The original member of the Seattle Seahawks’ legendary Legion of Boom secondary will have to wait to hear his name called for Canton.
On Tuesday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame modern era finalists were
announced. Former Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas did not advance beyond the semifinals for the second year in a row. He’s been eligible for Canton since 2024, having been out of the NFL since his lone season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2019.
Here are the finalists who did make it, and there are a few familiar NFC West names and one “Seahawks legend” in the mix:
- Willie Anderson, Tackle — 1996-2007 Cincinnati Bengals, 2008 Baltimore Ravens
- Drew Brees, Quarterback — 2001-05 San Diego Chargers, 2006-2020 New Orleans Saints
- Jahri Evans, Guard — 2006-2016 New Orleans Saints, 2017 Green Bay Packers
- Larry Fitzgerald, Wide Receiver — 2004-2020 Arizona Cardinals
- Frank Gore, Running Back — 2005-2014 San Francisco 49ers, 2015-17 Indianapolis Colts, 2018 Miami Dolphins, 2019 Buffalo Bills, 2020 New York Jets
- Torry Holt, Wide Receiver — 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars
- Luke Kuechly, Linebacker — 2012-19 Carolina Panthers
- Eli Manning, Quarterback — 2004-2019 New York Giants
- Terrell Suggs, Outside Linebacker/Defensive End — 2003-2018 Baltimore Ravens, 2019 Arizona Cardinals, 2019 Kansas City Chiefs
- Adam Vinatieri, Kicker — 1996-2005 New England Patriots, 2006-2019 Indianapolis Colts
- Reggie Wayne, Wide Receiver — 2001-2014 Indianapolis Colts
- Kevin Williams, Defensive Tackle — 2003-2013 Minnesota Vikings, 2014 Seattle Seahawks, 2015 New Orleans Saints
- Jason Witten, Tight End — 2003-2017, 2019 Dallas Cowboys, 2020 Las Vegas Raiders
- Darren Woodson, Safety — 1992-2003 Dallas Cowboys
- Marshal Yanda, Guard/Tackle — 2007-2019 Baltimore Ravens
Actually, it should be two Seahawks legends since Jahri Evans was a preseason player for the Seahawks before he was let go. Kevin Williams was part of Seattle’s most recent team to reach the Super Bowl.
This is admittedly a stacked field with a ton of all-time greats at their respective positions, as well as Eli Manning. It’ll be interesting to see how many Seahawks from the Super Bowl seasons actually get into the Hall of Fame any time soon. Bobby Wagner will probably be a first-ballot HOFer once he’s eligible, but everyone else from Earl to Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman, Marshawn Lynch, and (whenever he’s eligible) Russell Wilson may be different stories. It might not even be a lock that all of them will even get that gold jacket.
The inductees for the Class of 2026 will be announced during Super Bowl week.
