Hall of Fame announces 2020 class will induct 20 members

Today, the NFL announced what has been expected for some time, that the 2020 NFL Hall of Fame induction class will be super-sized and include 20 members. There will be five modern era players, 10 senior-era players, three contributors and two coaches inducted next year.

There will be plenty of excellent candidates for the modern-era players to get into the Hall. Troy Polamalu will be eligible for the first time, and names like Tony Boselli, Patrick Willis and Reggie Wayne could also find themselves selected.

But of greater concern to Raider fans is the senior-era candidates. There are numerous Raiders who have been overlooked for induction thus far. Greats like Tom Flores, Lester Hayes, Jack Tatum and Cliff Branch absolutely deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. Mike Haynes, already in the Hall, stated that he fully expects Flores to be a part of next year’s class, and if not then, when?

There’s little question that next year’s class will be heavily scrutinized and there will still be worthy players from many teams left out. But it is a stellar opportunity for the NFL to get some deserving players in who have had to wait much longer than necessary.