Tag: Dwight Freeney

Former Cardinal Dwight Freeney a Hall of Fame finalist; Anquan Boldin is not

Check out the finalists for the 2024 Hall of Fame class.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the 15 finalists for the 2024 Hall of Fame class, which will be announced in February before the Super Bowl.

One former Arizona Cardinals player made the cut. Another did not.

Former Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin, was drafted by Arizona in 2003 and played for the Cardinals through 2009, was not one of the 15 finalists. He was a semifinalist.

The former Cardinal to make the final 15 is Dwight Freeney. Freeney spent most of the 2015 season with Arizona, getting eight of his 125.5 career sacks with the Cardinals.

The 15 finalists are below.

Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney finalists for 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame

Reggie Wayne and Dwight Freeney represent the Colts as finalists for the Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

A pair of Indianapolis Colts legends have been named finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024, the league announced Wednesday evening.

Former Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne and defensive end Dwight Freeney were named among the 15 modern-era finalists for the upcoming class.

This is Wayne’s fifth time on the ballot. He has made it as a finalist in each of his first five years on the ballot (2020-2024). Wayne will get in most likely sooner rather than later. His resume speaks for itself. His 1,070 career receptions and 14,345 receiving yards are more than 17 wide receivers already in the Hall of Fame.

Those numbers are both 10th all-time among wide receivers in NFL history. Wayne was a six-time Pro Bowler and was a First-Team All-Pro selection in 2010. He also holds the Colts’ franchise record for career games played (211). His 1,070 career receptions, 14,345 career yards and 82 career receiving touchdowns are all the second-most in franchise history behind Marvin Harrison.

Wayne recorded four seasons with at least 100 receptions and eight seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards. His 14,345 career receiving yards are the second-most among eligible Hall of Fame candidates.

This is Freeney’s second time on the ballot, and it’s the second time he’s reached the finalist stage. His 125.5 career sacks rank 26th all time while he was a three-time All-Pro First Team selection (2004-2005, 2009) and a seven-time Pro Bowler (2003-2005, 2008-2011).

Freeney’s 125.5 career sacks rank seventh-most among Hall of Fame eligible players.

Former wide receiver Andre Johnson, who spent the 2015 season with the Colts, also is a finalist for the Class of 2024.

Former Colts defensive end Robert Mathis was a semifinalist but did not make it to the finalist round.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 will be inducted during NFL Honors, on Thursday, Feb. 8, at 9:00 p.m. ET.

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Trio of Colts legends among 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalists

Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis are semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

Former Indianapolis Colts defensive end Robert Mathis, wide receiver Reggie Wayne and defensive end Dwight Freeney are among the 25 modern-era semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

This will be Wayne’s fifth time on the ballot. He has made it as a semifinalist every year (2020-2024) and a finalist in each of his first four years on the ballot (2020-2023). Wayne will get in most likely sooner rather than later. His resume speaks for itself. His 1,070 career receptions are more than 13 wide receivers already in the Hall of Fame. His 14,345 receiving yards are more than 14 wide receivers already in the Hall of Fame.

Those numbers are both 10th all-time among wide receivers in NFL history. Wayne was a six-time Pro Bowler and was a First-Team All-Pro selection in 2010. He also holds the Colts’ franchise record for career games played (211). His 1,070 career receptions, 14,345 career yards and 82 career receiving touchdowns are all the second-most in franchise history behind Marvin Harrison.

This is Mathis’ third time on the ballot and the third time he’s reached the semifinalist stage of the process (2022-2024). Mathis is the Colts’ franchise leader in sacks (123) and NFL leader in forced fumbles (54), thanks to his elite strip-sack ability. He was a five-time Pro Bowler while earning an All-Pro nod in 2013 when he recorded a career-high 19.5 sacks. That also resulted in him winning the AFC Defensive Player of the Year Award.

This is Freeney’s second time on the ballot. It’s the second time he’s reached the semifinalist stage (2023) after being a finalist during his first year on the ballot). His 125.5 career sacks rank 26th all time while he was a three-time All-Pro First Team selection (2004-2005, 2009) and a seven-time Pro Bowler (2003-2005, 2008-2011).

Former Colts wide receiver Andre Johnson, who spent the 2015 season with the team, also is a semifinalist for the third consecutive year (2022-2024).

From here, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will announce 15 finalists in early January. The committee will vote, and the Class of 2024 will be inducted during the NFL Honors just before the Super Bowl. In August, the Class of 2024 will officially be enshrined in Canton.

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Former Cardinals Anquan Boldin, Dwight Freeney are Hall of Fame semifinalists again

Boldin was named one of 25 semifinalists for the third time. Freeney is a semifinalist for the second time.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Tuesday the 25 modern-day semifinalists to make the 2024 class. That group of 25 former players includes two former Arizona Cardinals — wide receiver Anquan Boldin and pass rusher Dwight Freeney.

Boldin is a semifinalist for the third time. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the second round in 2003 and played for them from 2003-2009.

After going on to play for the Ravens, 49ers and Lions, he finished his career with 1,076 receptions for 13,779 yards and 82 touchdowns.

Freeney played most of the 2015 season for the Cardinals and had eight sacks in 11 games. He finished his career with 125.5 sacks.

Freeney is a semifinalist for the second time.

The 25 semifinalists will be pared down to 15 finalists before the final vote.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Two former Falcons make modern-era Hall of Fame semifinal

Two former Falcons named among 25 modern-era Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalists

Two former Falcons players were among the 25 modern-era Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalists named on Tuesday morning. Wide receiver/kick returner Devin Hester and defensive end Dwight Freeney both have a chance to make the Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

“The 25 semifinalists will be reduced again – to 15 Finalists – before the final voting process for the Class of 2024,” NFL.com explains.

Other notable modern-era semifinalists include Julius Peppers, Antonio Gates, Reggie Wayne, Darren Woodson and Patrick Willis.

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Two former Lions among 25 semifinalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2024

Two former Lions are among the 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, though neither spent much time in Detroit

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the 25 semifinalists for the inauguration class of 2024. Two former Lions players are among those moving on in the process.

They’re probably not who most fans would expect, however. Dwight Freeney and Anquan Boldin are the two former Lions who made the semifinalist cut. Both finished their careers in Detroit after establishing their Hall of Fame bona fides with other teams.

Among the initial 2024 nominees known primarily as Lions, none advanced. That group includes Lomas Brown, Jason Hanson, Dre Bly and Herman Moore.

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Several Lions alumni among the 2024 nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Several Lions alumni among the 2024 nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including two 1st-time nominees

The initial nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2024 were released on Tuesday morning. Several players with Lions ties are amongst the 173 names, including some who are eligible for the first time.

Haloti Ngata and T.J. Lang are part of the group of first-year nominees who spent some time in Detroit. Ngata played defensive tackle in Detroit from 2015-2017, while Lang — a Detroit-area native — finished his offensive guard career in 2017-2018 with the Lions.

Returning nominees who have playing roots in Detroit include:

  • OT Lomas Brown
  • WR Herman Moore
  • CB Dre Bly, the Lions current DBs coach as well
  • WR Anquan Boldin
  • K Jason Hanson
  • QB Jeff Garcia
  • DE Dwight Freeney

Coach Buddy Parker is one of the Senior Finalists as well, which was previously announced.

The selection committee whittles the list down to 25 semifinalists in November.

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Indianapolis Colts’ history with the franchise tag

The Colts have applied the franchise tag on six different occasions.

The salary cap for the 2023 season has been set, which means the numbers for the franchise tag at each position has been released. Additionally, the window to apply the franchise tag opened this week.

The Indianapolis Colts don’t have an obvious candidate to receive the franchise tag, and the team hasn’t used it since 2013.

Still, here’s a look at the history of the Colts using the franchise tag since its introduction in 1993:

Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney miss out on Hall of Fame selections

A pair of Colts legends will look to get their gold jacket in 2024.

Indianapolis Colts legendary wide receiver Reggie Wayne and defensive end Dwight Freeney were finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023. However, they missed out on being selected as a part of this group.

The Class of 2023 was announced during the 12th annual NFL Honors on Thursday night. In total, eight former players and one coach were selected from the group of 15 and will be enshrined into Canton on Aug. 5.

Here is a look at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023

  • DB Rondé Barber
  • Coach Don Coryell
  • LB Chuck Howley
  • DL Joe Klecko
  • CB Darrelle Revis
  • CB Ken Riley
  • OT Joe Thomas
  • LB Zach Thomas
  • DE Demarcus Ware

Both Ware and Joe Thomas were the first-year ballot selections for the Class of 2023. The only other first-year ballot finalist for the class was Freeney.

Wayne has been a finalist in each of his first four years on the ballot, so it’s safe to assume he’s going to get in at some point. His resume speaks for itself as his 1,070 career and 14,345 receiving yards are both 10th all-time among wide receivers in NFL history.

The fact that Freeney was a finalist during his first time on the ballot bodes well for his chances to get a gold jacket as well.

Meanwhile, former Colts defensive end Robert Mathis made it to the semifinalist stage in his second time on the ballot.

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Two Colts legends among finalists for 2023 Hall of Fame class

Reggie Wayne and Dwight Freeney are finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023.

Indianapolis Colts legendary wide receiver Reggie Wayne and defensive end Dwight Freeney are among the 15 modern-era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023.

Wayne, currently serving as the team’s wide receivers coach, has now been a finalist in each of his four years on the ballot. He will get in most likely sooner rather than later as his resume speaks for itself. His 1,070 career and 14,345 receiving yards are both 10th all-time among wide receivers in NFL history.

Wayne was a six-time Pro Bowler and was a First-Team All-Pro selection in 2010. He also holds the Colts’ franchise record for career games played (211). His 1,070 career receptions, 14,345 career yards and 82 career receiving touchdowns are all the second-most in franchise history behind Marvin Harrison.

In Freeney’s first time on the ballot, he’s made it to the finalist stage. His 125.5 career sacks rank 26th all time while he was a three-time All-Pro First Team selection (2004-2005, 2009) and a seven-time Pro Bowler (2003-2005, 2008-2011).

Wide receiver Andre Johnson, who played one season with the Colts in 2015, also made it to the finalist round of the selection process.

Former Colts defensive end Robert Mathis was one of the 28 semifinalists but was not selected as a finalist. This was his second time on the ballot.

Over the next few weeks, the selection committee will reduce the group of 15 players down to 10 and then five. After those five finalists are selected, the committee will vote yes or no for each of those players. A finalist needs 80 percent of the vote to be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2023 will be unveiled during the NFL Honors award show Thursday, Feb. 9, at 9:00 p.m. ET.

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