Jaguars Legends Nominated For Pro Football Hall of Fame

Fred Taylor and Jimmy Smith could represent the Jacksonville Jaguars in next year's Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

Brock Marion (31) tries to chase down former Jaguars running back Fred Taylor in a 2000 AFC playoff game at TIAA Bank Field. Marion, who played with Dallas, Miami and Detroit, will be part of the Jaguars coaching staff for training camp. Spt 1fredtaylor01150 / Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

Two of the best players in the entire history of the Jacksonville Jaguars are one step closer to football immortality.

167 modern-era players were nominated this week for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025, and former Jaguars running back Fred Taylor and wide receiver Jimmy Smith are a part of the group.

Widely considered two of the players who helped build an expansion Jaguars team in the 1990s and early 2000s, Smith and Taylor already have their names on EverBank Stadium as members of the Pride of the Jaguars. Now, Canton could be next.

The Jaguars selected Taylor with the No. 9 overall pick out of the University of Florida in the 1998 NFL Draft and he went on to shatter franchise records in a career that spanned over a decade.

Taylor recorded 13,632 total yards and 70 touchdowns in his career, with the vast majority of those coming with Jacksonville. He is the all-time leading rusher in franchise history with 11,271 yards, more than 3,000 more than the back behind him. He ranks No. 17 in rushing yards all-time.

When it comes to his production during his career, which spanned from 1998 to 2010, Taylor marked most of the boxes. He ran for at least 1,000 yards in seven of his 13 seasons and scored 32 rushing touchdowns in his first three seasons alone.

2023 was Taylor's first year as a finalist after several seasons as a semifinalist.

During Smith's epic run with the Jaguars, he made five consecutive Pro Bowls from 1997-2001 and led the NFL at that time with a combined 479 catches and 6,728 yards, along with 34 touchdown catches.

In total, Smith ended his career holding essentially every major Jaguars receiving record and as of today he is No. 51 all-time in career receiving touchdowns (67), No. 24 in receptions (862), No. 24 in receiving yards (12,287), No. 10 in yards per reception (16.1) and No. 23 in receiving yards per game (22). 

The Jaguars had their first-ever player inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022 in former offensive tackle Tony Boselli. Until Jalen Ramsey retires, it appears Smith and Taylor are the Jaguars' best bets.

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