The Pro Football Hall of Fame's class of 2024 will officially be inducted on Aug. 3.
With less than a month until the annual event in Canton, Ohio, we're examining which NFL players (past and present) we think will one day receive a similar honor.
Here are three Philadelphia Eagles who should eventually receive football immortality:
Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox
Cox came to Philadelphia as the 12th-overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and spent his entire 12-year career with the Eagles. Before announcing his retirement in the offseason, Cox appeared in 188 career regular-season games, third-most behind Brandon Graham (195) and fellow retiree Jason Kelce (193).
He leaves holding the franchise record for sacks (70) and Pro Bowl appearances (six) by a defensive tackle. He helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LII in 2017 and followed it up with a career-best 10.5 sacks in 2018, earning his first All-Pro nomination.
According to Reuben Frank of nbcsportsphiladelphia.com, Cox is one of only three interior linemen to have six Pro Bowls, 70 sacks and a Super Bowl win. The others are Aaron Donald and Warren Sapp.
That and a spot on the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 2010’s should be enough to carry Cox to Canton.
Center Jason Kelce
Kelce didn’t make the all-decade team, but he made seven Pro Bowls with six All-Pro nominations in 13 years as an Eagle. Arriving in Philadelphia as a sixth-round pick in 2011, it didn’t take long for the undersized guard to win over the city with dominant play and an outsized personality.
A day-one starter for head coach Andy Reid in 2011, Kelce broke Jon Runyan’s team record of 144 consecutive starts last season, finishing his career with 156 straight starts. Like Cox, Kelce helped Philadelphia win its first Super Bowl in 2017, holding the Patriots without a sack while helping the team’s running backs rush for 164 yards against Bill Belichick’s defense.
Of the seven centers already in the Hall of Fame, only Jim Langer and Mike Webster have Super Bowl rings.
Of course, Langer or Webster never gave a speech like this:
Set to take the stage as a member of ESPN’s "Monday Night Countdown" in 2024, Kelce will likely be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible in 2029.
Left tackle Jason Peters
Kelce’s former teammate spent 11 of 19 seasons with Philadelphia, making nine-straight Pro Bowl appearances from 2007-2016 with a pair of All-Pro nominations in 2011 and 2013. Those numbers would be higher if not for a torn Achilles that cost him the 2012 season.
Peters joined the Bears in 2021, the Cowboys in 2022 and became the oldest player in the league at 41-years-old with the Seahawks last season.
Prior to a Week 15 game against Seattle in 2023, Kelce called Peters the most impressive, physical athlete he ever played with.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if that guy plays for another decade, to be honest with you,” Kelce said. “He’s a very, very gifted individual.”
If not, the man affectionately known as “The Bodyguard” should join Kelce as a Hall of Fame nominee in 2029.
