On Thursday night, Carolina Panthers legend Julius Peppers was granted his rightful and well-deserved access into Canton, Ohio—as he was named as one of the seven members for this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
So, who’s next?
With a little help from Pro Football Reference’s Hall of Fame Monitor, here are six fellow franchise greats who could join Pep in football immortality:
6
C Ryan Kalil
Status: Retired
Years active: 2007-2019
First year of eligibility: 2025
PFR HOF Monitor: 48.35 (23rd amongst Cs, average HOF C is 103)
Why he could get in:
Kalil, the man in the middle during some of the highest highs in franchise history, was certainly one of the very top players at his position.
The 2007 second-round pick played a total of 13 NFL seasons, with 12 coming out of Carolina. He finished as a first-team All-Pro member in 2013 and 2015, a second-team All-Pro member in 2011 and a five-time Pro Bowler.
Why he wouldn’t get in:
Of all the men who have ever passed off the pigskin from under their hindquarters, only seven are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And for further reference, that very elite group does not include Olin Kreutz, Matt Birk, Nick Mangold and Jeff Saturday—all of whom have been eligible for multiple years now.
5
LB Thomas Davis
Status: Retired
Years active: 2005-2020
First year of eligibility: 2026
PFR HOF Monitor: 44.58 (55th amongst OLBs, average HOF OLB is 103)
Why he could get in:
There aren’t many football stories better than the one TD wrote.
Similarly to fellow franchise icon and linebacker (and Hall of Famer) Sam Mills, Davis gave us one of the most inspirational careers you’ll see—as he became the only player to ever return from three separate ACL tears. Oh, and it’s not like he was a charity case off the comeback trail.
Davis notched six 100-tackle campaigns over his last nine NFL seasons—picking up a 2015 first-team All-Pro nod, a 2013 second-team All-Pro nod, three Pro Bowl selections, three NFC South titles and an NFC championship in the process. He also established himself as an influential figure off the field, as he was named the Walter Payton Man of the Year recipient for 2014.
Why he wouldn’t get in:
The incredible return from those torn ACLs wouldn’t come without a price. Between 2009 and 2011, Davis missed 39 of a possible 48 games—taking away a chunk of his prime he could’ve used to build his résumé.
And while a bit of a harsh categorization, he may have never been the best linebacker on his own defense. Unfortunately, that could happen when you’re lining up next to a young Jon Beason and another pretty decent fella we’ll soon bring up . . .
4
TE Greg Olsen
Status: Retired
Years active: 2007-2020
First year of eligibility: 2026
PFR HOF Monitor: 43.95 (23rd amongst TEs, average HOF TE is 97)
Why he could get in:
Olsen isn’t in the same tier that holds the likes of Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce. But when you’re talking about the greatest pass catchers the position has ever seen, he’s not too far off the conversation.
There are only five tight ends who have more catches than Olsen, only six who have more receiving yards and only nine who have more touchdowns. The three-time Pro Bowler was also the first tight end in league history to record three straight seasons of at least 1,000 receiving yards.
Why he wouldn’t get in:
Well, the fact that he isn’t in that aforementioned tier will hurt.
Gates—who ranks third amongst tight ends in receptions, third in yards and first in touchdowns—just missed out in his first year of eligibility. That wouldn’t bode well for Olsen, especially considering that Gates has him beat thoroughly across all boards.
The voters also needed three years to squeeze in Shannon Sharpe, the first tight end to ever hit the 10,000-yard receiving mark. Unc, additionally, laid claim to three Super Bowl titles and four first-team All-Pro nods—which are three more Super Bowl titles and four more first-team All-Pro nods than Olsen has.
3
QB Cam Newton
Status: Active (free agent)
Years active: 2011-Present
First year of eligibility: TBD
PFR HOF Monitor: 70.50 (29th amongst QBs, average HOF QB is 108)
Why he could get in:
Has there ever been a quarterback who’s done more with less?
Newton lived up to the Superman moniker throughout his NFL career, scooping up and soaring the oft-undermanned Panthers to three straight division titles and an NFC crown from 2013 to 2015. He’s saved some accolades for himself as well—securing the 2011 Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, the 2015 Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year awards, a first-team All-Pro nod and three Pro Bowl selections.
Also, his record book reads like a phone book—so if you have about half an hour, click into this. But if we’re to sum up his historic ventures into uncharted territory with just one stat, we’ll use the one where he’s the only player in league history to lead a franchise in career passing and rushing touchdowns.
Oh, and if we hearken back up to that PFR score—Newton, who ranks 29th, is sandwiched in between five current Hall of Famers. That bread is baked with Sonny Jurgensen (26th), Bob Griese (27th), Warren Moon (28th), Joe Namath (30th) and Len Dawson (31st).
Why he wouldn’t get in:
The dots are pretty easy to connect as to why, but Newton had never garnered a ton of respect as a passer. His 75 rushing touchdowns, by far the most ever by a quarterback, also don’t carry as much weight as they should in the eyes of many.
In another thinly-veiled judgment, Cam’s exuberance and larger-than-life personality has rubbed a number of folks the wrong way over the years. The fact that he remains unapologetically himself and has recently claimed that he doesn’t give a [insert expletive here] about the Hall probably won’t help either, particularly as his media presence grows.
If we’re looking for a more concrete argument against his candidacy, Newton had his career and his peak cut short by injury.
2
WR Steve Smith Sr.
Status: Retired
Years active: 2001-2016
First year of eligibility: Eligible since 2021
PFR HOF Monitor: 99.41 (17th amongst WRs, average HOF WR is 101)
Why he could get in:
For starters, Smith Sr. is the game’s eighth-leading receiver of all-time—and the seventh if you just include wideouts. He amassed more receiving yards (14,731) than Marvin Harrison, Andre Johnson, Cris Carter, Andre Reed and Steve Largent and more receptions (1,031) than Isaac Bruce, Randy Moss and Art Monk—all of whom can call the Hall a home.
The two-time first-team All-Pro, one-time second-team All-Pro, five-time Pro Bowler and 2005 NFL Comeback Player of the Year even has a postseason résumé that’s worthy of recognition. He is one of only 17 players to reach 1,000 career receiving yards in postseason play and gave us big-time moments with his walk-off 69-yard touchdown against the St. Louis Rams in 2003 and his 218-yard smashing of the Chicago Bears in 2005.
Why he wouldn’t get in:
Only two of the top nine leading receivers in NFL history aren’t in Canton. One is Larry Fitzgerald, who isn’t eligible until 2026, and the other is Smith Sr., who has been eligible for too long.
89 has now gone three years without the call, which may be a product of the logjam at the wide receiver position. But now that Johnson is in, Smitty may just have gotten a bit closer.
He might, however, have to wait for the likes of Reggie Wayne and Torry Holt to clear.
1
LB Luke Kuechly
Status: Retired
Years active: 2012-2019
First year of eligibility: 2025
PFR HOF Monitor: 118.45 (5th amongst ILBs, average HOF ILB is 106)
Why he could get in:
His career didn’t last too long, but it’s as clean as it gets.
Over his eight pro campaigns, Kuechly stacked up seven All-Pro nods and seven Pro Bowl selections. He also picked up the Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2012 and the Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2013.
Kuechly was the defensive quarterback during Carolina’s longest run of sustained success, helping lead the franchise to those three NFC South titles and their Super Bowl 50 appearance. Quite simply, he was “him.”
Plus, you may never find a single player, coach or staffer around the league that’ll have a negative thing to say about Luke—as a linebacker or as a person.
Why he wouldn’t get in:
Somebody forgets to pay the bills at 2121 George Halas Drive over the next year and the Pro Football Hall of Fame is officially shut down.
