Colts legend Reggie Wayne fumes after missing out on Hall of Fame induction once again
Every NFL Honors, we receive news of the next Hall of Fame inductees after knowing the finalists. Four players made it in this year, as Jared Allen, Sterling Sharpe, Eric Allen, and Antonio Gates have officially been elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
One missing name was of former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne, despite being a finalist for the sixth time. Wayne took to social media and vented his frustration with an old meme.
Reggie Wayne played 14 seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts and had six Pro Bowls, three All-Pros, and a Super Bowl from 2001-14. He is 10th in NFL history with 1,070 receptions and 14,345 receiving yards while being tied with Tyreek Hill and Anquan Boldin for 30th all-time with 82 touchdown receptions.
It is tough to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, especially at the wide receiver position, but Reggie Wayne is a name that will continue to be on the outside looking in.
What names are first-time eligible names for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026?
There will be a new crop of candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame next season and that makes things even more difficult for players like Reggie Wayne to find themselves getting a gold jacket. Below are some of the names who will have their first chance to become Hall of Famers next season.
- Drew Brees
- Larry Fitzgerald
- Philip Rivers
- Jason Witten
- Julian Edelman
- Maurkice Pouncey
- Dez Bryant
- Frank Gore
- Mike Pouncy
That is not including names like Eli Manning, Reggie Wayne, Torry Holt, Terrell Suggs, Steve Smith Jr, and Marshal Yanda to name a few that were Class of 2025 Finalists. It'll be incredibly difficult for some players to expect to hear their name called.
How does the Pro Football Hall of Fame voting work?
To make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a player needs to be selected as one of the 20 finalists to be voted on after rigorous processes to get to that point. However, only up to 20 are from the Modern-Era players pool and five other players are from the Seniors or Coach/Contributor Committee of names who are not in that pool.
The people with Hall of Fame votes get to have up to five players on their ballot out of the 20 finalists and if a player is on 80 percent of the ballots of the 50-person selection committee, they are elected for the Hall of Fame.