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The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced 167 modern-era nominees for the 2025 induction class on Wednesday, including 16 debutants.
First-time nominees include running back Marshawn Lynch, quarterback Eli Manning, linebacker Luke Kuechly and kicker Adam Vinatieri. Four offensive linemen are among the 16 nominees. Former Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who died in 2021 from complications of a seizure disorder at age 33, is a posthumous nominee for the first time.
Let’s take a look at the resumes of some of the notable names revealed on Wednesday.
Marshawn Lynch Hall of Fame Recap
Lynch was the most punishing running back of his era while shining in his prime with the Seattle Seahawks. He played 12 NFL seasons for the Seahawks, Buffalo Bills and Oakland Raiders, and was a five-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time All-NFL selection. He twice led the NFL in rushing touchdowns and won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks after the 2013 season.
Lynch is a member of the 2010 Hall of Fame All-Decade Team. He ranks 29th on the NFL’s all-time rushing list with 10,413 yards and 17th of all time with 85 rushing touchdowns.
From Manning Hall of Fame Summary
Manning played 16 seasons in the NFL, all of them as quarterback for the New York Giants. If he makes the Hall of Fame, it will be because of his two Super Bowl rings. Manning led the Giants to Super Bowl victories after upsets over Tom Brady’s New England Patriots in the 2007 and 2011 seasons.
The Giants defeated the fifth-ranked and previously unbeaten Patriots in Super Bowl XLII in one of the biggest upsets in NFL history. Manning’s fourth-ranked Giants advanced from the wild-card round again after the 2011 postseason to beat Brady’s first-ranked and top-seeded Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.
Beyond his two rings, the case for Manning is not strong. He was not among the great quarterbacks of his era, which include Brady, his brother Peyton, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. Manning’s Giants were mediocre in the 14 seasons in which they did not win a Super Bowl, a span that did not include another playoff victory. They finished 117-117 in regular-season games in which Manning started.
Manning was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and did not make an All-Pro team, and he never received a vote for league MVP. After playing in an era of increased passing, Manning ranks in the top 12 of all-time. in both touchdowns (366) and interceptions (244) thrownHe led the league in interceptions thrown three times.
By Adam Vinatieri Hall of Fame Summary
Vinatieri retired as arguably the greatest kicker of all time. There’s no doubt that his collection of high-risk kicks is one of them.
Vinatieri played 24 seasons in the NFL with the Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. He won three Super Bowls with the Patriots and a fourth with the Colts. He was a three-time All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection, led the league in field goal accuracy three times and connected on 83.8 percent of his kicks in his career. NFL All-Time Leading Scorer ahead of Hall of Fame kicker Morten Andersen.
But it’s Vinatieri’s postseason exploits that back him up. The history of the Patriots dynasty cannot be written without counting Vinatieri, who kicked game-winning field goals in the final seconds of two Super Bowls.
Vinatieri helped jumpstart the Patriots’ dynasty with a 48-yard field goal as time expired to beat the St. Louis Rams, 20-17, in Super Bowl XXXVI. The Patriots would not have made it to that Super Bowl had Vinatieri not successfully kicked a 45-yard field goal. In the wind and snow With 1:11 remaining in regulation of the infamous “tuck rule game,” Vinatieri then kicked a 23-yard field goal in the same frigid conditions to secure a 16-13 overtime victory over the Oakland Raiders in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Two years later, Vinatieri kicked a game-winning 41-yard field goal in the final seconds of New England’s 32-29 victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIIII.
By Luke Kuechly Hall of Fame Summary
Kuechly doesn’t have the Super Bowl trophy of the aforementioned nominees, but he is one of the best defenders of his generation and arguably the best player in Carolina Panthers franchise history despite a career that lasted just eight seasons.
The ninth overall pick in the 2012 draft, Kuechly won Defensive Rookie of the Year in his first NFL season while leading the NFL in tackles. A year later, he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He was selected to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro that season and every year for the rest of his career. He was named to the First Team All-Pro five times and led the league in tackles twice.
He is a member of the Hall of Fame’s 2010 All-Decade Team. Keuchly surely would have racked up more accolades, but he retired at age 28 after a career that also included multiple head injuries and surgeries.
Here is the complete class of top-tier nominees for the Hall of Fame:
Attacking player
Eli Manning
Corridor
Marshawn Lynch
Darren Sproles
Wide Receiver
Demaryius Thomas
Tight end
Vernon Davis
Delanie Walker
Offensive line
Travis Frederick
Ryan Kalil
Joe Staley
Marshal Yanda
Supporter
Lucas Kuechly
Terrell Suggs
Defensives
Count Thomas
Aqib Talib
Antonio Bethea
Kicker
Adam Vinatieri