The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its list of Senior candidates for Canton, and there are once again several Atlanta Falcons on the list. We’d like to see all of them make it, but hell, we’d settle for one. Here’s a look at who is eligible to don a gold jacket in 2025.
Mike Kenn
We’ve been writing about Kenn’s case for depressingly close to a decade, and despite that fact that he’s a slam dunk, no-brainer Hall of Famer, I’m not hopeful his fortunes will change in 2025.
Why? He was an offensive lineman
for a franchise that flew under the radar, two knocks against his case despite his obvious greatness, and ones that contributed to his relatively low Pro Bowl total. Only 57 players—not linemen, players—have appeared in more games than Kenn did during his three decade-spanning career, and only five of those players are offensive linemen. He was a five-time Pro Bowler, a two-time first-team All-Pro, and a three-time second-team All-pro who started every one of the 251 games he appeared in for the Falcons, and was known for his ability to handle some of the legendary defensive ends of the 70s and 80s.
Kenn made his second first-team All-pro squad 11 years after his first, in a 1991 season where he allowed just one sack in a pass-heavy offense after making his bones as an elite run blocking left tackle throughout the early part of his career. The league kept changing around Kenn, and Kenn kept being a great offensive lineman right up until the day he retired. He has a legitimate case as the best Falcon ever with Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Tommy Nobis, and Jeff Van Note, certainly belongs in the conversation as one of the best 15-20 tackles in NFL history, and has durability and excellence very few players in the league can touch.
His peers knew it, and unfortunately the passage of time is making it harder to make his case. In the article linked above—a very worthwhile read, by the way—John Turney quotes NFL great Art Shell, who seemed confident Kenn would be an easy inductee.
“He’s a future ‘Hall’ guy, sure,” Shell told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “If the folks who do the voting have any sense about them, he’ll walk right in when it’s his time.”
Mike Kenn should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. One day soon, I hope he will be.
Tommy Nobis
Another player who was overshadowed by the long ineptitude of the franchise he played for, Nobis was widely considered one of the greatest defenders of his era. Mr. Falcon played in an era where many statistics were not counted the way they are today, and that plus the swirling mists of time have obscured his impact.
But Nobis hasn’t gotten real consideration, despite being considered as good as Hall of Famers Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke in his prime by peers. He was a five-time Pro Bowler, two time All-Pro (once first team, one second team), and a member of the 1960s All-Decade team despite not entering the league until 1966. Those awful early Falcons teams play a role in his relative obscurity, but he was lauded as one of the best run defenders and open field tacklers of his era, as John Turney recounts here. Add in 9.5 sacks, 12 interceptions, 13 fumble recoveries, and an unknown but likely absurd number of tackles, and Nobis should have garnered more consideration than he ever has.
Billy “White Shoes” Johnson
A revolutionary in the return game, Johnson pioneered the Funky Chicken as a celebratory touchdown dance, once scored the first punt return touchdown in 1983 after six seasons where no other player scored one, and led the Falcons in receiving twice. He’s just 39th in combined return yardage, but only three players who were of his era or played before him have more, and his six punt return touchdowns are tied for the ninth-highest total in league history all these years later.
Because he was flashy during an era where the league discouraged it, blazing the way for the many inventive celebrations we see today, and was a quality receiver and top-flight returner in his day, Johnson deserves a lot of credit for his impact on the game that he doesn’t always get. It would be great to see him in Canton.
Chris Hinton
Hinton played four seasons for Atlanta, serving as Mike Kenn’s bookend at right tackle from 1990-1992 before shifting to right guard in 1993. A seven-time Pro Bowler, one-time first team All-Pro, and two-time second team All-Pro, Hinton was one of the premier do-it-all linemen of his era, playing both guard and tackle spots during his 13 year career and appearing in 177 games, starting 172.
Kenn should be in first, but Hinton’s as good as any other tackle on the Seniors list and deserves serious consideration.
Clay Matthews Jr.
The father of the more famous Clay Matthews III, who was dominant for the Green Bay Packers in the 2000s and 2010s, Matthews Jr. finished his career with three years in Atlanta. Prior to that, he was a longtime Cleveland Brown and put up 82.5 sacks, one of the highest career tackle totals ever, and the 36th-highest forced fumble total. He’s a legitimate great who
