Let the (preseason) games begin.
With the Detroit Lions-Los Angeles Chargers Pro Football Hall of Fame Game kicking off 2025 action, Yardbarker NFL writers mulled a player — past or present — on each NFC team who merits enshrinement in Canton.
NFC East
DALLAS COWBOYS | QB Don Meredith | Before a renowned broadcasting career and his “Turn out the lights, the party’s over” ditty became a classic moment in the early days of “Monday Night Football,” Meredith made the new Dallas franchise relevant with his 47-32-4 record. Meredith twice led the NFL in yards per completion and was a 1966 All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler before his retirement in 1968.
NEW YORK GIANTS | QB Eli Manning | Manning, who retired in 2020, didn’t make the cutdown from 15 to 10 for the 2025 class in his first year of eligibility. However, the four-time Pro Bowler’s two Super Bowl wins over the New England Patriots will speak loudly eventually.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES | DT Fletcher Cox | Retiring in 2024, Cox made the 2010s All-Decade team, a major HOF criterion. Just 21 interior defensive linemen have made six Pro Bowls as Cox did, and 12 are in Canton.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS | OT Joe Jacoby | Jacoby must be a Senior Committee selection after retiring following the 1993 season. He played on three Super Bowl championship squads despite being undrafted in 1981, mostly at left tackle. — Rick Snider
NFC West
ARIZONA CARDINALS | WR Larry Fitzgerald | The 17-year veteran earned 11 Pro Bowl selections, one first-team All-Pro honor and has a strong case as the best wide receiver of his generation. He ranks second all-time in career receptions (1,432) and receiving yards (17,492) and sixth in career TD catches (121).
LOS ANGELES RAMS | WR Torry Holt | The seven-time Pro Bowler was the top receiver on one of the NFL’s greatest offenses, the Super Bowl champion “Greatest Show on Turf.” Holt, who was a finalist in 2025 but narrowly missed induction, finished his career with the 26th-most receptions (920), 17th-most receiving yards (13,382) and 43rd-most receiving touchdowns in league history (74) despite playing with terrible QBs following Kurt Warner’s departure from St. Louis.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS | LT Joe Staley | Staley had a decorated 13-year career that included six Pro Bowl selections and three second-team All-Pro nods. The charismatic tackle played in two Super Bowls — losing both in heartbreaking fashion — and was voted to the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 2010s. The one knock against Staley is that he was never the best tackle during his era, but he may have been the most consistent.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS | CB Richard Sherman | Sherman, who retired following the 2021 season, was the unquestioned leader of the NFL’s last great dynastic defense, “The Legion of Boom.” The 10-year veteran played in three Super Bowls (winning one) and tallied five Pro Bowl nods and three consecutive first-team All-Pro selections. Sherman may not have the longevity most Hall of Fame cornerbacks had, but his peak should be enough to earn him a bust. — Sterling Bennett
NFC North
CHICAGO BEARS | Center Olin Kreutz | Kreutz was one of the best, most durable centers in the NFL throughout the 2000s. He made six straight Pro Bowls, was named to the NFL All-Decade team and missed only one game from 2001-10. Kreutz, who retired in 2011, didn’t win a Super Bowl and was a first-team All-Pro only once, but his consistency and stability for a decade should be rewarded.
DETROIT LIONS | DT Ndamukong Suh | After an unbelievable college career at Nebraska, Suh — who retired in July — built an impressive NFL resume that included five Pro Bowls, three first-team All-Pro nods, a Defensive Rookie of the Year award, three trips to the Super Bowl and one SB title. Suh’s reputation as a dirty player could make some voters hesitant, but his on-field accomplishments outweigh that behavior.
GREEN BAY PACKERS | QB Aaron Rodgers | It’s not often you come across a first-ballot Hall of Fame lock, but Rodgers — who’s now with the Pittsburgh Steelers — is undoubtedly one of them. The legendary QB ranks fifth all-time in passing touchdowns (503) and seventh in passing yards (62,952) and has 10 Pro Bowls, four MVP awards and a Super Bowl MVP on his résumé.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS | RB Adrian Peterson | Peterson, who has not officially retired but hasn’t played in the NFL since 2021, is one of just nine running backs in NFL history to rush for 1,300 yards five different times. (Seven of those nine players are in the Hall of Fame.) His MVP season in 2012 (2,097 rushing yards) will forever stand as one of the more impressive years for a running back in league history. — Jack Dougherty
NFC South
ATLANTA FALCONS | WR Julio Jones | The seven-time Pro Bowler officially retired in February 2025 as the league’s active receiving yards leader (13,703 yards, 16th all time). Matt Ryan, his quarterback during his first 10 seasons (and another potential Hall of Famer), filed his retirement papers a year before Jones. But Ryan must wait until his favorite target gets enshrined before his name gets called.
CAROLINA PANTHERS | WR Steve Smith Sr. | Smith, who retired in 2017, ranks No. 8 on the all-time receiving yards list (14,731) and was named a Hall of Fame finalist for the first time in December 2024. One of the fiercest competitors at his position during his playing time, Smith didn’t make many friends on the field, but he should rub shoulders with his peers soon in Canton.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | QB Drew Brees | Brees should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when the next batch of honorees are announced ahead of Super Bowl LX in February 2026. The 13-time Pro Bowler and Tom Brady are the only two QBs in NFL history with at least 80,000 career passing yards — Brees finished his 20-year career with 80,358 — and his 67.7 percent completion percentage is the highest among retired players and only trails Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow (68.6) and Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa (68.1).
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS | QB Tom Brady | While best remembered leading the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl wins, Brady also had a tremendous closing act with the Buccaneers. In three seasons, Brady started 50 games in Tampa Bay, ranking No. 2 in the NFL in passing yards (14,643) and tied for No. 3 in passing touchdowns (108) during that span. — Eric Smithling
