The Pro Football Hall of Fame unveiled 15 finalists who will have the opportunity to enter the Canton as the class of 2024.
The list is headlined by Los Angeles Chargers’ legend Antonio Gates and Carolina Panthers’ standout Julius Peppers. Both Gates and Peppers will appear on the ballot in their first year of eligibility.
Gates spent his entire career with the Chargers, earning eight Pro Bowl nods and four First-team All-Pro selections. During his 16 years in the NFL, Gates made 955 catches for 11,841 yards and 116 touchdowns.
Peppers played a decade with the Panthers over the course of two stints while also suiting up for the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. The former second-overall pick has nine Pro Bowls on his resume, alongside four First-team All-Pro honors. His 159.5 career sacks are the fourth-most since they became an official stat in 1982. Also, only Bruce Smith and Reggie White, both Hall of Famers, had more seasons with double-digit sacks than Peppers (10).
Aside from Gates and Peppers, the list includes returning finalists like Dwight Freeney, Willie Anderson, and Devin Hester. Eric Allen, Rodney Harrison, Fred Taylor, and Jahri Evans are among the players who are finalists for the first time after previously reaching the semi-finals of the process.
The selection committee will first trim the list to 10 names before selecting five candidates that will appear on the voting ballot. Each candidate will need to get 80% of the votes from the voting panel to make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The results of the voting will be unveiled on February 8 during the NFL Honors show in Las Vegas.
