NEW ORLEANS — Antonio Gates, Jared Allen, Eric Allen and Sterling Sharpe comprise a streamlined 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class after changes to the voting process raised the bar for enshrinement this year.
The class revealed at the NFL Honors show on Thursday night is the Hall’s smallest in 20 years and the smallest possible under the new rules.
Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, whose candidacy has stirred discussion for reasons Manning himself has found compelling, missed the cut in his first year of eligibility.
Gates and both Allens (unrelated) were the only modern-era finalists selected for enshrinement, breaking a 17-year streak in which the maximum five players from that category were inducted.
The reduction in modern-era class size reflects changes implemented this year to, in the Hall’s words, “help ensure that membership in the Hall of Fame remains elite.” The rules call for between three and five modern-era finalists to earn enshrinement each year. Three is the fewest since 2005, when Dan Marino and Steve Young were the only modern-era players inducted.
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Before this year, there had been at least seven members in every Hall class since 2012 and at least six in every class since 2005. The Class of 2025 joins 2004 and 2005 as the only classes this century with just four total inductees.
Sharpe emerged from a separate five-man group featuring three senior candidates (Sharpe, Maxie Baughan and Jim Tyrer), one coach (Mike Holmgren) and one contributor (NFL co-founder Ralph Hay). At least one and no more than three of those five could be selected under the new rules.
In a surprise to some, Hay beat out New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft to become the finalist from the contributor category, as chosen by the nine-person contributor committee. If Kraft emerges as the contributor finalist in 2026, he could compete for votes with his former longtime coach, Bill Belichick, who can become eligible as a coaching finalist if he does not return to the NFL in 2025.
The table below orders the 15 modern-era finalists by how many times they have achieved finalist status. None of the first-ballot finalists were selected. Gates, whose 116 touchdowns are an NFL record for tight ends, earned enshrinement on his second chance, while Jared Allen made it on his fifth and Eric Allen on his 19th.
Jared Allen, who spent most of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings, earned four first-team All-Pro selections and five Pro Bowl nods while twice leading the league in sacks. In 2011, he had 22 sacks, coming up a half-sack shy of Michael Strahan’s single-season record.
Eric Allen spent seven years with the Philadelphia Eagles, three with the New Orleans Saints and four with the Oakland Raiders, garnering six Pro Bowl selections and one first-team All-Pro nod. He tallied at least five interceptions in six different seasons, including eight in 1989. He returned four interceptions for touchdowns in 1993 and added three pick sixes in 2000.
Gates in a year later than expected
Many expected Gates to be voted into the Hall of Fame last year, in his first year of eligibility. The only blemish on his career was a four-game PED suspension in 2015. He attributed the issue to over-the-counter supplements and holistic medicines that he didn’t realize were banned by the league. Voters made him wait one year, but there was no doubt he would be inducted.
Gates, an undrafted free agent who came to the Chargers as a basketball player out of Kent State who wasn’t good enough for the NBA, checked every box as an NFL player and was one of the most dominant tight ends in history. His 116 receiving touchdowns are the most ever for a tight end (39 more than Travis Kelce, for comparison’s sake) and seventh-most among all players. Gates was a three-time first-team All-Pro and a two-time second-team All-Pro. — Dan Pompei, senior writer
Why it took so long for Sharpe
A short career is the reason Sharpe had to endure 25 years of eligibility before being voted into the Hall of Fame as a senior candidate. Sharpe, who retired at 29 after seven seasons with the Packers because of a neck injury, was first-team All-Pro in three seasons — or 43 percent of his career. He led the league in receptions three times. In a six-year span, Jerry Rice was the only more productive receiver than Sharpe, who had more production than Hall of Famers Andre Reed, Michael Irvin and Cris Carter.
Some of Sharpe’s production could be attributed to Brett Favre, but not all. In four of his seven seasons, his quarterbacks were Don Majkowski, Anthony Dilweg, Randy Wright and Mike Tomczak. Preceding him into the Hall of Fame was his brother Shannon, who says Sterling was the best football player in the family. — Pompei
(Photos of Antonio Gates, left, and Jared Allen: Harry How, Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)
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