Saints quarterback Drew Brees (Image: Getty)
The Pro Football Hall of Fame will be welcoming five new members to Canton this season, amidst the Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft controversy. Along with Belichick and Kraft, two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning will not be joining the Hall of Fame either.
The five new members inducted into the Hall of Fame are: New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, New England Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri, Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly and San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig.
Brees and Fitzgerald were the only first ballot Hall of Famers this year, and rightfully so. Brees is a one-time Super Bowl champion and finished with over 80,000 passing yards and 571 passing touchdowns. Fitzgerald is second all-time in receiving yards behind the legendary Jerry Rice at 17,492 receiving yards and adding 121 receiving touchdowns. What is arguably most impressive about Fitzgerald’s career is that he played with 21 different starting quarterbacks.
Kuechly, Vinatieri, and Craig have all been on the ballot in years past, finally getting into Canton this year.
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Craig waited the longest to join the prestigious club, having retired 30 years earlier. Craig is most known for being the first player ever to have 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season.
Although Kuechly had a short career, he was undoubtedly one of the best linebackers of all time, winning defensive player of the year in 2013 and earning five first-team All-Pro selections.
Vinatieri was the one member of the Patriots dynasty to make the Hall of Fame this year, arguably being the greatest kicker of all time. Vinatieri has had numerous clutch kicks in the postseason and was a crucial part of the Patriots’ dynasty.
Some of the new names on the ballot next season include Ben Roethlisberger, Adrian Peterson and Rob Gronkowski.
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