10 Most Insane NFL Hall of Fame Snubs of All Time
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is supposed to honor the greatest players to ever play the game…
But here’s the thing—it doesn’t always get it right.
Some of the most dominant players in NFL history have been passed over year after year… decade after decade… while lesser talents waltzed right in.
So today, we’re counting down the 10 worst Hall of Fame snubs in NFL history. Some of these guys eventually got in—but had to wait an absurdly long time. Others? They’re still waiting… And a few, sadly, never got to see their moment at all.
Let’s get into it.
Who were the worst snubs in the NFL Hall of Fame?
Clay Matthews (LB, Green Bay Packers / Los Angeles Rams)
Clay Matthews had one of the most dominant starts to a career of any pass rusher in NFL history… and somehow that’s been held against him.
He was a Pro Bowler in six of his first seven seasons as a pro, earned three all-pro nods, and was regularly in the discussion for defensive player of the year.
Man… The long blonde hair flying out of the helmet and a motor that never quit. For a stretch there, Clay Matthews was one of the most feared defenders in football and always at the top of his game in the biggest moments, like his Super Bowl win with Green Bay.
Unfortunately, injuries slowed him down later in his career, but at the peak of his powers, there were few linebackers who ever played the game like Matthews…
And it is a travesty that he continues to be snubbed from the Hall of Fame.
Steve Tasker (ST/WR, Houston Oilers / Buffalo Bills)
We get it… Special teams isn’t exactly sexy, but make no mistake about it, Steve Tasker was a game changer in his prime and, truthfully, he might be the greatest special teams player in NFL history… and he’s not in the Hall of Fame.
Tasker was a seven-time Pro Bowler as a special-teams ace. He earned five First-Team All-Pro selections and was named the Pro Bowl MVP in 1993… the only special teams player to ever win that award.
But here’s the thing… voters don’t know what to do with him. He wasn’t a traditional position player. He didn’t rack up stats the way receivers or running backs do. But ask anyone who played in the late ’80s and early ’90s, and they’ll tell you—Steve Tasker changed games. He blocked kicks, downed punts inside the five, and was a legitimate weapon on coverage units.
The NFL even named him to the All-Decade Team of the 1990s.
And yet… still no Canton.
The Hall has historically struggled with special teams players. Tasker and his fans were hoping that once Devin Hester finally got in, which was a step in the right direction, he might catch a break.
But alas, it has been over 20 years of waiting.
At some point, the voters have to ask themselves: if a guy dominated his role more than anyone else in history… doesn’t that count for something?
Lester Hayes (CB, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders)
Lester Hayes was one of the most feared cornerbacks of the 1980s… and his case for Canton is baffling.
In 1980, Hayes intercepted 13 passes—tied for the second-most in a single season in NFL history, behind only Dick “Night Train” Lane—and won Defensive Player of the Year.
And, “Lest” we forget—he helped the Raiders win Super Bowl 15 that same year.
Three years later, he teamed up with fellow corner Mike Haynes to completely shut down Washington’s receiving corps in Super Bowl 18 in another Raiders victory.
He earned five straight Pro Bowl nods from 1980 to 1984 and was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1980s.
But here’s the thing… Hayes is still not in the Hall of Fame.
The NFL banned the substance he used to coat his hands—Stickum—after the 1980 season.
And apparently, some voters have held that against him—a convenient excuse for excluding one of the best to ever do it.
The man was a shutdown corner with four All-Pros, a Defensive Player of the Year award, and two Super Bowl rings. If that’s not enough… what is?
Roger Craig (RB, San Francisco 49ers / Los Angeles Raiders / Minnesota Vikings)
Roger Craig was the first player in NFL history to have 1,000 rushing yards AND 1,000 receiving yards in the same season.
Read that again.
In 1985, Craig ran for 1,050 yards and caught passes for 1,016 more. Nobody had ever done that before. And it took until Christian McCaffrey in 2019 for anyone to do it again.
Craig was a four-time Pro Bowler and a key piece of three Super Bowl championship teams with the San Francisco 49ers. He was the engine of the West Coast offense under Bill Walsh—a prototype for what running backs would eventually become in the modern NFL.
And yet… Roger Craig has been waiting for Canton since 1998. He’s been a finalist multiple times. He’s on the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1980s.
But still no gold jacket.
The argument against him? His career totals aren’t eye-popping by traditional standards. But Craig wasn’t a traditional back. He was ahead of his time—a dual-threat weapon before that was a thing. And the voters have never fully appreciated what he meant to the game.
He’s still waiting. And at this point, it’s becoming embarrassing.
Steve Smith Sr. (WR, Carolina Panthers / Baltimore Ravens)
Steve Smith Sr. played 16 seasons in the NFL and always found a way to contribute, no matter what the state of the offense he was on was.
At the time of his retirement, he was 8th all-time in receiving yards.
The guy posted over 1,000 career receptions. A three-time First-Team All-Pro. In 2005, he won the triple crown—led the league in catches, yards, AND touchdowns. Only the third player in NFL history to do that.
And he did it all at 5’9″.
But here’s the thing… Steve Smith wasn’t just productive. He was relentless. The man played angrily. He fought defensive backs—literally, sometimes—and outworked every single one of them. At 35 years old, he tore his Achilles tendon. Most guys retire. Smith came back the next season and put up 799 yards.
That’s the kind of effort Hall of Fame voters say they care about. That’s the longevity they claim matters. Sixteen years of showing up, competing, and producing at an elite level.
And yet… Steve Smith Sr. is still waiting for Canton.
The Hall has a funny way of forgetting guys who didn’t play for big-market teams or win a Super Bowl. Smith spent most of his career in Carolina, grinding in relative obscurity. But the tape doesn’t lie. And neither do the numbers.
If passion for the game and longevity on top of elite production matter… Steve Smith should already be in.
Cliff Branch (WR, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders) — Waited Until Posthumous Induction
Cliff Branch was one of the most dangerous deep threats in NFL history… and sadly, he got snubbed so many times that he didn’t live to see his Hall of Fame induction.
Branch was a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Raiders. He was the prototype speed receiver—a game-breaker who terrified defensive coordinators for 14 seasons. At the time of his retirement, he held the NFL’s all-time postseason records for receptions and receiving yards.
He was a four-time Pro Bowler, a three-time First-Team All-Pro, and a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1980s.
And he became eligible for the Hall of Fame in 1991.
Branch waited… and waited… and waited. Year after year, he was passed over. Some speculated that his association with Raiders owner Al Davis—who had a contentious relationship with the league—hurt his candidacy. Others just couldn’t explain it.
It wasn’t until three years after his death, in 2022, that he was finally inducted posthumously. That’s not just a snub. That’s a failure.
Terrell Davis (RB, Denver Broncos)
Terrell Davis had one of the most dominant four-year stretches by any running back in NFL history… Not to mention what he did in the Super Bowl for the Broncos… and it took over a decade for the Hall of Fame to acknowledge it.
From 1995 to 1998, Davis rushed for over 6,400 yards and 56 touchdowns. He won the NFL MVP in 1998 after rushing for 2,008 yards—only the fourth player in history to break 2,000.
And in that aforementioned Super Bowl… 32… he was named MVP after running for 157 yards and three touchdowns against the Packers, leading Denver to its first championship.
In fact, Davis still holds the NFL record for most rushing touchdowns in a single postseason—eight, set in 1997.
But then a devastating knee injury derailed everything. Davis played just 17 games over his final three seasons. His career was over by 2001.
And that’s where the debate began.
The writers were hung up on the lack of longevity and wasted their time and everyone else’s time with nonsense comparisons… drawing connections from Davis to a crop of good, but not great, rushers… and other backs with similar four-year peaks.
They questioned whether dominance without longevity was enough. Maybe his off-court problems, too.
As a result, Davis waited 11 years. He was a semifinalist every single year. A finalist three times. Each year, he was told his peak wasn’t enough, and he was snubbed in brutal fashion.
Finally, in 2017, he got the call. And when Hall of Fame president David Baker knocked on his door, Davis broke down crying.
Crazy that it took the writers so long to get it right.
Sterling Sharpe (WR, Green Bay Packers)
As if it weren’t unfair enough that Sterling Sharpe’s career was cut short at 29 years old… how about the fact that it took over two decades for the Hall of Fame to finally get it right.
In just seven NFL seasons, Sharpe was a five-time Pro Bowler and a three-time First-Team All-Pro. He led the league in receptions three times and touchdowns twice.
We are talking about a guy who, in 1992, set an NFL record with 108 catches. Two years later, he broke it again with 112.
At his peak, Sterling Sharpe was the best receiver in football. Period.
But in 1994, a neck injury ended everything. Sharpe was told that one more hit could paralyze him. He never played another down.
And for years, voters couldn’t get past the short career. They pointed to the lack of counting stats—no 10,000 career yards, no longevity milestones. They overlooked the fact that when Sharpe was on the field, nobody was better.
His younger brother Shannon went on to have a Hall of Fame career of his own. Shannon was inducted in 2011. And for over a decade, people asked: Why is Shannon in and Sterling isn’t?
Finally, in 2025, Sterling Sharpe was selected as a senior candidate and inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He and Shannon became the first pair of brothers enshrined in Canton.
It took over 25 years. But Sterling Sharpe finally got his gold jacket.
It is just a shame is that it took this long… at least the powers that be came to their senses.
Fred Taylor (RB, Jacksonville Jaguars / New England Patriots)
Fred Taylor rushed for nearly 12,000 yards in his career. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry—one of the highest marks in NFL history for a back with that kind of volume.
And nobody talks about him.
Taylor spent 11 seasons in Jacksonville, quietly putting together one of the most productive careers of his era. He ran for over 1,000 yards seven times. He finished his career 17th on the all-time rushing list.
But here’s the thing… Taylor played in Jacksonville. Small market. No Super Bowl appearances. And early in his career, he dealt with injuries that created a “fragile” narrative that never fully went away—even though he played 13 seasons.
He wasn’t a flash-in-the-pan back who burned out. He produced quietly and professionally, just without the spotlight.
And yet… still no Canton.
Bill Belichick (Head Coach, Cleveland Browns / New England Patriots)
And now… the most shocking Hall of Fame snub in recent memory and the reason that this is on everyone’s mind… One of the most legendary names and faces in NFL history…
None other than Bill Belichick won six Super Bowls as head coach of the New England Patriots.
Not to mention the fact that he won two more as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, where his unique approach to defense was integral to their success.
He has 333 career wins—second only to Don Shula in NFL history- is a three-time Coach of the Year, and, of course, built one of the greatest dynasties the sport has ever seen.
And in January 2026, he was denied first-ballot induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a result of some vindictive, know-nothing writers.
At least based on the public response, I think it is fair to call them no-nothings…
Anyway!
Reports indicate that Belichick fell short of the 80% threshold needed for induction.
Multiple voters cited the Spygate and Deflategate controversies as reasons for their hesitation… the persistent theme being that the “cheating stuff” really bothered some of the guys.”
The delusion of these writers is remarkable… “Cheating stuff,” like every coach since the beginning of time hasn’t been trying to get a leg up on their opponents and gather intel in any they possible.
The reaction was immediate—and furious.
Jimmy Johnson, a Hall of Fame coach himself, called it “egregious.” LeBron James called it “DISRESPECTFUL” —among other things — in his post on X.
J.J. Watt said he couldn’t believe he was “reading this right.”
Patrick Mahomes called it “insane.”
Pretty much everyone except the voters that made this ridiculous decision seemed to be on the same side of this story… and with good reason, I mean, only three coaches in history have been first-ballot Hall of Famers: Don Shula, Tom Landry, and Chuck Noll. Combined, they have seven Super Bowl wins.
Will he eventually get in? Almost certainly. But the fact that it didn’t happen on the first ballot—for a coach with six championships and the second-most wins in NFL history—is a stain on the voting process.
This isn’t just a snub. This is the voters making it personal.
And years from now, when Belichick’s bust sits in Canton alongside the greatest coaches to ever live, people will look back at this moment and ask: what were they thinking?
