Marshawn is getting in, no doubt about it.

First-time eligibles for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2025 include:

🏈Eli Manning
🏈Luke Kuechly
🏈Adam Vinatieri
🏈Terrell Suggs
🏈Marshal Yanda
🏈Marshawn Lynch
🏈Earl Thomas
🏈Joe Staley
🏈Demaryius Thomas
🏈Aqib Talib
🏈Vernon Davis
🏈Darren Sproles
🏈Cameron Wake

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 9, 2024

Would Eli even be on this list if his last name wasn't Manning?

Neither are first ballot. I think Marshawn gets in before Eli, who is basically Jared Goff but two rings against the Patriots.

I've never really understood the first ballot vs later issue for HOF voting. It's not like any of the facts change nor the competition. Either a player deserves the selection or they don't. Maybe if there is a limit on the number admitted each year it might make some sense so a deserving player gets a chance down the road, but is that the case?

I think Marshawn has a much better shot than Eli, actually. Neither are first ballot because of stats. As more time goes on, I think our current and future culture has shifted more to Iconic Moments than stats (truthfully, Eli doesn't have stats either), and Marshawn's many epic runs push him over the top. Eli has a single iconic throw that is really credited to the receiver. Marshawn career stats aren't HOF, but his game changing presence is, which is captured and appreciated by our Tik Tok current world.

wc22 said:

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I think Marshawn has a much better shot than Eli, actually. Neither are first ballot because of stats. As more time goes on, I think our current and future culture has shifted more to Iconic Moments than stats (truthfully, Eli doesn't have stats either), and Marshawn's many epic runs push him over the top. Eli has a single iconic throw that is really credited to the receiver. Marshawn career stats aren't HOF, but his game changing presence is, which is captured and appreciated by our Tik Tok current world.

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Marshawn puts in the "Fame" in Hall of Fame more than anybody on that list, which may be enough, aside from being the most dominant runningback of his era.

TruffleShuffle said:

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Would Eli even be on this list if his last name wasn't Manning?

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But Eli's not a rapper 😂 pic.twitter.com/xBtE6vJ29j

— NFL (@NFL) February 5, 2024

75bear said:

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TruffleShuffle said:

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Would Eli even be on this list if his last name wasn't Manning?

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I would say Eli's two Super Bowl wins had more to do with his inclusion on the list. Without those, he'd be a borderline HOF candidate.

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Borderline!?!?

Have you seen his stats.

wc22 said:

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I think Marshawn has a much better shot than Eli, actually. Neither are first ballot because of stats. As more time goes on, I think our current and future culture has shifted more to Iconic Moments than stats (truthfully, Eli doesn't have stats either), and Marshawn's many epic runs push him over the top. Eli has a single iconic throw that is really credited to the receiver. Marshawn career stats aren't HOF, but his game changing presence is, which is captured and appreciated by our Tik Tok current world.

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The thing about the Pro Football Hall of Fame is that Marshawn is an iconic player whom NFL Films loves. He definitely gets in. As for first ballot? Maybe.



All the videos below are from official NFL YouTube channels.

wc22 said:

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Neither are first ballot. I think Marshawn gets in before Eli, who is basically Jared Goff but two rings against the Patriots.

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It's interesting to compare Eli and Goff's stats.

They both were No. 1 picks who made their first starts late in their rookie seasons.

They each started 7 games as rookies. Goff went 0-7. Eli went 1-6.

Through their first 8 seasons Goff and Eli each threw exactly 185 TD passes.

But Eli had 129 interceptions, while Goff had 82.

Of course Eli had 2 Super Bowl wins in his first 8 seasons.

Goff has a passer rating of 90 or above in 6 of his first 8 seasons.

Eli has a passer rating of 90 or above in 2 of his first 8 seasons.

wc22 said:

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Neither are first ballot. I think Marshawn gets in before Eli, who is basically Jared Goff but two rings against the Patriots.

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In my mind, getting rings, let alone 2 of them, counts.

TruffleShuffle said:

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Would Eli even be on this list if his last name wasn't Manning?

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I would ask the question, if he hadn't played in New York (New Jersey) before I ask the question about his last name.
But in stats and championships, yeah, hard to discredit. I'm not going to do the research but is there a QB with similar credentials who didn't get in, because of wrong name, or, to my point, wrong location?

Marshawn was named to the NFL's 2010s All-Decade team at RB (along with Frank Gore, LeSean McCoy, and Adrian Peterson). That demonstrates sustained excellence and should advance his cause.

Strykur said:

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wc22 said:

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I think Marshawn has a much better shot than Eli, actually. Neither are first ballot because of stats. As more time goes on, I think our current and future culture has shifted more to Iconic Moments than stats (truthfully, Eli doesn't have stats either), and Marshawn's many epic runs push him over the top. Eli has a single iconic throw that is really credited to the receiver. Marshawn career stats aren't HOF, but his game changing presence is, which is captured and appreciated by our Tik Tok current world.

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Marshawn puts in the "Fame" in Hall of Fame more than anybody on that list, which may be enough, aside from being the most dominant runningback of his era.

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As with most (all?) Bear fans I love Marshawn. Marshawn was the most dominant RB I've personally seen play at Cal (I never saw Chuck Muncie or Russell White play). Marshawn also had himself a stellar career in the NFL, including a Super Bowl victory.* But objectively speaking, Adrian Peterson had the better numbers and was more dominant.

Of course, AP never caused an earthquake, so there is that.

* He should've had another, but Pete Carroll had a hard on for Russell Wilson and wanted to make him the Super Bowl MVP instead of Marshawn, leading to the epic game-ending goal line interception.

Anarchistbear said:

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Eli is a legacy admit

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Are there any other retired QB's with two or more rings who aren't in the Hall?

mbBear said:

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Anarchistbear said:

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Eli is a legacy admit

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Are there any other retired QB's with two or more rings who aren't in the Hall?

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Jim Plunkett

Anarchistbear said:

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mbBear said:

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Anarchistbear said:

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Eli is a legacy admit

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Are there any other retired QB's with two or more rings who aren't in the Hall?

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Jim Plunkett

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Tom Brady, but that's only a temporary situation.

mbBear said:

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Anarchistbear said:

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Eli is a legacy admit

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Are there any other retired QB's with two or more rings who aren't in the Hall?

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Big Ben

Vinatieri seems like a lock. Records galore. And 4 rings.

bearsandgiants said:

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Vinatieri seems like a lock. Records galore. And 4 rings.

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I thought he stopped playing decades ago, amazing he is just now becoming eligible.

Yeah his last season was in 2019, when he was 47 years old.

Anarchistbear said:

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mbBear said:

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Anarchistbear said:

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Eli is a legacy admit

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Are there any other retired QB's with two or more rings who aren't in the Hall?

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Jim Plunkett

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Great example of stats not being close the championship pedigree...

I believe NFL hall of fame selection is based on a vote of mostly media members. I wonder if Marshawn's candidacy will be impacted by his contentious relationship with the media. Journalists are often thin skinned and petty.

Marshawn is a borderline HOF candidate period, definitely not a first ballot entry.

Per the Pro Football Reference HOF monitor, Marshawn is pretty much as borderine as it gets definitionally. Just about every other RB rated above him is in the HOF or will get in (only Roger Craig is not and will not), and virtually every RB rated below him is not in the HOF (only exceptions are Paul Hornung, Larry Csonka, and Floyd Little, each playing 40+ years ago). So Marshawn is pretty much exactly on the pivot point for the HOF.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/hof/hofm_RB.htm

That said, I don't think Marshawn is losing sleep over the HOF. If he wanted it, he probably could have cemented it by playing a few more years before retirement and padding his stats. He's also probably in if Pete Carroll hands the ball off to him on the goal line and he wins Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl XLIX, which of course was not his fault.

If he gets in, it will because he was a borderline case statistically and the voters loved him because of his personality and iconic moments. I'm rooting for that, of course.