Pro Football Hall of Fame: It’s now or never for John Lynch

John Lynch’s path to the Pro Football Hall of Fame is rougher than expected

Without a doubt Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos legend John Lynch belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. With nine Pro Bowls, two All-Pros, a Super Bowl ring, and 15 seasons of being one of the best safeties in the NFL, Lynch felt like a shoo-in for Canton.

Call it politics or whatever you’d like, but the path to Canton hasn’t been what Lynch or his supporters have expected.

Since 2010 only three safeties have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and none in the same class. Only 12 players in the Hall of Fame are listed as safeties, and while that number has climbed in recent years with Brian Dawkins and Kenny Easley.

The position simply isn’t, for one reason or another, valued among the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters.

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At the rate they’re inducting safeties, Lynch could be waiting for longer than many realize due to the unprecedented amount of talent arriving on future ballots.

Here’s a look ahead at the first ballot candidates coming up that could impact Lynch’s rightful enshrinement.

2019: Ed Reed
2020: Troy Polamalu

Each of those players deserves to be a first-ballot candidate in their respective class.

In addition, there are multiple safeties still waiting for their call to Canton, including Steve Atwater, Darren Woodson, and Donnie Shell. Should the voters continue to push towards a dilution of the safety position in Canton, it could be years until Lynch or any of these worthy candidates gets their call.

Going under the precedent set by the voters, Lynch may not get his call until 2021 after already being a five-time finalist.

While there’s no official number of enshrinees per year the Hall of Fame typically selects four to eight people per class, which includes the modern-era players, contributors, and senior committee inductees.

More recently we’ve seen five modern-era inductees in each class with a contributor and two senior committee selections. Based on the talent coming onto future ballots such as Peyton Manning, Calvin Johnson, Jared Allen, and others, there will be little wiggle room for players from the 90s and early 2000s to make the ballot.

Next year’s class projects to include first-ballot candidates Ed Reed, Tony Gonzalez, and Champ Bailey, potentially leaving room for only two more players. Returning finalists include Lynch, Tony Bosselli, Steve Hutchinson, Ty Law and Isaac Bruce amongst other highly qualified candidates.

It’ll never be never for Lynch and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but his call likely won’t come soon.