Devin Hester set records and was briefly an electric presence with the Atlanta Falcons, while Dwight Freeney was the invaluable veteran mentor for a young Falcons defensive line. While neither one will go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as Falcons, they are now in Canton.
Hester and Freeney were two of the seven players elected to the 2024 class for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining Julius Peppers, Andre Johnson, Patrick Willis, and senior selections Randy Gradishar and Steve McMichael. It’s a deserving class that makes me feel old—all of these guys feel like they were just playing yesterday to me—and it’s gratifying to see two players we loved watching with Atlanta make it.