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Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, former Defensive Players of the Year Luke Kuechly and Terrell Suggs, and prolific tight end Antonio Gates are among the players who advanced to the next stage in voting for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
The Hall announced Wednesday the 50 modern era candidates who advanced from the original list of 167 after voting by a newly created screening committee. The list includes eight players in their first year of eligibility and 10 players who were finalists last year but didn’t get enough support.
The full selection committee will next reduce the list of nominees to 25 semifinalists in about four weeks. Then 15 finalists will be picked for the annual meeting before the Super Bowl that will produce the new class. Players must get 80% of votes to get in with between three and five players getting in as modern era candidates.
There will also be votes for three seniors candidates, one contributor and one coach with between one and three people from that group getting into the Hall.
Leading the group of candidates in their first year of eligibility were Manning, Kuechly, Suggs and postseason kicking hero Adam Vinatieri. The others were two key members of Seattle’s Super Bowl-winning team in the 2013 season in running back Marshawn Lynch and safety Earl Thomas; two-time All-Pro guard Marshal Yanda; and longtime San Francisco left tackle Joe Staley.
Gates and defensive lineman Jared Allen headline the group of returning finalists from last year along with receivers Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne; offensive linemen Willie Anderson and Jahri Evans; defensive backs Darren Woodson, Eric Allen and Rodney Harrison; and running back Fred Taylor.
Manning will look to follow his brother Peyton into the Hall following a standout career with the New York Giants. Manning was picked first overall in the 2004 draft and spent his entire career in New York. He led the Giants to an upset win over the undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl following the 2007 season, throwing a game-winning TD pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute.
He led another late TD drive to upset Tom Brady and the Patriots four years later. Manning is one of 13 QBs to win multiple Super Bowls with eight of the nine who are eligible for the Hall getting inducted.
Only Jim Plunkett has not been inducted along with more recent players such as Brady, Ben Roethlisberger and Patrick Mahomes, who aren’t eligible. Plunkett has advanced in voting for the seniors candidates.
Manning was a four-time Pro Bowler but never made All-Pro or led the league in a major statistical category in a season but finished his career with 57,023 yards passing and 366 TDs.
His best moments were in those two postseason runs. Manning joined Brady (five), Mahomes (three), Joe Montana (three), Bart Starr (two) and Terry Bradshaw (two) as the only multiple winners of Super Bowl MVP awards.
Kuechly and Suggs were among the top defensive players of their era with Kuechly selected as the top defensive player in 2013 and Suggs in 2011.
Kuechly’s career was brief but impactful. The first-round pick by Carolina in 2012 was an All-Pro five times in his eight-year career with seven Pro Bowl nods and a Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
Over his eight-year career, Kuechly led all linebackers in the NFL in tackles (1,090), takeaways (26), interceptions (18) and passes defensed (66).
Suggs was one of the top pass rushers in the league over his 17-year career, with his 139 sacks ranking eighth best since they became an official stat in 1982.
Suggs had seven double-digit sack seasons in his 16 seasons with Baltimore, including 14 in 2011 when he was selected as the top defensive player in the league and led the NFL with seven forced fumbles.
He won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2003 and helped the Ravens win the Super Bowl in the 2012 season. He finished his career in Kansas City, where he helped the Chiefs win the Super Bowl in the 2019 season.
Vinatieri was one of the most clutch kickers in NFL history, making the winning field goals in the first two Super Bowl titles during New England’s dynasty.
He helped launch the run with one of the game’s greatest kicks — a 45-yarder in the snow to force overtime in the Tuck Rule game against the Raiders in the 2001 divisional round. He made the winning kick in OT and then hit a 48-yarder on the final play of a 20-17 win in Super Bowl XXXVI against the Rams.
He then made a 41-yarder two years later to give the Patriots a 32-29 win in Super Bowl XXXVIII against Carolina. Vinatieri also won Super Bowls in 2004 with New England and in the 2006 season with Indianapolis.
Vinatieri is the NFL’s career leader in points (2,673) and made field goals (599) over a 24-year career with New England and Indianapolis. He also leads all players with 56 field goals and 238 points in the postseason.
Gates was a three-time All-Pro who finished his career with 955 catches for 11,841 yards and an NFL record for tight ends with 116 touchdown receptions.
Allen was a four-time All-Pro who finished his career with 136 sacks, including a league-leading 22 in 2011 for Minnesota.
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