JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Fred Taylor’s wait for the Pro Football Hall of Fame continues.
The former Jaguars running back was a finalist for the second consecutive season but missed out on enshrinement to Canton when the nominees were announced during the NFL Honors show on Thursday night.
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Edge Jared Allen (Vikings/Chiefs), receiver Sterling Sharpe (Packers), cornerback Eric Allen (Eagles/Saints/Raiders) and tight end Antonio Gates (Chargers) were the selections. Only four players were voted for enshrinement instead of the maximum of five. Not going into Canton this time was Giants quarterback Eli Manning, somewhat of a surprise as a two-time Super Bowl champ.
It was disappointing but not entirely unexpected for Taylor.
Taylor rushed for 11,695 yards in his career, a number that ranks 17th in NFL history. Taylor scored 66 rushing touchdowns and had another eight receiving during a career that spanned from 1998 to 2010. He spent all but two of those seasons in Jacksonville, finishing up his time with New England. The knock on Taylor’s candidacy is that he played in small market Jacksonville, made just one Pro Bowl in 13 seasons and struggled with injuries.
Of the 16 players ahead of Taylor on the career rushing list, 14 are in the Hall of Fame. The only two who aren’t, Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson, aren’t yet eligible.
It was also a difficult path to the Hall for Jacksonville’s lone player in Canton, Tony Boselli. Boselli was a five-time Pro Bowl selection and a three-time All-Pro whose career was cut short by shoulder injuries when the Jaguars made him available for the Texans in the NFL expansion draft in 2002. Houston took him first in the draft but Boselli never played for the team. Boselli was elected in his 16th year of eligibility and his sixth time as a finalist in 2022.
For Taylor, the path is certain to get more challenging in the coming years.
The list of players eligible for the Hall for the first time next year include quarterbacks Drew Brees and Phillip Rivers, receiver Larry Fitzgerald, running back Gore and center Maurkice Pouncey. In 2027, running back Peterson, tight end Rob Gronkowski, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and safety Eric Weddle are among the eligible first timers on the ballot.
Outside of Boselli, the area has a handful of players who starred at local high schools have been elected to Canton.
Bob Hayes of Matthew Gilbert, Champ Bailey of Charlton County High, Lee’s LeRoy Butler and Raines’ Brian Dawkins and Harold Carmichael) have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The next local player who could reach the Hall is running back Derrick Henry, who ranks 19th in NFL history with 11,423 rushing yards (11,423). Henry has reached five Pro Bowls, been a first team All-Pro once and a second-team selection twice. Henry was also the Offensive Player of the Year in 2020 when he rushed for a career-high 2,027 yards.