Among active NFL players, there’s no shortage of Hall of Fame locks: Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Donald, Patrick Peterson, Julio Jones and Trent Williams and Von Miller are just several of the guys who don’t need to lose sleep over this. They’ll get the call in their first respective years of eligibility.
But what if a number of active NFL stars retired right now? They have plenty of accomplishments under their belts, but would they get into Canton if they called it quits today?
Our guess on the following 10 players years is NO. So with that said, here are 10 active NFLers who need one more great season to lock down their spots in Canton.
Matthew Stafford
Before his trade to the Los Angeles Rams, Stafford always felt like a super-longshot to qualify for Canton. But after winning a Super Bowl 56 title in his first year with his new team, the Hall of Fame debate strongly opened up…
Stafford has never really been a top-five quarterback in the game. He has no individual accolades and surprisingly has just the one Pro Bowl nod on his resume, and that was way-back-when in 2014.
But barring an early retirement, Stafford SHOULD finish top-10 all-time in career passing yards and passing touchdowns. A model of consistency like Stafford should always garner some consideration, pure and simple.
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Stafford’s 2022 season was cut short by injuries. If he can stay healthy and have one more MVP-like season, something close to a 5,000-yard campaign AND/OR another deep postseason run, we bet he gets in.
Two or three more productive-enough years will probably get him in. But he’s really just one more vintage-Stafford season away from cementing the case. Pure and simple.
DeAndre Hopkins
If injuries and a six-game suspension didn’t limit Hopkins to 19 total games over the last two years, his Hall of Fame case would look a lot better now.
From 2015 to 2020, Hopkins was unquestionably a top-five wideout in the game. But he doesn’t have any individual awards on his resume, and he’s only led the NFL in one major receiving category. That was in 2017, when he led the league in touchdown receptions.
Further complicating Hopkins’ case is the aforementioned six-game suspension in 2022 for violating the NFL’s PEDS policy. That hurts his case a bit, and now it’s on D-Hop to repair that damage.
He just needs to put one more finishing touch. If he were to retire today, it would be hard to justify putting Hopkins in given the lack of individual accomplishments and the fact he’s not yet top-20 all-time in any major receiving category.
At any rate, Hopkins is just one more elite season away from silencing the doubters and guaranteeing himself a gold jacket. Whether that’s a 1,500-yard season, an award-winning season of some sort or a Super Bowl ring, Hopkins has been consistently good long enough to warrant consideration.
Derrick Henry
NFL running backs don’t have the consistency and longevity anymore. The position is devalued, and they just seem to break down a lot earlier than guys from the past era like Frank Gore, LaDainian Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson.
So with that said, we’re hopeful that the Canton committee will lower the expectations and bar for running backs. It’s not their fault that the NFL is a much more pass-happy league.
If Derrick Henry retired today, we’d like to think he’d get in. He’s his own breed of RBs. A one-man tank who runs like, well, a running back but bulldozes guys over like he’s an offensive lineman.
With two rushing titles, a 2K rushing season and 2020 Offensive Player of the Year honors on his resume, Henry already has a compelling case, but one more ultra-dominant year should seal the deal.
Whether that’s something close to another 2K season, another individual award or two, a rushing title or even a Super Bowl ring, Henry is this-close to placing himself in the Hall of Fame.
One more season reminiscent of what we saw in 2019 and 2020 will get him there.
C.J. Mosley
A year ago, we wouldn’t have included Mosley on this list. But after missing all but two games in 2019 and opting out of the 2020 season because of COVID-19 concerns, he has stayed healthy over the last two years.
After a “meh” 2021 campaign, Mosley turned back the clock and enjoyed another Pro Bowl year for the New York Jets in 2022. Mosley earned both his fifth Pro Bowl and fifth second-team all-pro nods after tallying seven pass defenses and 158 combined tackles — the second-best mark of his career.
He’s been in the league a while now, but Mosley is only entering his age-31 season. And as Lavonte David, Demario Davis and Bobby Wagner have shown, age is really just a number for linebackers.
Mosley obviously had his best years with John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens, but he has slowly but surely found his top form again under Robert Saleh. We’re sure he’s got a few quality seasons left in him, but Mosley has done enough to the point where one more All-Pro-caliber year should be enough to get in.
Don’t blame Mosley that the interior linebacker position, like the running back, has also devalued over the years. He’s been one of the game’s best for a while now, and even if the position is dying, Mosley should still be enshrined in Canton if he can produce one more elite season.
Lane Johnson
Johnson has always been a Pro Football Focus darling, but fair or not, he didn’t start getting more love and recognition until 2017. That year, he earned his first career Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro selections.
And of course, he was instrumental in helping the Eagles win Super Bowl 52 with a backup quarterback in Nick Foles. Fast forward to 2023, and Johnson is now a four-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team all-pro and one-time second-team all-pro. Oh, and he helped Philly to another Super Bowl appearance in the 2022 season.
Johnson is of course just one of many great offensive linemen of this era. He wasn’t even the best offensive tackle for the Eagles for much of his career, as the notion belonged to a Canton lock himself in Jason Peters.
Johnson still remains an absolute rock on that Philadelphia offensive line. And it feels like just one more all-pro nod will help Johnson lock down his case as a future member of the Hall of Fame.
Or, you know, another deep playoff run that culminates in another Super Bowl appearance or two would go a long way as well. Johnson showed in 2022 that he still has plenty of good football left in him, so he’s got plenty of time to strengthen that Canton case.
Stephon Gilmore
Gilmore was a borderline Pro Bowl cornerback during his five years with the Buffalo Bills, but he took his game to a Hall of Fame-like level after joining the New England Patriots in 2017.
Of course, if Gilmore had always played at an All-Pro-like level — before his Patriots days — his Hall of Fame case would be a slam-dunk.
The positive for Gilmore: The individual accolades are there. Five Pro Bowls, two first-team all-pro selections, a Super Bowl 53 championship and of course 2019 Defensive Player of the Year award honors.
Also good news: Gilmore was still a great cornerback for the Indianapolis Colts in his age-32 season. He SHOULD be at least borderline elite in his upcoming age-33 season with the Dallas Cowboys, especially with fellow All-Pro Trevon Diggs at his side.
But the key word is “should”. Gilmore needs to be a Pro Bowler at least one more time to lock the case down. Jalen Ramsey, Patrick Peterson, Richard Sherman, Xavien Howard and Marlon Humphrey are among the other elite corners from Gilmore’s era that stand out.
So making yourself stand out from the rest of that group is easier said than done. Earning one more Pro Bowl and All-Pro nod — or even another Super Bowl or Defensive Player of the Year award — should lock the case down.
Darius Slay
After a mediocre first season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020, Slay has bounced back and regained his superstar-like form over the last two years. With that, his Hall of Fame case is very much open again.
Slay’s tremendous play with a lowly Detroit Lions team was often overlooked, but he’s gotten more recognition playing on a big-market and successful team like the Eagles. It was the cornerback duo of Slay and James Bradberry who played instrumental roles in helping the Eagles to a Super Bowl 57 appearance, after all.
In 2022, “Big Play” Slay earned the fifth Pro Bowl selection of his career. Among active players, he’s also just outside the top-five in interceptions.
Slay has been an elite lockdown corner and a grade-A ball-hawker. The fact he was so dominant on the Lions is a testament to his all-world skills. To us, he’d be a borderline Hall of Famer if he retired today.
But another season as good as the one we saw in 2022 — or at least very close to it — should definitely put him in.
Mike Evans
“Consistency” is the word that best summarizes Evans’ chances of getting into the Hall.
Nine straight 1,000-yard seasons to begin his career, an NFL record. And that was with mediocre quarterback play for his first six years until Tom Brady finally came to town in 2020.
Evans is a four-time Pro Bowler with the stats to entice Canton voters. The thing is, he’s never been a top-five receiver in the game. And he hasn’t led the NFL in any major receiving categories.
The Super Bowl 55 championship ring definitely helps his case, but it just feels like Evans will need one more elite year in the post-TB 12 era to leave the Canton committee without hesitation about voting him in.
Steve Smith Sr. Torry Holt and Henry Ellard were also 1,000-yard receivers for long periods of time but are still awaiting their gold jackets. Could the same fate await Evans? Not if he has one more great year.
Khalil Mack
Mack was on a Hall of Fame trajectory over his first five NFL seasons. From 2015 to 2018, he had 49 total sacks and the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year award on his resume.
But over the next four years, Mack’s play was marred by injuries and inconsistent play. He hasn’t had a double-digit sack season since 2018. As nice as those seven Pro Bowl nods may look on a resume, statistics just don’t lie.
100 sacks is no longer a plateau that essentially guarantees you a spot in Canton. Robert Quinn, Carlos Dunlap and Justin Houston have hit that mark but most certainly won’t get in.
Now on the wrong side of 30, how many more productive years does Mack have? That remains to be seen, but we’re very confident he wouldn’t get into the Hall if he retired today. Mack is going to have to have one more great season — let’s say a double-digit-sack campaign or a deep playoff run with his Los Angeles Chargers — to get in.
But at this trajectory? Hard to buy it. On Mack to prove us wrong.
Odell Beckham Jr.
Different eras, yes. But if wide receivers like Lynn Swann and Drew Pearson are in the Hall of Fame with inferior numbers to those of Odell Beckham Jr., then why can’t he one day be given the nod to Canton as well?
Some may say that Beckham lacks the longevity and consistency to be in. But uh, former Denver Broncos’ running back Terrell Davis got in with only four full and healthy seasons.
A lot of folks say that to meet the Hall of Fame criteria, you need to be a top-five at your position for a considerable period of time. Well, Beckham was a top-five wide receiver in the game from 2014 to 2018 with Eli Manning — not exactly elite — as his quarterback.
Don’t fault Beckham for a disappointing two-and-a-half-year tenure with the Cleveland Browns, which was derailed for good once he went down with a torn ACL in the 2020 season. Not like Baker Mayfield lit it up as the Browns’ QB, either.
Don’t fault Beckham that he missed the entire 2022 season recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in Super Bowl 56 — which his Los Angeles Rams won by the way!
What if we told you that entering 2023, Beckham was tied with Marvin Harrison for 10th all-time in career receiving yards per game at 76.7? That’s even higher than The GOAT Jerry Rice and other Hall of Famers in Terrell Owens, Michael Irvin and Randy Moss. Even more than Larry Fitzgerald, Rob Gronkowski and Davante Adams. We can go on.
Hmm, seems to us like Beckham has been a bonafide elite receiver when on the field. Injuries cut Terrell Davis’ career short but didn’t keep him out of the Hall, so why can’t Beckham Jr. also get in?
We’ll tell ya what, another Pro Bowl-like season or even another Super Bowl ring should be enough to get Beckham in. His case is already strong enough, but he’ll lock it down with just one more vintage OBJ season.
What other NFL players need just one more great season to make the Hall of Fame?
