Running back LeSean McCoy has had some outstanding seasons in what has turned out to be a lengthy NFL career, but has he compiled a Hall of Fame-worthy resume?
That will be a highly debated topic when McCoy retires, though he thinks he already has the answer.
McCoy, 31, who intends to play in 2020 but remains a free agent, took to Instagram recently to thank some of his family members and former teammates for all their support over his first 11 seasons in the NFL. However, he made it clear that he is not retiring by concluding the post with “HOF on the way when I SAY I’m Done.”
The post has since been deleted, so perhaps McCoy thought better of prematurely enshrining himself in Canton. Current Hall of Famers might not appreciate a player who is not even eligible yet already declaring himself worthy of joining them, and it’s almost always a better look for a player to remain humble even if he believes he deserves to be in the Hall.
So, does McCoy?
He has a decent chance of making it to Canton, but his career stats place him in somewhat complicated territory. McCoy currently ranks 22nd all time in the NFL with 11,071 rushing yards. Of the 21 players ahead of him, 16 are enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Two others — Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson — are still playing but are locks to be inducted when they retire.
The three who are not in the Hall are Fred Taylor, Steven Jackson and Corey Dillon. Just below McCoy on the list you will see names such as Tiki Barber and Eddie George, who have been eligible for the Hall of Fame for several years and not gotten in. Barber rushed for 10,449 yards in his career, while George had 10,441.
McCoy is a six-time Pro Bowler, which is more than any of the aforementioned players. He also should get a resume booster from the 3,797 receiving yards he has racked up in his career to go with 89 career touchdowns.
Clearly, McCoy has a case. He is hardly a lock, however, which is probably why he got some negative feedback and decided to remove the Instagram post. His main focus at the moment should be finding an NFL job, and we know of at least one team said to have interest.
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