2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame Roundtable: Eli Manning deserving? Marshawn Lynch?

Now that the 2024 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame has been officially inducted, who's next in line?

First-time players eligible in 2025 include quarterback Eli Manning, running back Marshawn Lynch, linebacker Luke Kuechly, kicker Adam Vinatieri, offensive lineman Marshal Yanda and edge rusher Terrell Suggs.

Those players join an impressive group of 2024 finalists who just missed the cut, including tight end Antonio Gates, defensive end Jared Allen, receiver Reggie Wayne and offensive lineman Willie Anderson.

Selectors of the Pro Football Hall of Fame will cull though a preliminary list of candidates as they work toward a list of 15 finalists for enshrinement early next year. Then they'll whittle down that list to five modern-day candidates who could earn the distinction of wearing a gold jacket.

Below, the FOX Sports NFL writers tackle some of the most pressing questions regarding the 2025 class.

1. Eli Manning is expected to be a first-ballot induction, largely because of his two Super Bowl wins. Do you think he is a Hall of Famer? 

Ralph Vacchiano: Well, first, I'm not so sure that he's going in on the first ballot. I think the way he is viewed outside of New York is much different than the way he's viewed in the New York area. It's always been an uphill battle for him to get respect, and I'm not sure enough voters are there yet.

That said, I'll be honest, even though I covered every snap of his career and wrote a book about him, I'm on the fence. It's true that you can't tell the story of the NFL without a lengthy discussion about his two Super Bowl championships. And the numbers say he was a great player for a long time. 

But an all-time great? He played 16 seasons and there was only one year — 2011, when he threw for 4,933 yards, 29 touchdowns and 16 interceptions and won a Super Bowl — when I thought he was one of the top three QBs in the league. Most of the other seasons he probably ranked sixth or seventh.

Is that Hall of Fame-worthy? He's right on the fence for me, so I'd take it year by year, and it will really depend on who is on the ballot each year. It's far from a no-brainer decision. But this might be a good year for him.

Greg Auman: I think Manning deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Two Super Bowl wins over Tom Brady in two tries? The rest of the world went 1-7 in such opportunities. To pile up 366 touchdowns and 57,000 passing yards is a testament to longevity, even if it's more sustained good than great. If you don't think he's in, do you like Troy Aikman in Canton? His career numbers are ordinary, but he got in without hesitation for being the quarterback on three Cowboys championship teams.

David Helman: I think we can find a compromise here. Yes, because of Eli Manning's two Super Bowl victories (over Tom Brady, no less) and his two Super Bowl MVPs, I do think he is a Hall of Famer. In the big picture, I have no issue with his bust going up in Canton. 

That said, I just don't think it should be a first-ballot election. First-ballot consideration should be reserved for the greatest of the great — Reggie White, Larry Allen, Eli's older brother, Peyton. If there's any debate to be had about your credentials, you have no business going in immediately. Not when players like Antonio Gates and DeMarcus Ware have had to wait. Let Eli go in after two or three years, when we've had a chance to enshrine some better players.

2. Do you believe Marshawn Lynch will ultimately be elected? Should he be?

Ben Arthur: I believe he will — and not just because of his iconic personality. He's lower on the career rushing yards list than you'd maybe like — 29th in yards all time at 10,413 — but his 85 career touchdowns (17th all time) is higher than Hall of Famers like Jim Taylor, Edgerrin James, Tony Dorsett, Earl Campbell and Leroy Kelly. 

Lynch had one of the most memorable four-year runs for a running back in modern NFL history, too, which included back-to-back Super Bowl trips (one ring) as the engine of the Seahawks offense. You also can't forget the legendary Beast Quake run in the 2010 NFC wild-card game against the New Orleans Saints, which registered seismic activity in Seattle. 

Eric D. Williams: While the Legion of Boom defense emerged as the signature group for the Seattle Seahawks during the Pete Carroll era, ask most involved with the franchise's success during that time, and they will point to Marshawn Lynch as the straw that stirred the drink.

Lynch served as the engine and linchpin for a Caroll-led team built around a hard-nosed running game, taking care of the football and playing stingy defense. From 2011 to 2014, Lynch was dominant, totaling 5,357 rushing yards and scoring 56 touchdowns over that time. 

Lynch made the All-Decade team for the 2010s and would have helped lead Seattle's to back-to-back Super Bowl wins had Carroll chosen to hand the ball to his best player from the 1-yard line in the team's heartbreaking loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX.

Lynch's stubborn avoidance of the media during his career could be an impediment to his Hall of Fame candidacy. A five-time Pro Bowler, Lynch's 10,419 rushing yards rank No. 29th all time. However, Lynch is No. 8 all time with 970 rushing yards in the postseason.

Lynch has an uphill climb to get in as a first-time candidate, but his overall body of work and significant impact on Seattle's best teams in franchise history should eventually get him into the Hall. 

Carmen Vitali: Listen, I love Money Lynch as much as, if not more than, the next person. He’s created quite a cult following for his antics both as a player and media personality. His trip to the Weiner Circle in Chicago or his cosplay as a pirate on the ship inside Raymond James Stadium are some of my favorite bits.

On the field, he was the engine that made so many of the Seattle Seahawks teams go. His first four full seasons in Seattle, Lynch was a Pro Bowler and helped lead the club to its lone Super Bowl title. His lone All-Pro nod came with Seattle, as well.

Now, here comes the but.

If you’re talking Hall of Fame-caliber, you’re talking about players who led the league in major stats for multiple seasons. You’re talking about guys who changed the way the game was played. Can I confidently say Lynch did that? Not really.

On the all-time lists, Lynch’s 10,413 rushing yards rank 29th. His 85 rushing touchdowns rank 17th. 

Lynch will go down in glory with the Seahawks franchise, for good reason. He made the 2010s All-Decade team, also for good reason. But not every All-Decade player can make the Hall of Fame, so as much as I want to say Lynch will get in, I just can’t see it.

3. There is currently a logjam of wide receivers on the ballot. Who are your top three candidates and how would you rank them? 

Henry McKenna: 1. Torry Holt: He's a Super Bowl champion. He had two seasons with more than 1,600 yards and he eclipsed 1,100 yards in eight of his 11 seasons. He never even had fewer than 700 yards. He was the top receiver for the Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf," an offense that changed the game. He has his production. Let's just get him in the Hall of Fame, folks.

2. Steve Smith: He wasn't just a scrappy, productive and explosive receiver. He was also an icon. Smith was such a big personality in the landscape of football when he was a player. (And he remains one as a media member.) Smith might not have won a Super Bowl. He might have topped 1,500 yards just once in a season (2005). But if you'd have asked the defensive backs who they'd least like to guard, I bet it would've been Smith right at the top.

3. Reggie Wayne: Maybe it’s because he started his career as the No. 2 behind Marvin Harrison, but Wayne doesn’t quite have the reputation that he deserves. He had a special career and seamlessly replaced Harrison as Peyton Manning’s No. 1. He’s a Super Bowl champion, a six-time Pro Bowler and he led the NFL in receiving yards in 2007. (Sorry, Randy Moss.) Wayne was special.

Williams: Last year, the Hall broke an initial gridlock at the receiver position by electing Andre Johnson to the Hall, but there's still more work to do. Reggie Wayne and Torry Holt were finalists again last year. And players like Hines Ward, Steve Smith Sr. and Anquan Boldin are worthy candidates to consider.

And the line isn't getting any shorter, with guys like Demaryius Thomas, Larry Fitzgerald, Julian Edelman and Dez Bryant soon becoming eligible for the Hall.

For me, I believe Holt and Wayne have waited long enough and should be at the front of the line to get in. Both are five-time finalists, have Super Bowl rings and are in the top 20 in NFL history in receptions and receiving yards.  

My third candidate would be Smith, a five-time Pro Bowler who finished No. 8 all time in receiving yards.

Helman: Let's be very clear: Tory Holt and Reggie Wayne both deserve to be Hall of Famers, and I think they both will be in time. But if we're trying to clear the receiver logjam, I think you have to start with Holt. The statistics and accolades between the two are similar, but for starters, Holt was voted to the 2000s All-Decade team. If you're a defining player of an entire decade, I think that merits enshrinement. On top of that, Holt enjoyed far fewer years of top tier quarterback play than Wayne did. Holt has also been waiting longer. So I'm going Holt, then Wayne. 

After those two, I'd have Steve Smith — but he may be in for a wait. Larry Fitzgerald joins the party in 2026, and I'm going to go ahead and pencil him in as a first-ballot selection.

4. Which returning candidates in your mind need to be in the Hall of Fame? 

Vacchiano: There were three that jumped out at me on last year's lists of finalists who I thought were going to make it: tackle Willie Anderson, defensive end Jared Allen and tight end Antonio Gates.

Gates was probably the real shocker for me because he had a run of about 11 years when he was one of the best and most productive receiving tight ends in the league. I know his numbers don't look as gaudy now, but they did back in the early 2000s and 2010s.

Allen, meanwhile, was one of the NFL's best pass rushers for the first decade of his career, with a run of seven straight seasons of double-digit sacks and a four-time first team All-Pro. And Anderson was simply one of the best tackles of his era. 

There's a lot of suspicion that there's a bias against tackles who played the right side instead of the more high-profile left. But eventually the selection committee will have to get over that.

Williams: No other tight end in NFL history has scored more touchdowns than Gates, whose 116 TD receptions are No. 7 all time in league history. Johnson got in this year with 70 career TDs.

Gates should already be in. And he should be at the front of the line for the 2025 class.

Along with Gates, Holt and Wayne, cornerback Eric Allen has been overlooked and should receive strong consideration. A finalist in 2024, Allen had a lengthy, productive NFL career, and his 54 interceptions are tied for No. 21 in league history. 

Auman: First and foremost, Antonio Gates. He has 116 touchdowns, seventh-most all time and most ever by a tight end. He had limited postseason success but three of his playoff losses came against Tom Brady.

Reggie Wayne! He has 14,345 receiving yards and 82 career touchdowns, and was on Colts teams good enough that he played 21 career playoff games, scoring a touchdown in a Super Bowl win. You can make a case for Torry Holt as well, but Wayne has a better total résumé.

5. Who was the better defensive player: Luke Kuechly or Earl Thomas?

Arthur: Prime Earl Thomas was terrific — as good as any free safety in recent memory — but Luke Kuechly takes the cake for me. Had he played longer, he was on track to land on the shortlist for best linebackers of all time. He was a first-team All-Pro selection in five of his eight NFL seasons, which is ridiculous. Kuechly is still the youngest recipient of the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award (22 years old, 2013 season). In addition to being a tackling machine — he led the NFL in tackling twice in his first three seasons — he was ahead of his time as a coverage linebacker. 

McKenna: Luke Keuchly. Thomas and Keuchly might be equals in terms of talent. But with production? It's clearly Thomas. But if you get caught up measuring greatness with those two metrics, you'll miss the whole picture. Keuchly retired at his absolute peak. He could have had a number of seasons with huge statistics and game-changing plays. But I think he deserves credit for calling it early, not just because we'll remember him at his very best — but because he led by example in encouraging other players to consider early retirement. The NFL isn't easy on the body, and Keuchly remembered that life is long after the league. That's a truly great takeaway from his career.

Vitali: As someone who was privy to conversations of players on division teams about how much of an alien Luke Kuechly was, I’m going to have to side that way. Being an inside linebacker doesn’t always lend itself to the gaudy stats of other defensive positions, and yet, Kuechly won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2012. 

He then followed it up with Defensive Player of the Year in 2013.

You won’t find Kuechly’s 1,092 tackles on any all-time top-10 lists, but he twice led the league, including in his rookie year. He was well-rounded, too, nabbing 18 interceptions and 12.5 sacks. Despite the relative lack of eye-popping totals, Kuechly was an All-Pro a whopping five times in his eight seasons.

Ask anyone who played against him, especially quarterbacks, and they’ll tell you he deserved it all eight years. 

It’s because Kuechly was a tape savant. He’d pour over the film for hours so that, especially in the case of division opponents, he knew exactly what you were going to do before you did it. I remember Jameis Winston telling me that Kuechly would call out the play they were about to run pre-snap. That level of anticipation combined with his athleticism made him absolutely lethal to opposing quarterbacks.

Kuechly might not be a first-ballot selection, but he deserves to follow a path like Willis has.

Bonus: The Hall of Fame selection process concludes with a vote on five finalists. Which five players would be on your final ballot for the 2025 class?

Arthur: Luke Kuechly, Marshal Yanda, Tiki Barber, Antonio Gates, Terrell Suggs
Auman: Eli Manning, Antonio Gates, Reggie Wayne, Adam Vinatieri, Terrell Suggs
Helman: Luke Kuechly, Marshal Yanda, Terrell Suggs, Antonio Gates, Tory Holt
McKenna: Eli Manning, Torry Holt, Adam Vinatieri, Antonio Gates, Jared Allen
Vacchiano: Willie Anderson, Antonio Gates, Jared Allen, Eli Manning, Torry Holt
Vitali: Terrell Suggs, Antonio Gates, Jared Allen, Haloti Ngata, Jamaal Charles

Compiled by FOX NFL writers: Ben Arthur (@benyarthur), Greg Auman (@gregauman)
David Helman (@davidhelman_), Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis), Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano), Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV), Eric D. Williams (@eric_d_williams)

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