Which Jaguars Deserve Hall of Fame Pushes After Tony Boselli?

When/if Tony Boselli makes the Hall of Fame, who should the Jacksonville Jaguars next throw their support behind for Canton?
Which Jaguars Deserve Hall of Fame Pushes After Tony Boselli?
Which Jaguars Deserve Hall of Fame Pushes After Tony Boselli? /

Today is the day we find out if the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tony Boselli will at long last have places cemented in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. After several years of being kept out of Canton as both a finalist and semifinalist, today could be when Boselli hears his name called as one of football's elite.

We have written this week how this year could be Boselli's best chance yet to be elected to the Hall of Fame, as well as the high praise he has received from other NFL legends who believe he belongs. Only the voters ultimately know how it will play out, but at least we will have some clarity soon enough.

Inductees get announced during NFL Honors, a two-hour award special which will air Saturday at 8 p.m. Earlier in the day, cases for Boselli and other finalists will be made to the 48-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee.

But the question when and/or if Boselli is finally given the green light for a gold jacket and a bust is who exactly would be next for Jacksonville? The franchise has thrown their full weight behind Boselli's candidacy in recent years, primarily because he is the only player in team history to ever be named a finalist (as long as you don't count Torry Holt ... which you shouldn't).

But are there other Jaguars players deserving of full press campaigns from the team, fans, and others around the league? We examine a few who may deserve to at least be vouched for.

RB Fred Taylor

Longtime Jaguars running back Fred Taylor was a semifinalist for the first time in his post-playing career in 2019, but he failed to be named a finalist who would join Boselli for contention. Playing for Jacksonville from 1998-2008, and then New England from 2009-2010, Taylor is one of the most underrated players of his entire generation. When he was healthy and at his best, there were few of his peers who were better.

In his career, he ran for 11,695 yards and 66 touchdowns and had 290 catches for 2,384 yards and eight touchdowns. He ran for 613 yards and three touchdowns and recorded seven catches for 70 yards and one touchdown in eight playoff games. Rushing for 1,000 yards seven times in his career, Taylor is 17th on the all-time rushing list, and most of the players in front of him have already earned induction into Canton.

Not only in the top 20 as an all-time rusher, Taylor currently owns the 24th-highest rushing yards per game (76.4), 28th in yards per rush (4.6), and 38th in rushing touchdowns. There are several running backs currently in the hall whose career achievements failed to match Taylor, though only one career Pro Bowl and no All-Pro teams hurt his case a bit. Regardless, Taylor should be the next name the Jaguars push hard for the hall.

WR Jimmy Smith

While off-field issues may hamper wide receiver Jimmy Smith's candidacy to some voters, there is no denying he has the production to at least give himself an argument to be elected to Canton. Smith, who played with the Jaguars from 1995-2005, caught 862 passes for 12,287 yards and 67 touchdowns and played big in important games, recording 40 catches for 647 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 playoff games.

Smith had a staggering nine 1,000-yard receiving seasons in his Jaguars' career, establishing himself as the best wide receiver in team history and one of the best offensive weapons of his generation. He ranks 23rd all-time receiving yards, 24th in catches, 51st in touchdowns, and finished in the top 5 in receiving yards five times.

Add on five Pro Bowls and one year where he led the NFL in catches (116 in 1999), and Smith has a strong case to at least become a finalist one day. His lack of dominance in the end zone, off-field issues, and the market size of the Jaguars may all hinder this from happening, but the numbers speak for themselves.

DL Calais Campbell

This is the greatest longshot on what is already admittedly a list of longshots, but the Jaguars could throw some support behind beloved defensive lineman Calais Campbell whenever he hangs up his cleats, even if he spent the majority of his career with the Arizona Cardinals.

This is in part due to what Campbell has meant to the Jaguars since he signed as a free agent in 2017 when he became one of the faces of the team and the franchise's poster boy for how to do things the right way. He is fourth all-time in sacks as a Jaguar with 31.5 in only three seasons. In the entirety of his NFL career, he so far has 88 career sacks (tied for 54th all-time), 151 tackles for loss, and 14 forced fumbles. As long as Campbell plays for another few seasons, which he has indicated he wants to, he will almost assuredly join the 100-sack club.

If Campbell can get to 100 sacks, he could at least have some semifinalist looks. Other defenders such as John Abraham (133.5) are still kept out of the hall, so it is unlikely Campbell would make it unless he has a major surge. But at the very least, his name needs to be thrown out in meetings amongst voters for semifinalist and even potentially finalists groups.


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John Shipley
JOHN SHIPLEY

John Shipley has been covering the Jacksonville Jaguars as a beat reporter and publisher of Jaguar Report since 2019. Previously, he covered UCF's undefeated season as a beat reporter for NSM.Today, covered high school prep sports in Central Florida, and covered local sports and news for the Palatka Daily News. Follow John Shipley on Twitter at @_john_shipley.