Three first-time eligible players and one player who waited 25 years highlight the list of 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2023.
Tackle Joe Thomas, a 10-time Pro Bowl pick, as well as a six-time first-team All Pro, cornerback Darrelle Revis and defensive end Dwight Freeney are all finalists in their first year of eligibility. Cornerback Albert Lewis, who played his last game of the 1998 season, has waited the usual five-year grace period after retirement to be named a first-time finalist at 20 years of eligibility.
The remaining finalists for the Class of 2023, announced Wednesday night, are:
Jared Allen, defensive end
Willie Anderson, grab it
Ronde Barbier, cornerback
Devin Hester, wide receiver/returner
Torry Holt, wide receiver
Andre Johnson, wide receiver
Zach Thomas, linebacker
DeMarcus Ware, defensive end/outside linebacker
Reggie Wayne, wide receiver
Patrick Willis, linebacker
Darren Woodson, security
Of that group, only Woodson wasn’t a finalist last year, and Holt has now been a four-time finalist.
The Hall of Fame selection panel will meet in the coming weeks to select a maximum of five modern era finalists for enshrinement. The Class of 2023 will be announced on February 9th during the NFL Honors Show three days before the Super Bowl.
Ken Riley, Chuck Howley and Joe Klecko are the Senior Committee finalists, and Don Coryell is the Coach/Contributor Committee finalist. These four are voted yes or no.
The anchoring ceremony will be held in August at the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Joe Thomas is the most decorated player among this year’s finalists, with his 10 Pro Bowls ranked eighth most for an offensive lineman. But in Thomas’ 11 seasons with the Cleveland Browns, the team failed to make the playoffs and ended with a winning record just once — 10-6 in 2007, his rookie year, after being drafted third overall.
Among the other eligible freshman players, Freeney was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time first-team All Pro, who was part of the Indianapolis Colts’ Super Bowl XLI-winning team at the conclusion of the 2006 season. In 2004, he also led the NFL at Sacks.
Revis, a seven-time Pro Bowl selector and four-time first-team All Pro whose coverage prowess launched the nickname “Revis Island,” played for four teams in his 11-year career with the Jets in 2007, playing eight of his Seasons in New York in two stints for the franchise and also won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots in 2014.
If either or both of Thomas and Revis are anchored in the Hall class of 2023, they would join Detroit Lions No. 2 wide receiver Calvin Johnson in 2007 as Hall of Famers in the top 14 selections in that draft .
Of all the finalists, none have waited longer than Lewis, who is in his final year as a modern-day player. Lewis, who played 16 seasons (11 with the Kansas City Chiefs and five with the Raiders), finished his career with 42 interceptions.