But Kevin Williams did not
The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced its list of 25 semifinalists for its Class of 2025, and a prominent former member of the Minnesota Vikings has once again found himself on the list.
Defensive end Jared Allen is among the 25 players who will potentially get the call to Canton for the next class of entrants, per the list the Hall announced on Wednesday. You can get the full list of candidates right here.
Allen spent the first four seasons of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs and was then traded to the Vikings ahead of the 2008 NFL Draft for a first-round pick and a pair of third-round picks. He was a three-time First-Team All-Pro in his six seasons with the Vikings and led the NFL in sacks in 2011 with 22, which is still the Vikings’ single-season franchise record.
This will be Allen’s fifth attempt at getting into the Hall of Fame, as he first became eligible as part of the Class of 2021. Hopefully this will be the year that he finally hears the call.
It’s a bit disappointing, however, that one of Allen’s teammates did not make the list of 25. That man is Kevin Williams, who was one of the most dominant players at his position for nearly a decade with the Vikings. Williams was a five-time First-Team All-Pro with the Vikings and was considered one of the top defensive tackles in the league during his entire 11-season tenure in Minnesota.
Honestly, I’m not sure why Williams can’t even sniff the list of 25 semifinalists at this point given the quality of his career. He was a force for over ten years at the defensive tackle spot and, for whatever reason, can’t even make it through the first round of cuts. We know Jared Allen deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, but Williams is every bit as worthy of such a designation. Perhaps things will work out for him in years to come but it’s just baffling why he isn’t already being recognized more than he is.