by I looked at Mike Evans’ career stat sheet last night and it got me thinking which current or recently retired receivers have a shot at being enshrined in Canton. While I don’t think too many of my predictions below are overly controversial, some still may spark debate. We live in such a pass happy league now that the likelihood for guys to put up historic numbers has become more prevalent than ever before. Let’s get into it.
Mike Evans: Yes
Evans has put up these kinds of numbers over the past 10 years with (excluding the GOAT Tom Brady) Josh McCown, Mike Glennon, Jameis Winston, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and now Baker Mayfield.
Aside from Brady’s tenure in Tampa Bay, the Bucs had just one winning season during Evans’ career (9-7 in 2016) and never had a single playoff appearance. To be handcuffed by a franchise of that caliber that has failed to have reliable QB play for the most part for your entire playing career, yet STILL be able to produce consistent numbers is insanely impressive. Consistency is key and Mike Evans embodies that like no other. He will go down as one of the more underrated receivers to ever do it and deserves to be in the Hall of Fame someday.
Tyreek Hill: Yes
Hill could retire tomorrow and already have a spot in Canton. Turn on the film and he’s completely uncoverable. Look at his numbers and he’s only getting better. I know that JJettas is a lot of people’s current WR1 in the NFL, but I wouldn’t argue if you have #10 above him.
Hill has not only put up 8,752 yards and 67 TD in just seven years of pro football, but he’s made seven-straight Pro Bowls, including four All-Pro teams, to start his career. Crazy.
What I think the most impressive fact is, is that Hill has taken a step up after leaving Andy Reid, Pat Mahomes, and the Chiefs. In his first season with Miami last year, this man put up a career-high 119 catches and a career-high 1,710 receiving yards. And keep in mind that five of those games were without Tua and secondaries are also tasked with having to guard Jaylen Waddle on the opposite side of the field.
While it would be a stretch to call him a first ballot (at least right now), there’s no doubt in my mind that the Cheetah is on a Hall of Fame path. He’s one of the greatest athletes this game has ever seen. Easy yes.
A.J. Green: No
Initially, I put Green as a borderline candidate to get into the Hall, but the more I think about it he’s a no go. If you look at his career numbers, he has less total receiving yards and catches than guys like Chad Ochocino and Roddy White, who will most likely never get into the HOF.
While it’s worth applauding Green for racking up five-straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons to open his NFL career, his longevity (only seven consistent seasons) was an issue, and he never won a playoff game in Cincinnati. Those two things will hold him back the most.
Julio Jones: Yes
The easiest yes on this list in my opinion. This man has been ticketed for Canton for quite some time now.
While Jones was never a touchdown machine (just 63 total in his career), his stellar average of 88.4 receiving YPG is the second best in NFL history for players with at least 50 games played (recently shattered by the next guy on this list).
It’s important to never overlook how consistently dominant Jones was at the height of his career. In his first nine seasons, the Atlanta legend racked up seven 1,000-yard seasons, averaged 96.2 YPG, and 15.2 yards per catch while being a 2x first-team All-Pro (3x second-team), 7x Pro Bowler, and a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team. Let’s also not forget that was he 30 minutes away from earning a Super Bowl ring.
P.S. here’s one of the most underrated catches in Super Bowl history:
Pencil him in right now if you already haven’t.
Justin Jefferson: Too early to tell
If this dude can remain consistent for another 5-6 years, and perhaps even win a ring, he’s a surefire Hall of Famer. No question. No doubt. We already know that the talent is there. It’s just a matter of avoiding the injury bug.
Last season, we saw Jefferson post career highs in receptions (128) and receiving yards (1,809) to become the youngest player in league history to ever do so at the age of 23. He also broke four franchise records, including exceeding Hall of Famers Randy Moss’ and Chris Carter’s single-season milestones in those two respective categories.
Here’s another remarkable stat for you: in Week 2 against Philly, JJettas became the fastest player to reach 5,000 career receiving yards (52 games) to surpass OBJ’s recent record set at 54 games. What’s even more mind-boggling is that with his 5,032 total receiving yards in that span, Jefferson has more receiving yards than any player in the history of the Chicago Bears franchise. He pulled it off in just three full seasons and two games this year.
These are indisputably some Hall of Fame stats. It’s just a little too early to give a definitive answer as to whether he will be enshrined. While I don’t think Jefferson will end up like him, we once said the same about the next player on this list.
Antonio Brown: No
In the peak of his career in Pittsburgh, it was almost guaranteed that Brown was on his way to the Hall of Fame. Some even thought he would go down as the best ever! That’s until the CTE kicked in.
After that scumbag Vontaze Burfict speared the living hell out of AB in the 2016 playoffs, his career went on a downward spiral. The attitude issues, ego outbursts, and overall insane behavior is what booted this man out of the league in what seemed to be one of the most promising careers we’ll ever see in all of sports.
I mean it’s clear what this dude did in his prime. We’re talking about a 4x first-team All-Pro (second team in 2013), 7x Pro Bowler, 2x NFL receptions leader, 2x NFL receiving yards leader, and a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team here. From 2013-2018 Brown was easily the best and most productive wide receiver in the league.
Despite all these historic accolades, I think that the obvious deciding factor will be Hall of Fame voters pointing to his crazy antics on and off the field. Inducting a person like AB will singlehandedly dampen the reputation of the Hall of Fame and everything it stands for. There’s a reason why it took forever for Terrell Owens to get in. So then why AB? He’s literally mental.
May we never forget this moment:
DeAndre Hopkins: No
D-Hop’s numbers are impressive, but not consistent enough to put him in the HOF. In his first eight seasons, Hopkins failed to exceed 1,000 yards just twice (802 as a rookie and 954 in 2016) and he’s been selected to five Pro Bowls and three first-team All-Pro teams.
He put up big numbers with a rotating cast of quarterbacks as well. During his tenure in Houston, D-Hop had to deal with this slew of quarterbacks throwing him the ball before Deshaun Watson came to save the day:
The big thing evading Hopkins from being a Hall of Famer is a lack of postseason success. He has yet to win a Super Bowl, let alone be on a team that gets past the divisional round. Also, with his career numbers that, although impressive, had a shorter window than previous guys listed, I don’t think it’s enough.
Ja’Marr Chase: Too early to tell
He sits in the same boat as his former college teammate Jefferson. Chase has been awesome through two full seasons as a Bengal, already breaking several NFL records, including the most receiving yards combined in a season and postseason by a rookie (1,823) and the most receiving yards in the playoffs by a rookie (368 in 2021).
My only concern with him is his longevity. Now, I’m not saying that this guy will slow down or regress in terms of performance, but Chase did miss eight games in 2022 after undergoing a fractured hip in Week 7.
If he can stay upright for the next decade or so, he’s on pace to potentially join Jefferson in the HOF.
Comment below if you agree or disagree with any of my takes!