Back to the San Francisco 49ers Newsfeed

Patrick Willis and Justin Smith among first-time eligible players nominated for 2020 HOF

Former San Francisco 49ers superstars Patrick Willis and Justin Smith have been nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class for 2020. This marks the first year the two are eligible. Thursday morning, the Hall of Fame released the list of 122 modern-era nominees that are eligible. The definition for “modern-era” is a player must have played anywhere from five to 25 years ago. As you know, Willis and Smith hung up their cleats in 2014.

Patrick Willis nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. People say he didn’t play long enough, but his level of dominance was HOF-worthy, and I’d argue first ballot-worthy.