Could this be the year? Ex-Jags RB Fred Taylor on Pro Football HOF candidate list

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Fred Taylor will get to pick up his Pro Football Hall of Fame candidacy again.

Taylor was one of four ex-Jaguars who were announced as Hall candidates on Wednesday, kicking off the annual debate on whether this will be the year that it happens for the legendary running back.

Receiver Jimmy Smith, who, like Taylor ranks among the top five players in franchise history, was also among the candidates. Two receivers who also played in Jacksonville, Torry Holt and Andre Rison, also made the candidates list. Only the team’s first draft pick, Tony Boselli, who was enshrined in 2022, has made the Hall of Fame.

Taylor is Jacksonville’s most likely next inductee.

While it may take several more years for Taylor to be elected, he’s certainly trending there. Taylor was a semifinalist (2019-2022) before he finally broke through last year and became a first-time finalist, something that many outside the fans world think should have happened years earlier. He rushed for 11,695 yards in his career, a number that ranks 17th in NFL history. Taylor scored 66 rushing touchdowns and had another eight receiving.

All but two of the running backs in front of Taylor are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the exceptions of Frank Gore (16,000, No. 3) and Adrian Peterson (14,918, No. 5), both of whom aren’t yet eligible.

Smith, the leading receiver in Jaguars history, has made the preliminary list before, but has yet to move beyond. Smith had 12,287 receiving yards and 67 touchdowns in 11 seasons in Jacksonville. He surpassed 1,000 yards in nine of those seasons and led the NFL in receptions in 1999 (116).

The 167 candidates will be trimmed to 50 by the Hall’s screening committee. From that number, the list will be cut to 25 semifinalists later this fall, and then to the 15 finalists. Those players will then be presented to the Hall of Fame voting bloc. To be elected to the Hall, players must receive 80% of the vote. Between three and five players can be elected annually.

Holt played 11 years in the NFL, all but one of those with the Rams. His final season in 2009 was with the Jaguars. Even then, the 33-year-old Holt had 51 catches for 722 yards. Like Holt, Rison was only in Jacksonville briefly. He made nine starts with the Jaguars in 1996, catching 34 passes for 458 yards and a couple touchdowns.