2022 Could Be Year for Butler’s Hall of Fame Candidacy

LeRoy Butler, who was passed over for Steve Atwater and John Lynch the past two years, has the ninth-shortest odds to be selected in 2022.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021 included three first-year eligible players: Charles Woodson, Peyton Manning and Calvin Johnson.

The list of first-year eligible players for 2022 lacks that kind of clout, which should give the selectors a chance to do a little cleanup on deserving players that have been left behind.

One obvious beneficiary would seem to be former Green Bay Packers safety LeRoy Butler, who is a 3/1 pick at Bet Online. Butler’s been one of 15 finalists the past two years. Despite having arguably better credentials, he was bypassed in favor of Steve Atwater in 2020 and John Lynch in 2021.

Lynch was selected to nine Pro Bowls over 15 seasons and Atwater to eight Pro Bowls over 11 seasons. Butler, on the other hand, was picked for only four Pro Bowls in his 12 seasons.

However, by just about any other measuring stick, Butler would have been the more deserving selection.

In 167 games, Atwater had 1,188 tackles, five sacks, six forced fumbles and 24 interceptions. He was a two-time All-Pro.

In 224 games, Lynch had 740 tackles, 13 sacks, 16 forced fumbles and 26 interceptions. He was a two-time All-Pro.

In 181 games, Butler had 729 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 13 forced fumbles and 38 interceptions. He was a four-time All-Pro.

While Atwater was a prolific tackler, Butler had more sacks, more forced fumbles (on a per-game basis) and more interceptions than the other two. Plus, he had as many All-Pro selections as Atwater and Lynch combined.

Atwater and Butler were the all-1990s safeties; Lynch was not an all-decade player. Among players on offense and defense, Butler is the only member of the all-1990s team not in the Hall of Fame.

The deciding factor in 2021 might have been time on the waiting list. Lynch was a finalist for eight consecutive seasons. Only 10 players in NFL history can say that, and Lynch was one of only two of those players not enshrined.

Hall of Fame voters have taken a renewed interest in the safety position. Before 2017, only seven pure safeties were enshrined in Canton. There have been eight over the past five classes: Kenny Easley (2017), Brian Dawkins (2018), Ed Reed (2019), Johnny Robinson (2019), Troy Polamalu (2020), Steve Atwater (2020), Cliff Harris (2020) and Lynch (2021.

Butler has four more years of eligibility remaining.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Odds

From Bet Online

DeMarcus Ware: 2/3

Torry Holt: 10/11

Devin Hester: 1/1

Tony Boselli: 6/5

Richard Seymour: 7/4

Reggie Wayne: 5/2

Robert Mathis: 5/2

Zach Thomas: 11/4

Jared Allen: 3/1

LeRoy Butler: 3/1

Andre Johnson: 7/2

Ronde Barber: 6/1

Steve Smith: 9/1

Asante Samuel: 12/1

Anquan Boldin: 16/1

Vince Wilfork: 16/1

Darren Woodson: 25/1

Steve Tasker: 25/1