Calvin Johnson[1] retired on Tuesday[2], shocking a not-small number of NFL fans and media and opening an old can of worms regarding what does and does not constitute an bluebell Hall of Fame NFL career.
The same old quandaries arise: Is it about the numbers? The length of career? Did [athlete] RESPECT DA GAME and genuflect politely to the fooseball gods while dominating at his position?
To this end, I've gone through and considered the pool of retired NFL wide receivers that should receive HOF consideration over the next several years. And in my capacity of professional non-HOF-voter, I've ranked the top 10 that should receive gold jackets before all is said and done. Without further ado, LET'S DO IT:*
*This is a definitive Internet ranking and I will brook no dissent.
1. Randy Moss
Separating Randy Moss and Terrell Owens in the Hall of Fame debate is sticky business.
Both posted earth-shattering numbers over the course of their careers, both were transformative forces within the game. Both pissed off a lot of people.
Statistically, it's pretty much a pick'em between the two[3].
Both Moss and Owens recorded just under 16,000 receiving yards over the course of their respective 14-year NFL careers, and without a Super Bowl ring to separate them, Moss earns the top spot here for his slight edge in touchdowns scored (161 to Owens' 153, 10 postseason scores to Owens' five).
Moss also had the immediate fire factor. The dude scored 17 touchdowns as a rookie. That is absolutely bonkers.
HOF Eligible in: 2018
PAUL BUCK / AFP2. Terrell Owens
As we've nailed down, Owens is almost a statistical mirror of Moss and undeniably should've been a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame when he became eligible for Canton in 2015.
Citing behavioral issues[4], however, Hall of Fame voters left the league's greatest popcorn salesman[5] of the 2000s off their ballots, instead voting in favor of moral pillar/definitely-not-murderer[6] Marvin Harrison.
But with 15,934 career receiving yards and nearly double the receiving touchdowns of other HOF hopefuls on this list, it's only a matter of time until voters put down their pitchforks and let Owens in the door.
HOF Eligible in: 2015
3. Isaac Bruce
A central cog of the Greatest Show on Turf, Bruce was a monster in St. Louis' aerial barrage offenses of the early 2000s.
Bruce racked up 15,208 yards, 91 touchdowns and a ring at Super Bowl XXXIV over the course of his 16-season NFL career -- a career that started when the Rams were still in Los Angeles, and long before the NFL shifted toward the pass-crazy sling-fest it is today. Also, Bruce posted -- €"wait for it -- €"1,781 yards in his second year in the league. That was in 1995.
1995.
HOF Eligible in: 2015
Allen Kee4. Hines Ward
Malcontent. Cornerback leveler. No. 1 pass catcher you'd want on your side in a street fight. Ward is the poster boy for wide receivers who run their mouth and back it up with their play, and failing that, their shoulder pads.
Ward ended his 14-season career with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011, having bagged himself 12,083 receiving yards, 85 touchdowns, two Super Bowl championships and one Super Bowl MVP trophy (XL).
He also snatched Ed Reed's soul[7] on live television -- which probably won't receive any consideration by HOF voters, but definitely should.
HOF Eligible in: 2017
5. Reggie Wayne
Undeniably prolific and all but uncoverable in his prime, Wayne was the foil to Marvin Harrison's workhorse steadiness during the reign of Indianapolis Colts-era Peyton Manning.
Wayne ended his NFL career in 2014 with 14,345 receiving yards, 82 touchdowns and a Super Bowl ring on his finger. He more or less matched Marvin Harrison in all categories except touchdowns and caught the Colts' lone receiving touchdown of Super Bowl XLI.
HOF Eligible in: 2020
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports6. Torry Holt
A counterpart and accomplice to Isaac Bruce's dominant stretch with the St. Louis Rams, Holt racked up 74 touchdowns and eight 1,100-yard seasons over the course of his 11-season career from 1999 to 2009.
Many have argued Holt deserves a bust in the Hall[8], and as a Super Bowl champion and seven-time Pro Bowler, they're not wrong.
HOF Eligible in: 2015
7. Calvin Johnson
Some would argue that Johnson hasn't earned a spot in the Hall[9]. Their reasons seem to stem from his only having played nine seasons in the league and his inability to singlehandedly turn a woefully inconsistent and downtrodden Lions[10] franchise into a perennial NFC powerhouse.
This is a reasonable argument to make. It is also wrong.
In the current landscape of the NFL -- €"one where players have begun to seriously weigh the long-term price of traumatic injury against the allure of guaranteed cash -- €"Johnson is a Hall of Famer.
He may not be a first ballot-er, but he's the single-season receiving yards record holder (1,964) and an athlete whose play affected the game on a tectonic level for nearly a decade. And given the burgeoning trend of generational players walking away from the game, Johnson might have a stronger leg to stand on when 2021 rolls around and his career is examined.
Perhaps by then, voters will look past Johnson's single-digit season tally and value him for the anomaly he was on the field. Maybe they'll learn to value players who chose to leave the game a bit early instead of collecting paychecks as their medulla is slowly reduced to Fun Dip powder.
But probably not.
HOF Eligible in: 2021
8. Chad Johnson
Prolific. Crazy. Addicted to McDonald's.
For all his Ocho-isms, Chad Johnson was a force of nature during his considerable window of NFL dominance.
Through 12 years in the NFL -- all but one as a member of the garbage-fire Cincinnati Bengals teams of the 2000s -- €"Johnson posted seven seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro team selection.
He's also a serial weirdo with a history of domestic violence incidents[11], which will undoubtedly be waved off come HOF consideration. So there's that.
HOF Eligible in: 2016
Andy Lyons / Getty Images North America9. Donald Driver
Old faithful of the latter-day Favre-era Packers (and the Aaron Rodgers awakening), Driver may or may not find himself standing next to a bust in Canton at some point in the future.
Driver's a Super Bowl champion (XLV) and a four-time Pro Bowler from a time when that still meant you weren't just the backup's backup's fall-back option.
Also, he's just, like, a really good guy[12].
HOF Eligible in: 2018
10. Muhsin Muhammad
Remember Muhsin Muhammad? That guy who was racking up fantasy football numbers when the form was in its infancy and the Internet and your landline were interchangeable?
It's easy to forget about the Moose, who played a huge role in the Carolina Panthers offenses of the mid-'90s and early 2000s. Muhammad was a two-time Pro Bowler who hauled in 860 receptions for 11,438 yards over 14 steady years in the NFL.
He's as borderline as it gets, but I'd be remiss if I didn't throw him into the mix here.
HOF Eligible in: 2015
Honorable mention: Derrick Mason
Dan is on Twitter[13]. The Moose was always loose.
References
- ^ Calvin Johnson (www.foxsports.com)
- ^ retired on Tuesday (www.foxsports.com)
- ^ pick'em between the two (www.pro-football-reference.com)
- ^ Citing behavioral issues (ftw.usatoday.com)
- ^ greatest popcorn salesman (f3nation.com)
- ^ definitely-not-murderer (articles.philly.com)
- ^ snatched Ed Reed's soul (www.youtube.com)
- ^ deserves a bust in the Hall (nesn.com)
- ^ hasn't earned a spot in the Hall (www.foxsports.com)
- ^ Lions (www.foxsports.com)
- ^ domestic violence incidents (www.huffingtonpost.com)
- ^ a really good guy (www.youtube.com)
- ^ Dan is on Twitter (twitter.com)
