NEW ORLEANS — Three players with local ties have been announced as 25 modern-era semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2024.
On Tuesday, the NFL provided a list of candidates, including two first-year eligible nominees and 18 players chosen as semifinalists in 2023. Among those again in the hunt for next year's HOF class are former local prep star Reggie Wayne and two Saints standouts, Eric Allen and Jahri Evans.
Wayne, who played for John Ehret High School in Marrero, La., has made the list of semifinalists five times (2020-24) following a record-setting 14-year career with the Indianapolis Colts that ended in 2014.
The six-time Pro Bowl receiver amassed 14,345 yards (10th all-time) and 82 touchdowns – 10,748 yards and 76 TDs of which with eventual hall-of-fame quarterback and fellow New Orleans native Peyton Manning. Both won Super Bowl XLI with the Colts in 2007.
Four-time semifinalist Eric Allen once again made the cut, as did fellow former Saints star Jahri Evans, his second semifinalist selection.
Allen, a six-time Pro Bowl cornerback, began his career with the Philadelphia Eagles (1988-1994) before joining the Saints (1995-97) and finishing with the Oakland Raiders (1998-2001).
Evans was a six-time Pro Bowler at offensive guard with the Saints from 2006-2016, before concluding his career with the Green Bay Packers in 2017. The four-time, first-team All-Pro was a lynchpin in a Saints offensive line that propelled New Orleans to a Super Bowl XLIV victory and helped future hall-of-famer Drew Brees become one of the league's all-time leading passers.
The list of semifinalists was reduced from a field of 173 nominees announced in September. The nominees will be narrowed to 15 finalists before being increased to 19 finalists overall with the inclusion of the recommended nominees compiled by members of select Hall of Fame committees.
The Class of 2024 will be enshrined next August in Canton, Ohio.
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