A pair of Kansas City Chiefs legends are one step closer to being immortalized in Canton, Ohio, as members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced 15 modern-era finalists for the Class of 2025 on Saturday, Dec. 28. Both former Chiefs draft pick Jared Allen and Super Bowl LIV champion Terrell Suggs, two of the most prolific pass rushers in the history of the game, are among those 15 modern-era finalists.
This follows the announcement that former Chiefs LT Jim Tyrer was a senior finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Three former Chiefs players could ultimately be selected for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame this year.
Jared Allen was selected as a finalist once again; is this finally his year?
For the fifth consecutive year, Allen has advanced to the finalist round for Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement. Among his fellow finalists in 2025, only former Rams WR Torry Holt and former Colts WR Reggie Wayne have reached this round of voting more times (6). This raises an important question: Will this be Allen’s year, or will the Hall of Fame continue to keep him waiting?
He certainly has the credentials of a surefire Hall of Famer. A fourth-round draft pick by Kansas City in 2004, Allen played collegiate football at Idaho State. He played for the Chiefs for the first four seasons of his NFL career, starting in 10 games as a rookie in 2004. During those games, he recorded 31 total tackles, nine sacks, and 10 tackles for loss. In 2007, he led the NFL in sacks with 15.5, earning a first-team All-Pro selection and Pro Bowl honors that season.
Allen was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in 2008. He’d play 11 total seasons in the NFL, playing for the Vikings, Chicago Bears, and Carolina Panthers. He would finish his career a four-time First-Team All-Pro, a five-time Pro Bowler, and two times as the NFL’s sack leader. He tallied 136 sacks (43 of them occurring with Kansas City), which ranks No. 12 on the official all-time list.
Terrell Suggs is a finalist in his first year of eligibility
While Suggs will be remembered for his 16 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, he finished on the mountaintop with Kansas City, helping the team to their first Super Bowl victory 50 years in Super Bowl LIV. The Chiefs claimed Suggs on waivers after he requested his release from the Arizona Cardinals. He helped transform the team’s pass-rush and run defense down the stretch, bringing Super Bowl experience, having won Super Bowl XLVII in 2012 with the Ravens.
Over the course of his NFL career, Suggs appeared in 244 regular season games. He tallied 139 sacks (8th on the official all-time list), 202 tackles for loss, 37 forced fumbles, 15 fumble recoveries, seven interceptions, 63 passes defended, and three defensive touchdowns. He appeared in just five combined regular and postseason games in Kansas City, recording a sack, a tackle for loss, a pass defended, and a number of pressures.
What comes next for modern-era Hall of Fame finalists?
Before Super Bowl LIX, the Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee will evaluate the modern-era finalists. The Class of 2025 will be revealed to the public on February 6 during the NFL Honors ceremony, which will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, and aired live on FOX and NFL Network at 9 p.m. ET.
The Class of 2025 for the Pro Football Hall of Fame will be inducted next August, with the expected date being August 2. Additional events include the Hall of Fame Game, with teams yet to be announced (scheduled for July 31), and the Enshrinees’ Gold Jacket Dinner.
