Eli Manning and Antonio Gates are among 15 finalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame
Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manningformer Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly and Terrell Suggs and prolific tight end Antonio Gates are all finalists. The 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class.
On Saturday, the Hall announced the list of 15 modern finalists, who advanced from a group of 25 to the final stage of voting. The group includes five players in their first year of eligibility, nine of whom were finalists last year, as well as receiver Steve Smith Sr., who is in his first year of eligibility. This is the first time in four years that such an achievement has been achieved.
The selection committee will vote next month to select three to five modern-day players, who will be announced the week of the Super Bowl.
Five others are also being considered, with Maxie Baughan, Sterling Sharpe and Jim Tyrer among the senior finalists, and Mike Holmgren Holmgren to the coaching staff and Ralph Hay to the coaching staff. One to three of the nominees will also enter the hall.
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Manning, Kuechly and Suggs were finalists in their first year of eligibility, along with postseason kicking star Adam Vinatieri and former Baltimore linebacker Marshal Yanda.
Gates is a first-time finalist in the 2024 class and returns to the class along with defensive end Jared Allen; receivers Torrey Holt and Reggie Wayne; offensive lineman Willie Anderson and Jarre Evans; defensive backs Darren Woodson, Eric Allen and Rodney Harrison; and running back Fred Taylor also advanced.
Manning had a stellar career with the New York Giants and hopes to follow his brother Payton into the Hall of Fame. Manning was the first overall pick in the 2004 draft and has spent his entire career in New York. After the 2007 season, he led the Giants to an upset victory over the undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, throwing the game-winning touchdown pass to Praxico Burress in the final minute. ball.
Four years later, he led a late touchdown drive to beat Tom Brady and the Patriots. Manning is one of 13 quarterbacks to win multiple Super Bowls and eight of nine Super Bowl-eligible quarterbacks.
Only Jim Plunkett has yet to be drafted, along with recent players like Brady, Ben Roethlisberger and Patrick Mahomes, who Not yet eligible for selection.
Manning was a four-time Pro Bowler but never an All-Pro and never led the league in a major statistical category in a season. He finished his career with 57,023 passing yards and 366 touchdowns.
His best moments came in those two playoff runs. Manning vs. Brady (5 times), Mahomes (3 times), Joe Montana (3 times), Bart Starr (2 times) and Terry Bradshaw (2 times) Together they became the only people to win the Super Bowl MVP award multiple times.
Kuechly and Suggs were both top defensive players of their era. Kuechly and Suggs were elected Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 and 2011 respectively.
Kuechly’s career was brief but influential. The 2012 first-round pick out of Carolina was a five-time All-Pro selection, seven-time Pro Bowl selection and won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
Over his eight-year career, Kuechly led all NFL linebackers in tackles (1,090), tackles for loss (26), interceptions (18) and passes defensed (66).
Suggs was one of the league’s top pass rushers during his 17-year career, and his 139 sacks ranked eighth since official statistics were compiled in 1982.
Suggs had double-digit sacks in seven of his 16 seasons in Baltimore, including 14 in 2011, when he was voted the league’s best defensive player and finished with seven sacks. Leads the league in goals allowed.
Gates played only basketball in college before being drafted by the Chargers and becoming one of the top tight ends in the NFL. In 2004, he was named an All-Pro in his second season. He was an All-Pro again the next two seasons and spent his 16-year career with the team.
Gates had 955 receptions for 11,841 yards and set an NFL tight end record with 116 receiving touchdowns.
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Vinatieri is one of the most clutch kickers in NFL history, having made the game-winning field goal in each of the New England dynasty’s first two Super Bowl championships.
In the “Tucker Rule” game against the Raiders in the 2001 Divisional Round, he kicked a 45-yard kick in the snow to spark the offense and send the game into overtime. He scored the game-winning field goal in overtime to win that game, then hit a 48-yard field goal on the final drive of the Super Bowl to give the Rams a 20-17 win.
Vinatieri leads the NFL in career points (2,673) and field goals (599) during his 24-year career with New England and Indianapolis. He also led all players in the postseason with 56 field goals and 238 points.
