The Pro Football Hall of Fame released its preliminary list of 173 nominees for the Class of 2024, including Jacksonville Jaguars legends Fred Taylor and Jimmy Smith.
Neither name is a surprise as Taylor has advanced to the semifinalist stage of the process in each of the last four years and Smith has been a nominee in all but one year since he became eligible in 2011.
Buy Jaguars TicketsTaylor is 17th in NFL history in rushing yards behind 15 players already in the Hall of Fame and two, Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson, who will be soon.
Smith is 25th in career receiving yards and 27th in receptions.
There are nine players on the list of nominations for the first time, including running back Jamaal Charles, who played most of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs but finished it with an exceedingly brief stint in Jacksonville.
Similarly, Torry Holt — who played 10 years with the St. Louis Rams and ended his career with one season with the Jaguars — is a nominee. He was a finalist in each of the last four years, but hasn’t yet made the cut.
Andre Rison, Hardy Nickerson, and Bryce Paul are three more former Jaguars among the nominees.
In November, the 173-player list of nominees will be trimmed to 25 semifinalists. Another 10 players will be cut in January and the 15 modern-era finalists will be presented to the selection committee just before the Super Bowl.
