The next class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame was announced on Thursday night during the NFL Honors show in New Orleans. Former players, some of whom have waited over a decade, are finally set to be enshrined in Canton, Ohio, this summer.
Find out more about the eligibility requirements for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who made the class, and more below.
According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame website, any fan can nominate a player, coach, or contributor connected with pro football by writing to the Hall of Fame. The only requirement is that a player or coach must have been retired for at least five years to be eligible. There is no mandatory retirement period for contributors.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 50-person Selection Committee is tasked with ensuring that only the game’s finest individuals are enshrined.
This year, new rules were implemented following a push by Hall of Famers to make the Hall more exclusive, which contributed to a smaller class for 2025.
Four players were announced as the newest inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2025: Jared Allen, Antonio Gates, Sterling Sharpe, and Eric Allen.
Jared was a four-time All-Pro with the Chiefs, Vikings, and Bears, finishing his career with 136 sacks. He led the league with 22 sacks in 2011 while with the Vikings and had 15.5 sacks to lead the league again in 2007 with the Chiefs. Over the course of his career, he reached double-digit sacks in seven consecutive seasons.
