As the names of the 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame class were released last night, my hopes for seeing Reggie Wayne’s entry diminished. Calvin Johnson and Drew Pearson were among the earliest names released by the Hall as new members. With Charles Woodson and Peyton Manning as first ballot locks, it was all but over.
However, Wayne made it as a finalist in his first year of eligibility and there was a genuine possibility that he would get in. That’s not a bad sign at all for his future prospects. This was a tough year to break in, with the aforementioned Manning and Woodson on the ballot.