James Harrison and Joe Thomas locked horns numerous times as AFC North rivals over the years. Now, they could be entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame together.
Harrison, the former Defensive Player of the Year for the Steelers, and Thomas, the durable Browns lineman who played 10,363 consecutive snaps, are two of the headliners of the Hall of Fame’s modern-era player semifinalists for the class of 2023. The list of candidates was trimmed from 129 to 28 on Tuesday, with those two franchise legends standing tall among a list of former NFL stars.
Darrelle Revis, the lockdown cornerback and seven-time Pro Bowler, is another semifinalist, along with Dwight Freeney, a seven-time Pro Bowler who registered 125.5 career sacks, also rank among the most notable players among this year’s semifinalists, who must be five years removed from playing in the NFL.
The list will later be trimmed to 15 finalists, with the final induction vote taking place the week of Super Bowl LVII in February. The class of 2023 will be inducted in August.
Here is the entire list of 28 modern-era player semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2023:
- Eric Allen, CB: Eagles, Saints, Raiders
- Jared Allen, DE: Chiefs, Vikings, Bears, Panthers
- Willie Anderson, OT: Bengals, Ravens
- Ronde Barber, DB: Buccaneers
- Anquan Boldin, WR: Cardinals, Ravens, 49ers, Lions
- Henry Ellard, WR: Rams, Washington, Patriots
- Jahri Evans, OG: Saints, Packers
- London Fletcher, LB: Rams, Bills, Washington
- Dwight Freeney, DE: Colts, Chargers, Cardinals, Falcons, Seahawks, Lions
- James Harrison, LB: Steelers, Bengals, Patriots
- Rodney Harrison, S: Chargers, Patriots
- Devin Hester, DB/WR/KR/PR: Bears, Falcons, Ravens
- Torry Holt, WR: Rams, Jaguars
- Andre Johnson, WR: Texans, Colts, Titans
- Albert Lewis, CB: Chiefs, Raiders
- Robert Mathis, DE/LB: Colts
- Darrelle Revis, CB: Jets, Buccaneers, Patriots, Chiefs
- Steve Smith Sr., WR: Panthers, Ravens
- Fred Taylor, RB: Jaguars, Patriots
- Joe Thomas, OT: Browns
- Zach Thomas, LB: Dolphins, Cowboys
- Hines Ward, WR: Steelers
- DeMarcus Ware, DE/LB: Cowboys, Broncos
- Ricky Watters, RB: 49ers, Eagles, Seahawks
- Reggie Wayne, WR: Colts
- Vince Wilfork, DT: Patriots, Texans
- Patrick Willis, LB: 49ers
- Darren Woodson, S: Cowboys
