On Wednesday, the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists were announced with Darrelle Revis, Joe Thomas and Dwight Freeney in their first years eligible.
The dream of any NFL player once their career has concluded is to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH. On Wednesday night — after the announcement was delayed from Tuesday in the wake of the Damar Hamlin injury that shook the league — the 15 Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists for the 2023 class were announced.
Given that they are among the 15 players who are so close to being enshrined in Canton, the list is full of recognizable names. However, there are three NFL greats in their first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame who are finalists: Joe Thomas, Darrelle Revis and Dwight Freeney.
They are, as mentioned, joined by a host of other deserving finalists.
2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists announced: Full list of finalists
With all of the votes tallied, here are the 15 modern-era 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists:
- Jared Allen
- Willie Anderson
- Ronde Barber
- Dwight Freeney
- Devin Hester
- Torry Holt
- Andre Johnson
- Albert Lewis
- Darrelle Revis
- Joe Thomas
- Zach Thomas
- DeMarcus Ware
- Reggie Wayne
- Patrick Willis
- Darren Woodson
All three of the first-year candidates figure to get in eventually, but it does seem that Thomas and Revis have a phenomenal opportunity to be first-ballot inductees.
Thomas is one of the best offensive tackles of the modern era and has the All-Pro and accolades to back that up. It would be shocking if he was not inducted in the 2023 class. As for Revis, he was one of the best cornerbacks in NFL history at his height with four All-Pro selections and continued to find success in a long career.
Beyond that, the other finalists that have the best case to make it into this year’s class would be Torry Holt, DeMarcus Ware, Devin Hester (or at least he should be), Andre Johnson and Patrick Willis.
Now that the finalists have been announced after being narrowed down from 129 nominees to 28 semifinalists to this point, the next step will be a final meeting in January to determine the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class of inductees that will be enshrined in Canton, OH on August.
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