2018 NFL Season: Hall of Fame Locks, Hopefuls and Mirages

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – FEBRUARY 04: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots in action against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

The 2018 NFL season will begin without Jason Witten being part of it. Something that’s almost impossible to fathom given how long he’s played.

One thing is for sure. That man is going to end up in the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible in five years. There’s no doubt about that. His consistent excellence over a long period of time makes it a foregone conclusion. As this news settles in, it’s interesting to think about the current landscape of the NFL and determine which top names still active are likely Canton-bound and which may fall short.

The following is a list of names in conversation, each broken into three categories:  players who are locks to make, those who can get in but aren’t there yet and those on the fringe who likely don’t make the cut.

LOCKS (They’re in right now)

Tom Brady

Does anything really need to be said? Five rings in eight Super Bowl trips. Owner of the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. The only QB to go 16-0 in a regular season. The only QB to throw for over 500 yards in a Super Bowl. The list goes on.

Drew Brees

He holds the signature moment of pulling a city out of the depths of despair in New Orleans to their first pro sports championship. That alone gets him in. Never mind the absurd 70,445 yards he’s thrown for in his career, including five 5,000-yard seasons.

Aaron Rodgers

The fact he has just one ring is a travesty but at least he got that critical achievement out of the way. He is arguably the most physically gifted passer in NFL history with eye-popping accuracy. His numbers already measure up with some of the greatest ever.

Ben Roethlisberger

It looked like he might end up in that category of a Phil Simms. Somebody who was efficient and great in clutch moments but never carried the team to championships. However, his stat-rich seasons late in his career combined with two rings sealed the deal.

Eli Manning

The same thing goes for him as well. He’s the only man to ever beat Brady twice in a Super Bowl, doing it both times with cold-blooded two-minute drives. His stats are a bit messy with a lot of interceptions but he’s got every franchise record in Giants history sewn up.

Adrian Peterson

Watching the past couple seasons has been difficult. He doesn’t look anything like the man that terrorized defenses 10 years ago. That said he was the best of his generation by a comfortable margin, had some good playoff runs and owns the second-most rushing yards in a season (2,097).

Frank Gore

Year after year he just keeps going. The man is a machine. People thought he’d burn out years ago. Yet at 34-years old he churned out another season over 1,000 yards from scrimmage. That makes 12-straight. He’s now over 14,000 rushing and in the top 5 all-time.

Larry Fitzgerald

A pillar of the receiver position for 14 years. He might be the greatest playoff-performing wide receiver there’s ever been. His 2008 run and the epic against Green Bay in 2015 are worth of busts. Throw in 15,545 yards and 110 touchdowns? There’s no debate.

Antonio Gates

Unbelievable story. A college basketball player his entire career. He decides to give football a shot, gets signed as an undrafted free agent in San Diego and proceeds to outstrip the greatest tight end in franchise history, Kellen Winslow, who is already in the Hall of Fame. Need I say more.

Von Miller

Is it possible for a guy who’s still just 29-years old to be a lock? Yes. He’s already at 83.5 career sacks. Barring injury he’ll easily top 100 for his career. Throw in one of the most dominant performances by a defender in a Super Bowl ever and it’s an easy sell.

Julius Peppers

Put it this way. Peppers could’ve retired five years ago and still would make it to Canton with room to spare. He’s been one of the most consistently excellent edge rushers for 16 years. Jos 154.5 sacks place him among the best of all-time. Having no ring means nothing at this point.

Darrelle Revis

Question the personality and business ethics all you want. He was the best cornerback in the NFL for a long time. No receiver could escape him. His nickname was superb and he secured his ring with the Patriots in 2014. All the boxes have been checked for the seven-time Pro Bowler.