Biggest 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Snubs

The best of the best. The titans of the sport. The legends of the game.

However you choose to describe those selected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, they are the first guys that come to mind when listing favorite players of past generations. But every single year, some game-changers miss the cut.

This isn't to take away from the players that will soon find their busts in Canton, Ohio. There are only a handful of spots every year and the resumes of Andre Johnson, Devin Hester, Dwight Freeney, Julius Peppers, Patrick Willis, Randy Gradishar, and Steve McMichael speak for themselves.

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Antonio Gates, TE, Chargers

The best of the best. The titans of the sport. The legends of the game.

Those exact words from the beginning of this article describe Antonio Gates. The undrafted tight end spent all of his 16 NFL seasons with the Chargers and wrapped up his career with 116 touchdowns, the most for any tight end in league history. His third-most receiving yards at the position is behind Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten. The former made it to Canton on his first time on the ballot. Gates didn't collect that same accolade.

Gates and the Chargers never won a Super Bowl, which is the only blemish on his resume. LaDainian Tomlinson and Gates still propelled the (then) San Diego Chargers to an AFC Championship game and a plethora of playoff appearances. Gates also has one of the best stories, from college basketball at Kent State to an undrafted free agent to a Hall of Fame career. He'll get in eventually. Until then, we'll let his former teammate Shawne Merriman speak for everyone's disgust.

Reggie Wayne, WR, Colts

There's a backlog of Hall-worthy receivers on the ballot. Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne, and Torry Holt were all named finalists (not to mention Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith Sr., and Hines Ward as semifinalists). Although there were multiple pass rushers selected in the 2023 class, the committee opted to just include one wide receiver. That honor went to Johnson. Comparatively, Wayne's numbers are better than his former AFC South counterpart.

Wayne can also claim a Super Bowl trophy. Johnson, meanwhile, can point to his extra All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods (not to mention he played the majority of his career with Matt Schaub and not Peyton Manning).

The downside to Wayne's accomplishments is that he was second-fiddle to Marvin Harrison for a large portion of his career. When he did take over as the alpha wide receiver in Indianapolis, he delivered. Wayne is seventh in playoff yards and sixth in playoff receptions and touchdowns. He (and Holt) should make it to Canton.

Jared Allen, DE, Chiefs/Vikings/Bears/Panthers

Three pass rushers were one too many for the committee. Dwight Freeney and Julius Peppers got the nod, which meant Jared Allen was left at the altar for the fourth straight year.

Allen led the league in sacks twice (including 22 in 2011) and his numbers exceed Freeney in nearly every metric other than games played and forced fumbles (and a Super Bowl ring). Similar to the wide receivers above, if Freeney is in, so should Allen.

He'll presumably be a finalist again for a fifth time in 2025. Time will tell if he finally sees his bust in Ohio but it seems likely that he'll be there eventually.

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