiver Hines Ward will be released, despite the fact that he feels he has some football left in him. Since being drafted in 1998, Ward has been a huge part of Pittsburgh's franchise, and he holds many of the organization's receiving records. 

Ward will turn 36 on March 8th, and there doesn't seem to be much of a market out there for aging wide receivers whose numbers have rapidly declined. While he could catch on somewhere to help mentor a team's younger wideouts, this could also be the end of the road for the tough-as-nails pass catcher. The sad part is, despite years of productivity, Ward will likely never be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

As things stand right now, Ward ranks eighth on the NFL's all-time receptions list (1,000), 18th in receiving yardage (12,083) and tied for 13th in touchdown receptions (85). While all of those marks are Pittsburgh franchise records, when you look at the players ahead of him on the NFL's all-time lists, the four-time Pro Bowler's Hall-of-Fame chances look grim.

On the receptions list, the receivers yet to be inducted (some have not become eligible yet) who are ahead of Ward are Marvin Harrison (1,102 receptions), Cris Carter (1,101), Tim Brown (1,094), Terrell Owens (1,078) and Isaac Bruce (1,024), while Randy Moss (954) and Andre Reed (951) are just behind him.

It would be a daunting task for Ward to jump in front of the guys ahead of him, especially considering how far down the list he is in yardage and touchdowns. 

Ward has always been highly respected for his toughness and is considered once of the best blocking receivers in NFL history. So those factors may help the voting committee elevate him a bit. But I just don't see a way he ends up enshrined in Canton. 

When you consider that Carter has been denied admission several times, Ward will have an extremely difficult time getting in.