It’s been a long time since the Baltimore Ravens had a player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame who was considered primarily a Raven. Not since 2019, when safety Ed Reed was inducted.
Don’t expect that to change anytime soon. Still, according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, there are 2 players currently on the roster who are headed to Canton when their respective careers end: 2-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry.
“As a two-time MVP, Jackson should have no trouble waltzing into the Hall of Fame as one of the league’s most decorated players,” Barnwell wrote on August 6. “He has been a full-time starter for only seven years, but remember that Terrell Davis made it into the Hall as a running back after what amounted to a four-year career as a starter, winning an MVP award along the way. Jackson hasn’t had the sort of playoff success Davis enjoyed during his run with the Broncos, but that’s the only hole you can poke in his résumé.”
Derrick Henry Might Not Be Lock for HOF
Barnwell’s prediction of an easy path for Henry might not be as easy as he thinks — mainly because of his lack of team success. There’s also something to be said for Henry playing the majority of his career with the Tennessee Titans — when he goes into the Hall of Fame, that will probably be the team he’s most associated with.
Something that could change that? Winning a Super Bowl with the Ravens.
“Henry’s peak wasn’t quite as bright as Davis’ four-year run atop the NFL, but you can make a pretty reasonable case that he was the best back in football over six years between 2019 and 2024,” Barnwell wrote. “King Henry averaged nearly 103 rushing yards per game over that span. The only other back within 25 yards of that total was Jonathan Taylor. Henry has rarely made a huge dent as a receiver, but his ability to sustain those Titans offenses on his own and consistently create big plays with his underappreciated acceleration is going to get him into the Hall.”
Hall of Fame Monitor: Jackson Headed for Canton
According to the Pro Football Reference Hall of Fame Monitor (HOFm), Jackson’s career rating of 85.83 puts him at No. 26 in NFL history for his position. It already puts him ahead of 7 Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterbacks, including Warren Moon (71.30), Joe Namath (70.00), Troy Aikman (64.28) and Jim Kelly (59.10).
From PFR: “The Pro Football Reference Hall of Fame Monitor (HOFm) is a metric designed to estimate a player’s chances of making the Pro Football Hall of Fame using AV, Pro Bowls, All-Pros, championships, and various stat milestones.”
The stat that makes Jackson an absolute lock for the Hall of Fame above all others is that he’s one of just 11 players in football history to win multiple NFL Most Valuable Player Awards.
Of those 11 players, 7 are already in the Hall of Fame. Of those not yet in the Hall of Fame, 3-time MVP and 7-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, is the next one eligible, in 2028.
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