Lock (100%): QB Patrick Mahomes. I addressed this in my MVP column in July. Mahomes' résumé -- a league MVP and Super Bowl MVP -- is usually enough to get a player into the Hall of Fame, let alone doing it over two seasons as a starter.
Likely (70% to 99%): WR Tyreek Hill, TE Travis Kelce. It might seem surprising to put Hill this high, but he has made it to four Pro Bowls and been a first-team All-Pro twice across his first four seasons. All seven players who did that and who are eligible for the Hall are in, and the list of ineligible guys includes Hill, Patrick Willis, Joe Thomas, Adrian Peterson, Patrick Peterson, Zack Martin and Aaron Donald. Everyone but Hill is either a lock or extremely likely to make it in. Hill's game still relies on speed, so he could be more susceptible to a career shortened by injuries than most other candidates, but if he gets three more seasons with Mahomes, he's probably in.
Kelce is difficult to judge because tight ends aren't well represented in the Hall. Just nine tight ends are enshrined, and Kelce's game leans more toward receiving than any of them. At the same time, no tight end in history has more than four 1,000-yard seasons over their respective careers, and Kelce has just run off four consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns. Like Hill, if Kelce gets three more seasons with Mahomes, I think he's a Hall of Famer.
Work to do (10% to 39%): S Tyrann Mathieu. The Defensive Player of the Year candidate was named a first-team All-Pro in 2015 and 2019, but he hasn't received any other nominations across his other five pro seasons. Mathieu is a great player and just turned 28, so he still has plenty of time, but he probably needs four or five more Pro Bowl seasons or a DPOY victory to really get in the discussion. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Indian Chief:
Baseball has the ten year playing minimum to be eligible for the hall. Does football have any such restriction? I genuinely do not know.
If Terrell Davis and Gale Sayers are in, then Mahomes would definitely have a strong case. Personally, I'm a big fan of the peak argument over longevity, but even I wouldn't want Patrick to get in if he called it quits today. At some point, you just need a better resume.
He would instantly become the greatest "What if.." candidate though. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Indian Chief:
Baseball has the ten year playing minimum to be eligible for the hall. Does football have any such restriction? I genuinely do not know.
NFL is 5 years after retirement is the only requirement.
Originally Posted by ThaVirus:
If Terrell Davis and Gale Sayers are in, then Mahomes would definitely have a strong case. Personally, I'm a big fan of the peak argument over longevity, but even I wouldn't want Patrick to get in if he called it quits today. At some point, you just need a better resume.
He would instantly become the greatest "What if.." candidate though.
Originally Posted by KChiefs1:
Sayers was in 68 games.
Davis was in 78 games.
Jamal Charles was in 119 games.
Davis had 248 more carries than Charles in 41 fewer games. Talk about running someone into the ground.
I really wish we could’ve seen Charles in a great offense. Just imagine that dude with legitimate threats around him (like this year) or a great run blocking OL (like 2003). [Reply]
Originally Posted by dlphg9:
Sucks. If Jamaal Charles had just been able to stay healthy in just one other season, then there is a high likely hood he gets in.
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
Is Patrick in Canton as of today?
Let’s say he held a presser tomorrow where he quit and said: “I’m bored dominating the NFL. Too boring. I’m going back to Texas to be a cattle rancher.” Would he be in? I don’t think he would but you can disagree.
Terrell Davis played like two years and got in the HOF [Reply]
