Devin Hester, Antonio Gates Among 15 Finalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame

The inductees will be chosen during Super Bowl weekend in February.

Madison Williams | Dec 27, 2023

Devin Hester, Antonio Gates Among 15 Finalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame /

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The list of 15 former NFL players named as finalists of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 was released on Wednesday night.

Some of the headliners include former Chicago Bears returner Devin Hester, who holds NFL records in career kick-return touchdowns (19), punt-return touchdowns (14) and return touchdowns (20).

Former Los Angeles Chargers tight end Antonio Gates made the finalist list on his first year of eligibility, as did former Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers. Gates holds three Chargers franchise records most career receiving yards (11,841), receptions (955) and receiving touchdowns (116). Peppers holds three Panthers franchise records, including most career sacks (97), forced fumbles (34) and the longest interception return (97 yards).

The other finalists include, in alphabetical order:

CB Eric Allen
DE Jared Allen
OT Willie Anderson
G Jahri Evans
DE Dwight Freeney
S Rodney Harrison
WR Torry Holt
WR Andre Johnson
RB Fred Taylor
WR Reggie Wayne
LB Patrick Willis
S Darren Woodson

The inductees will be chosen during Super Bowl weekend in February and inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio in August 2024.

Published Dec 27, 2023

MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.