There are now three Raiders greats who are among the finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2021. Tom Flores was selected as the lone coaching finalist by the Senior Committee, making the two-time Super Bowl-winning head coach and the NFL’s first Super Bowl-winning minority head coach a fairly safe bet to finally get the call 26 years after first becoming eligible.
Flores will be joined by first-year eligible DB Charles Woodson as one of the greatest to ever play defensive back at the NFL level. Woodson was the only ever primarily defensive player to win the Heisman, then won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1998, Defensive Player of the Year in 2009, four times an All-Pro, nine times a Pro Bowler, and won a Super Bowl with the Packers. He is a member of the Hall of Fame’s All 2000s team.
There is a third possibility as well as former Patriots and Raiders defensive lineman Richard Seymour has broken through to the finalists in his fourth year of eligibility. He too was a member of the Hall of Fame’s All 2000s team. He was also a three-time All-Pro, seven-time Pro Bowler, and a member of three Super Bowl teams while with the Patriots.
The full list of finalists:
Jared Allen, Defensive End – 2004-07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2008-2013 Minnesota Vikings, 2014-15 Chicago Bears, 2015 Carolina Panthers
Ronde Barber, Cornerback/Safety – 1997-2012 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tony Boselli, Tackle – 1995-2001 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2002 Houston Texans (injured reserve)
LeRoy Butler, Safety – 1990-2001 Green Bay Packers
Alan Faneca, Guard – 1998-2007 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2008-09 New York Jets, 2010 Arizona Cardinals
Torry Holt, Wide Receiver – 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars
Calvin Johnson, Wide Receiver – 2007-2015 Detroit Lions
John Lynch, Safety – 1993-2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2004-07 Denver Broncos
Peyton Manning, Quarterback – 1998-2011 Indianapolis Colts (injured reserved 2011), 2012-15 Denver Broncos
Clay Matthews, Linebacker – 1978-1993 Cleveland Browns, 1994-96 Atlanta Falcons
Sam Mills, Linebacker – 1986-1994 New Orleans Saints, 1995-97 Carolina Panthers
Richard Seymour, Defensive End/Defensive Tackle – 2001-08 New England Patriots, 2009-2012 Oakland Raiders
Zach Thomas, Linebacker – 1996-2007 Miami Dolphins, 2008 Dallas Cowboys
Reggie Wayne, Wide Receiver – 2001-2014 Indianapolis Colts
Charles Woodson, Cornerback/Safety – 1998-2005, 2013-15 Oakland Raiders, 2006-2012 Green Bay Packers
The 15 Modern-Era Player Finalists will be considered for election to the Hall of Fame when the Hall’s Selection Committee meets virtually January 19, 2021. The full committee will elect up to five Modern-Era Players, who must receive a minimum positive vote of 80 percent for election.
Three others — Tom Flores, Bill Nunn and Drew Pearson, the finalists in the Coach, Contributor and Senior categories, respectively — also are candidates for the Class of 2021. Voting on each will be held individually, in conjunction with the meeting to decide the Modern-Era Player Finalists.
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