You can’t tell the complete story of the history of pro football without the inclusion of some of the greatest Minnesota Vikings of all time. The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, is where these immortal characters are honored, with a new class enshrined each summer.
On Wednesday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame unveiled its list of 167 modern-era nominees for the 2025 induction class, and several former Vikings are on the list. Will any of these Vikings legends get the call this time around?
Here’s a closer look at some of the former Vikings named as modern-era nominees and a prediction as to whether or not they’ll be enshrined in 2025.
Minnesota Vikings’ Pro Football Hall of Fame Nominees
Jared Allen, Defensive End
With a personality larger than life, Jared Allen’s impact on the Vikings’ fan base was immediate and significant. His impact on opposing offenses was just as dominant.
Allen recorded 136.0 sacks in his 12-year career, which ranked him ninth at the time of his retirement, and is currently the 12th-best mark in NFL lore. He tallied 86.5 sacks in six seasons with the Vikings, ranking him sixth in franchise history, and had double-digit sack seasons eight times.
Year in and year out, Allen was a menace for opposing quarterbacks. He earned four Associated Press first-team All-Pro nods to go along with five Pro Bowls, and twice was the NFL’s sack leader in a season (2007, 2011).
In 2011, Allen registered 22.0 sacks, coming up a half-sack shy of Michael Strahan’s single-season record. It was during that time that Allen set an NFL record with 11 consecutive games with at least a half sack, a feat accomplished by only one other player (Shaun Ellis) at the time and only four other players in league history.
Allen had other ways of filling up the stat sheet and helping his team win games. He finished his career with four safeties, tied for first in NFL history. He is also credited with 57 passes defensed, 32 forced fumbles, 19 fumble recoveries, six interceptions, and two touchdowns.
Prediction: Gets in
Matt Birk, Center
A mainstay at one of the game’s toughest positions, Matt Birk put together a decorated and successful 14-year career with the Vikings (1998-2008) and Baltimore Ravens (2009-12) that culminated with a win in Super Bowl XLVII to conclude his final season.
Birk was a sixth-round pick by Minnesota out of Harvard in 1998. He became the Vikings’ starting center in 2000 after spending his first two seasons as a backup and would start every game over a four-season stretch from 2000-03.
Birk earned six Pro Bowls (all with the Vikings), which ties him with Pro Football Hall of Famer Mick Tingelhoff for the most by a center in franchise history.
Named a member of the 50 Greatest Vikings in 2010, Birk was also a two-time All-Pro and was awarded the most prestigious distinction in 2011 when he was named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.
Prediction: Won’t get in
Randall Cunningham, Quarterback
As smooth an athlete as you’ll see in any sport, Randall Cunningham ran point for explosive offenses in both Philadelphia and Minnesota during a 16-season career that also saw him spend time with the Dallas Cowboys and Ravens.
Cunningham was a second-round pick in 1985 and played 11 seasons (1985-95) in Philadelphia. During his time there, Cunningham was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year (1992) and put together a four-season run (1987-90) where he averaged 3,365 yards passing per season and threw a total of 98 touchdowns.
During and after that four-year run with the Eagles, Cunningham also established himself as a lethal threat with his legs, rushing for more than 500 yards in a season six times and adding 35 rushing touchdowns, 32 of which came with the Eagles. He left Philadelphia in 1995 with the third-most rushing yards in Eagles history (4,482).
After a one-year retirement in 1996, Cunningham came back and joined the Vikings. In Minnesota, he authored the greatest season of his career in 1998 by leading the NFL in passer rating (106.0) and helped guide the Vikings to a 15-1 mark and appearance in the NFC Championship Game. Cunningham threw for 3,704 yards and a career-best 34 touchdowns that season, as the Vikings scored a then-NFL record 556 points.
All told, Cunningham finished his career with 34,907 scrimmage yards, 242 total touchdowns, and a career passer rating of 81.5 in 161 games played, with an 82-52-1 career record in 135 starts.
Prediction: Won’t get in
Robert Smith, Running Back
In considering Robert Smith’s career, one must understand he exited the league when he was in top form after only eight seasons. A first-round pick of the Vikings in 1993, Smith starred for Minnesota until his early retirement following the 2000 season.
That 2000 season was the best of Smith’s career. He rushed for 1,521 yards and seven touchdowns and added 348 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver. Smith finished his career on a run of four-straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons and was the Vikings’ all-time leading rusher; Adrian Peterson passed him in 2012.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Smith earned one second-team All-Pro nod and was honored in 2010 when named a member of the 50 Greatest Vikings. Smith also holds the distinction of holding the NFL record for average yards per touchdown run at 27.2.
Prediction: Won’t get in
Henry Thomas, Defensive Tackle
Henry Thomas is one of the most underrated players in Vikings history. It’s easy to do when you played the same position as the vaunted Purple People Eaters as well as next to Hall of Famers such as Chris Doleman and John Randle.
Even still, Thomas ranks third in Vikings history for sacks by a defensive tackle with 56.0, behind only Randle (114.0) and Kevin Williams (60.0).
A third-round pick of the Vikings in 1987, Thomas put together a workman-like eight-year run in Minnesota, where he played on stingy defenses. The 1989 Vikings’ defense set a franchise record with 71 sacks, with Thomas notching 9.0 of them. He also forced and recovered three fumbles that season and tallied one touchdown.
Thomas, who was a two-time Pro Bowler (1991, 1992) and one-time second-team All-Pro, also spent time with the Detroit Lions (1995-96) and New England Patriots (1997-2000) during his 14-year career.
For his career, Thomas is credited with over 1,000 tackles to go along with 93.5 sacks, 19 forced fumbles, 14 fumble recoveries, four interceptions, and three touchdowns.
Prediction: Won’t get in
Kevin Williams, Defensive Tackle
Williams was a force to be reckoned with from the moment he entered the NFL with the Vikings as a first-round pick in 2003 until he finished his career with the Seattle Seahawks (2014) and New Orleans Saints in 2015.
A versatile defender who could play anywhere on the defensive line, Williams began his career as a lethal pass rusher with 10.5 sacks as a rookie and 11.5 in his second season. He finished his career with 63.0 career sacks, 60.0 of which came with Minnesota.
As his career progressed, Williams’ ability to impact games broadened. He teamed up with fellow defensive tackle Pat Williams in Minnesota to become an elite run defender and lead the Vikings to become the NFL’s best run-stopping team for three straight seasons from 2006-08.
In total, Kevin Williams played in 203 games over 13 seasons, rarely missing time for injury. He never missed more than two games in a season and played in all 16 games 10 times. In addition to the sacks, Williams was credited with over 600 tackles, 13 fumble recoveries, 10 forced fumbles, five interceptions, and four touchdowns.
The durability and production led to deserved recognition for Williams, as he was named a Pro Bowler six times and a first-team All-Pro on five occasions. The NFL named him to its 2000s All-Decade Team, as well.
The Vikings put Williams in the Ring of Honor and also named him a part of the 50 Greatest Vikings in 2010.
Prediction: Won’t get in
Pat Williams, Defensive Tackle
In a world where box scores and highlight reels showcase contributions, Pat Williams goes underappreciated. But his impact on games and place within teams was significant.
Over 14 seasons and with two organizations, Williams was an anchor in the middle of defenses that did a good job of limiting those box scores and highlight clips.
He began his career as an undrafted free agent in Buffalo (1997-2004) and then was a priority free agent signing for the Vikings in 2005, where he played until retirement after the 2010 season.
A three-time Pro Bowler (2006-07) and one-time second-team All-Pro (2007), Williams’ calling card was as a run-stuffing nose tackle. His best seasons to that end came in Minnesota when he teamed up with Kevin Williams to form what was known as the “Williams Wall.” The two Williamses led a Minnesota rushing defense that was tops in the league for three consecutive seasons from 2006-08.
Williams played in 199 games for Buffalo and Minnesota and was credited with 665 tackles, 20.5 sacks, nine fumble recoveries, eight forced fumbles, two touchdowns, and one interception.
Prediction: Won’t get in