JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Fred Taylor missed out on the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Thursday night, pushing his candidacy into 2025 as he looks to become just the second player in Jaguars history to reach Canton.
Taylor, one of the best players in Jaguars franchise history, was in his first year as one of the 15 finalists. The inductees were announced during the NFL Honors ceremony. But getting to the final 15 and having his case heard by voters for the first time was an accomplishment for Taylor.
Indianapolis edge Dwight Freeney, Houston receiver Andre Johnson, Chicago’s Devin Hester, Carolina’s Julius Peppers and San Francisco linebacker Patrick Willis were the modern era inductees.
In a post on X, Taylor thanked fans for the support.
“Thank you for your support! We didn’t do it this year but we’ll be back next time around,” Taylor posted.
Thank you for your support! We didn’t do it this year but we’ll be back next time around 🙏🏾
— Fred Taylor (@FredTaylorMade) February 9, 2024
All hope isn’t lost for Taylor.
It took ex-Jaguars star Tony Boselli six straight years as a finalist before he was finally elected to the Class of 2022. Getting to the 15-person modern era finalist portion of the process was significant for Boselli as it is for Taylor. Once players get to that stage, it allows their case to be presented to the entire voting bloc.
Former WJXT sports director and longtime Hall of Fame voter Sam Kouvaris is tasked with presenting the cases for Jaguars players to the committee. That list is then trimmed to no more than five modern era players for election. Since the Hall of Fame began cutting down to a group of finalists in 1970, the eventual number of finalists who were enshrined is roughly 80%.
While it may take several more years for Taylor to be elected, he’s certainly trending there. After five consecutive years of being a semifinalist, Taylor finally broke through, something that many outside the fans world think should have happened years earlier. He rushed for 11,695 yards in his career, a number that ranks 17th in NFL history. Taylor scored 66 rushing touchdowns and had another eight receiving.
All but two of the running backs in front of Taylor are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the exceptions of Frank Gore (16,000, No. 3) and Adrian Peterson (14,918, No. 5), both of whom aren’t yet eligible.
For Boselli, it was simply a numbers game. In his five years as a finalist before election, some of those classes were no-win scenarios. In 2017, Terrell Davis, LaDainian Tomlinson and Kurt Warner went in on their first year of eligibility.
In 2018, Boselli was up against Ray Lewis, Terrell Owens and Randy Moss. The 2019s were stout (Champ Bailey, Tony Gonzalez and Ed Reed). The 2020 class featured 20 inductees, including Troy Polamalu, Edgerrin James and Steve Hutchinson. And the blockbuster 2021 class was headlined by Calvin Johnson, Peyton Manning and Charles Woodson. The Class of 2022, where Boselli was eventually elected, was far more forgiving in terms of Hall locks.
What are the most likely years Taylor could see a window for enshrinement? Next year or in 2028 could be Taylor’s best options.
In 2025, the first-year players eligible for election are Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, Ravens guard Marshal Yanda, Seattle safety Earl Thomas and Giants quarterback Eli Manning. In 2026, receiver Larry Fitzgerald, QB Drew Brees, tight end Jason Witten and veteran RB Frank Gore are first eligible. The Class of 2027 is loaded, with RB Adrian Peterson, TE Rob Gronkowski, S Eric Weddle, center Alex Mack and QB Ben Roethlisberger on the ballot for the first time. In 2028, QB Tom Brady and DE JJ Watt are eligible.