With the 2024 NFL preseason underway, it’s time for a brand new Pro Football Hall of Fame class to be inducted in Canton, Ohio. From an original list of 173 nominees to the final seven being announced and honored, here’s who will be welcomed into the 2024 NFL Hall of Fame class.
7 Members Going Into the 2024 Hall of Fame Class
From 15 finalists to the final selection of the 2024 NFL Hall of Fame class, here’s more about the players getting inducted on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024.
Julius Peppers
The only first-ballot Hall of Famer in the 2024 class, Julius Peppers dominated at almost every level of his sport. He earned Male Athlete of the Year from the North Carolina High School Athletic Association in his senior year. He was also a member of the UNC Sports Hall of Fame, the Carolina Panthers Hall of Honor, and one of the 100 greatest Chicago Bears of all time.
Peppers was selected second overall by the Carolina Panthers in the 2002 NFL Draft and took home Defensive Rookie of the Year honors after amassing 12 sacks and five forced fumbles. He’s the only player in NFL history with at least 100 sacks and 10 or more interceptions.
Peppers is the first Carolina draft pick to make the Hall of Fame.
“I think it’s a special place,” Peppers said of his home state. “I think North Carolinians are special people. I was fortunate to be able to be born and raised here, go to college here and start my professional career here.
“I live in Miami now, but Carolina is home. I love the state. I love everything about it.”
The defensive end and linebacker was voted to the Pro Bowl nine times while receiving first-team All-NFL honors three times. He’s also a part of the NFL 2000s and 2010s All-Decade team — a worthy and expected choice to become the NFL’s next first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Devin Hester
A player rarely enters the Pro Football Hall of Fame due to contributions on special teams. However, when you are one of the most dominant kick and punt returners the NFL has ever seen, there’s an exception. Enter Bears legend Devin Hester.
Hester was drafted by Chicago in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft after a productive three-year career with the Miami Hurricanes. Another member of the 2000s and 2010s NFL All-Decade teams, he finished his career with a total of 11,028 return yards and 19 touchdowns.
He holds the NFL record for most combined special teams return TDs (20), most punt return touchdowns in a career (14), and the fastest touchdown in Super Bowl History (14 seconds), just to name a few. After three years, the wait is over for the special teams extraordinaire.
“The last six months — I can’t really express all the buildup and the emotions,” Hester told reporters at a press conference during Hall of Fame week. “I would say it’s been from the moment that I fell in love with football at the age of 5 or 6 years old. The things that I had to go through and the process of getting to where we are today up here, speaking with you guys, it’s overwhelming.
“As a kid, I can honestly say I didn’t envision being in the Hall of Fame. That wasn’t even a question or even a thought … now to be up here with you guys and speak on the Hall of Fame, it’s a great honor.”
Andre Johnson
Former Houston Texans WR Andre Johnson’s three-year wait also ends as the seven-time Pro Bowler is a 2024 NFL Hall of Fame class member. As a member of the Miami Hurricanes from 2000-2003, Johnson helped lead the Hurricanes to an undefeated season and national championship in 2002.
Johnson was drafted third overall by the Texans in the 2003 NFL Draft. He surpassed 1,000 receiving yards seven times and led the NFL in receiving in 2008 and 2009. He was given first-team All-Pro in those seasons. Johnson finished his career as Houston’s franchise leader in most receiving statistics.
He was the first person to enter the Houston Texans Ring of Honor while also being a member of the Texas and Houston Sports Hall of Fame. He finished his career with 14,185 yards and 70 receiving touchdowns.
“I think the biggest thing that has caught my attention the past couple days is just the number of phone calls I have gotten,” Johnson said during a Hall of Fame media event at the Canton Repository.
“I think it’s the most calls I have ever gotten in my life. It’s not just friends and family reaching out either. I didn’t realize the impact I had on everybody around me while I was playing and this has really opened my eyes. I didn’t realize the impact on the whole city of Houston and all the fans I had and it’s just been kind of crazy to realize how much I meant to them.”
Dwight Freeney
The next member of the 2024 NFL Hall of Fame class made quite an impact on the defensive line. The Indianapolis Colts drafted Dwight Freeney with the 11th overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. He went to the Pro Bowl seven times while earning first-team All-Pro honors three times.
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He was the NFL’s sack leader in 2004 after taking down the QB 16 times, amassing 125.5 sacks throughout his career. He was also credited with 47 forced fumbles, tied for the third most in NFL history. Freeney was a part of the 2006 Colts squad that won Super Bowl 41. He was also honored in the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor, and his No. 54 was retired at Syracuse.
Just missing the first ballot Hall of Fame selection, Freeney gets inducted in his second year of eligibility after being a finalist in 2023. While Freeney enjoys his rounds on the golf course with Michael Jordan in his retirement, it’s time to honor his impactful career.
Patrick Willis
A lasting presence for the San Francisco 49ers since his rookie season, linebacker Patrick Willis was a force to be reckoned with over the middle. A Jack Lambert Trophy and Butkus Award winner for Ole Miss, Willis was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2019. He increased his draft stock with an impressive performance at the NFL Combine.
Willis was drafted by San Francisco with the 11th pick of the 2007 NFL Draft. A Day 1 starter, he had 174 combined tackles, 135 solo, and four sacks on his way to Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2007. He won the Bill Walsh Award in 2009 as the 49ers’ most valuable player.
A seven-time pro bowler, Willis earned first-team All-Pro nods five times and is in the 49ers Hall of Fame. While Willis’ wait was a bit longer than others on this list, the LB gets into the Hall of Fame in his fifth year of eligibility.
Steve McMichael
Selected in the third round of the 1980 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, Steve “Mongo” McMichael didn’t have the most glamorous start to his career. After just one season, the Patriots released McMichael, who signed with Chicago shortly after.
McMichael spent 13 seasons in Chicago, starting in a franchise-record 191 games. As part of the legendary defense of the 1980s Bears, “Mongo” was a force to be reckoned with on the line. He’s a member of the Chicago Bears All-Time Team and one of the 100 greatest Bears of all time.
A senior finalist in the 2024 NFL Hall of Fame class, McMichael gets inducted in his 25th year of eligibility. His induction was a very overdue honor for a defensive tackle who was part of the heart of the legendary Bears defense.
Randy Gradishar
The final member of the 2024 NFL Hall of Fame class is linebacker Randy Gradishar. He played in Denver for 10 seasons and was drafted by the Denver Broncos with the 14th overall pick in the 1974 NFL Draft. Gradishar was a seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro. He was also named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1978.
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A member of the famous “Orange Crush” Broncos defense in the ’70s and ’80s, Gradishar had an unofficial total of 2,049 career tackles (tackles officially became a stat in 2001). That’s the most — unofficially — in Broncos franchise history and second in NFL history behind Hall of Fame LB Ray Lewis.
Gradishar is already a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Ohio State Hall of Fame, and the Broncos Ring of Fame. After 35 years of eligibility and being a finalist four times, Gradishar finally gets his gold jacket.