Hall of Fame Hopes Revived for These Jaguars Legends

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have seen two legends get renewed hopes of joining football immortality in Canton.

To date, the Jaguars have just one player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in offensive tackle (and current Executive Vice President of Football Operations) Tony Boselli. But on Wednesday, Jaguars legends Fred Taylor and Jimmy Smith took a step closer toward joining Boselli as they were named among the 128 Modern-Era Players nominated for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

The roster of nominees consists of 77 offensive players, 42 defensive players and nine special teams players. In the next step in the selection process, a Screening Committee will reduce the list to 50 (plus ties, if any, for the 50th spot). The results of that reduction will be announced in mid-October, the Hall of Fame said.

The full 50-person Hall of Fame Selection Committee then will reduce the list further – to 25 Semifinalists, later this fall. Another vote will create the list of 15 Modern-Era Player Finalists who will be discussed at the annual selection meeting ahead of Super Bowl LX. The Class of 2026 can consist of three, four or five Modern-Era Players under the Hall of Fame’s bylaws.

Jimmy Smith