In theory, limiting the number of NFL players who can be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on a yearly basis is a good idea. But it can make for a monotonous process that continuously makes candidates wait unnecessarily for their time to finally be enshrined. Who are this year’s Hall of Fame snubs that’ll have to brave the waiting game?

2023 Hall of Fame Class Snubs

Who were the five biggest Pro Football Hall of Fame snubs in 2023? A Bear, a Bengal, a Cowboy, a Viking, and a 49er top the list of snubs. Luckily for the five snubs, the 2024 first-timers are a somewhat uninspiring group.

Cheers to hopefully seeing these five donning a gold jacket in a year’s time.

Devin Hester

Each new member of the 2023 Hall of Fame class is deserving of their status. But that doesn’t make Hester’s snub any easier to digest. The gold jacket is meant for the league’s brightest stars and most prolific producers.

Absolutely nobody is even close to Hester’s level as a producer in his particular area of expertise. His 20 kick and punt return touchdowns are six more than Brian Mitchell. He was a three-time All-Pro and made both the 2000s and 2010s Hall of Fame teams.

He is literally the best ever at his job by a wide margin. In fact, he probably should have been a first-ballot member. But I guess the return game just isn’t important enough to voters.

Darren Woodson

It’s amazing that it took Woodson nearly 15 years to simply become a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The linebacker-turned-safety is a three-time All-Pro, three-time Super Bowl champion, and five-time Pro Bowler.

MORE: At Long Last, Miami Dolphins’ Zach Thomas is a Hall of Famer — Deservedly So

Aside from the legendary triplets of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin, Woodson may have been the fourth face of that semi-dynastic period. The hard-hitting safety, along with Charles Haley, was the personality and enforcer on that defense.

Willie Anderson

Joe Thomas was the best offensive tackle of his generation and deserved the nod. If Anderson doesn’t get in on his third attempt in 2024, we riot.

The Bengals’ offensive tackle was arguably the best right tackle of his generation. He was drafted with huge expectations as the 10th overall pick, and he exceeded those expectations.

Willie Anderson was an All-Pro in three consecutive seasons from 2004-2006 and played a huge role in Rudi Johnson’s franchise record 1,458 yards in 2005. During his career, he faced nine of the top 10 sack artists of all time, and the only sack he allowed came against Bruce Smith.

Jared Allen

Every single Hall of Fame-eligible pass rusher with more sacks than Jared Allen has a gold jacket. Allen’s 136 career sacks rank 12th all-time among official leaders (16th dating back to 1960). Von Miller is 12.5 sacks from tying Allen’s career mark, and J.J. Watt fell 21.5 sacks shy of Allen.

No sane individual would deny their Hall of Fame worthiness.

Allen was a four-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler. Allen finished seven consecutive seasons with double-digit sacks, during which time he led the league twice. He was robbed of Defensive Player of the Year in his 22-sack 2011 season, losing out to another future HOFer, Terrell Suggs.

Patrick Willis

If not for Ray Lewis, nobody would be able to argue who the best linebacker in the NFL was from 2007 to 2013. But by that time, Patrick Willis was arguably the best defensive player in the league. Although career longevity wasn’t on the linebacker’s side, his absolute dominance on the defensive side of the ball was unmatched in his time.

Patrick Willis walked away from the game at just 30 years old due to nagging injuries. But I was a young, football-loving teen during Willis’ run of dominance, and nothing rivaled it. He was a 6-foot-1 bowling ball at 240 pounds. He pursued ball carriers like a heat-seeking missile, and his thrusters got him there in the blink of an eye.

But he wasn’t just a tackling machine. Despite his short stature, the LB was able to defend 53 passes in his career, with years of 10 and 12 passes defended on his résumé. The leading linebackers in today’s game are getting five or six.