Eric Williams
NFL Reporter
One of the most prolific pass-catchers in the game and one of the top pass rushers in NFL history have punched their tickets to Canton.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Thursday that tight end Antonio Gates and edge rusher Jared Allen are among those who have been elected by the Hall’s 49-person selection committee.
Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning did not make the cut in his first year of eligibility, nor did kicker Adam Vinatieri. Longtime NFL head coach Mike Holmgren fell short in the coaching category.
Gates, the all-time reception leader in Chargers franchise history, finished his career with the most receiving touchdowns by a tight end in NFL history with 116. Voted to eight straight Pro Bowls, Gates earned first-team All-Pro honors three times and was a member of the 2000s all-decade team.
A five-time finalist, Allen was a four-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler who twice led the league in sacks. A five-time finalist, Allen finished his career 12th in league history in sacks with 136.
Those two were joined by modern-day candidate Eric Allen and Seniors candidate Sterling Sharpe.
Allen was a two-time finalist with only one year of eligibility left as a modern-day candidate before being moved to the Seniors category. A six-time Pro Bowler, Allen’s 54 interceptions over his 14-year career tie him with Hall of Famers Willie Brown and Darrell Green. And Allen’s eight interceptions returned for touchdowns is tied for eighth all time.
Sharpe reached five Pro Bowls and earned three first-team All-Pro nods during a seven-year career with the Packers, which was cut short because of a neck injury. Sharpe’s 18 touchdown receptions in 1994, his final season, still rank third-best in a single season in league history. Sharpe finished his career with 595 receptions for 8,134 yards and 65 touchdowns. Sterling Sharpe and Shannon Sharpe are the first brothers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Class of 2025 will be enshrined on Aug. 2, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. It’s the smallest class since 2005.
Last year, the Hall enacted stricter rules to ensure exclusivity of membership. The rules now allow at least four but no more than eight of the 20 finalists to be selected. The candidates must receive approval from at least 80% of the members of the committee.
First-year eligible candidates for the 2026 Hall of Fame class include Bill Belichick, Larry Fitzgerald, Frank Gore, Drew Brees, Jason Witten, Philip Rivers, LeSean McCoy and Todd Gurley.
Players must be retired for at least five years to become eligible, while coaches only have to wait a season.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.
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