In spite of his illustrious career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Fred Taylor has been snubbed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Sure, he doesn't have as much hardware as other players who've gotten the nod in recent years, but he certainly did enough to be enshrined.
Rightly, an NFL writer is making a compelling case for Taylor to be the next Jaguar inducted.
Jaguars legend Fred Taylor is a deserving Hall of Fame candidate
Eric Edholm of NFL Media took a look at each NFL team's next best Hall of Fame candidate. He chose Fred Taylor for the Jaguars, arguing that he's been a finalist before and has a compelling case to get in.
"The Jaguars have one member of the Hall (Tony Boselli currently, and it might take some time to welcome No. 2," Edholm wrote. "Taylor reached the finalist stage in 2024 and 2025 but couldn't get past the semifinal voting in 2026. That's not the direction we want to be heading, and Taylor's body of work isn't perfect, but he might be the Jags' best reasonable shot in the years to come."
When Edholm says Taylor's candidacy isn't perfect, he's probably referring to the fact that he only made the Pro Bowl once in his career and never did he get an All-Pro designation. That is most definitely holding him back, but that shouldn't overlook the fact that the former Florida Gator was one of the most dominant running backs of the 2000s.
Granted, LaDainian Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson were better than Taylor. Nobody will deny that, but he was no slouch either. During his 11-year stint in Duval, he toted the rock 2,428 times for 11,271 rushing yards with 62 touchdowns.
Taylor spent two unremarkable seasons with the New England Patriots to wrap up his NFL career, but that shouldn't take away from his accomplishments with the Jags. One thing that could be hurting his candidacy is that Jacksonville hasn't had sustained success in a while. The good news is that head coach Liam Coen could buck the trend.
The Jaguars are coming off a 13-4 season and should be able to once again make noise in Coen's second year at the helm. Trevor Lawrence is also trending toward establishing himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. With Coen and Lawrence at the helm, Jacksonville is poised to be a perennial contender. That could, in turn, draw league-wide attention and boost Taylor's candidacy in the upcoming years.
The Jaguas will eventually see Fred Taylor get in
For some reason, some players need to wait several years to be inducted. Washington Redskins receiver Art Monk is probably the most notable case, but far from the only one. Heck, it took Tony Boselli two decades before he was enshrined in 2022.
Aside from Taylor, Ricky Watters has also had to wait. And both of them will probably get in only after Adrian Peterson does. He'll be eligible in 2027, and there's a strong chance he'll be a first-ballot selection.
Circling back to the Jaguars' candidates, it's a bit shocking to see wide receiver Jimmy Smith not get nearly as much HOF consideration despite the fact that he was unstoppable during his prime, but there's a chance he'll resonate once Taylor makes it.
Ultimately, the Jaguars may not have too many Hall of Fame candidates, but they have two players with compelling cases in Fred Taylor and Jimmy Smith.
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