Despite dealing with one of their favorite sons being snubbed yet again, the Jacksonville Jaguars actually have a lot to be happy about this Hall of Fame season. Unlike past years, the franchise finally has a representative who spent his entire career with the team and can scream the county's name with the best of them. However, it would be nice if Tony Boselli had another Jaguar to join him so his bust won't feel so lonely in Canton.
Luckily, Boselli might not have to wait much longer, as Jacksonville's current generation of ballers has two leaders who have an outside chance of being voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame if they play their cards right.
The Jaguars could see Trevor Lawrence and Josh Hines-Allen make the Hall of Fame one day
In a recent article analyzing the active players who could be Hall of Famers when it's all said and done, ESPN tagged Trevor Lawrence and Josh Hines-Allen as the two franchise cornerstones who have "work to do" before getting enough votes.
Of the two players, ESPN focused much more on Lawrence's potential case for induction down the line and opted not to say anything about Hines-Allen's resume. To be honest, that was a huge swing and a miss, as No. 41 is already Jacksonville's all-time leader in sacks. As a defensive lineman, a huge accolade like that is a nice feather in his cap; but it's safe to say that both players will need to do a lot to even get on the scorecard once they retire.
Trevor Lawrence plays a position that holds its HOFers to an impossible standard
Quarterbacks are the only players on the field who officially have a win-loss record attached to their career stats. Passing yards, touchdowns, and completions are great, but all three of those stats can get padded during garbage time after a game has already been decided.
For gunslingers like Drew Brees, the majority of his record-setting numbers were racked up on a national stage while leading a downtrodden franchise to the top of the mountain. That's exactly why he just joined his peers in football immortality while other signal-callers with great highlights and resumes are destined to remain in the Hall of Very Good until the end of time.
In an era including championship pocket passers like Patrick Mahomes and Matthew Stafford, and freak athletes like Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, it will be extremely difficult for Trevor Lawrence to separate himself from his peers by the time he retires. Truth be told, the only way the Jaguars' franchise QB can increase his chances of getting inducted is by becoming an undeniable winner while playing for an organization that suffered in silence for an entire decade outside of 2017.
Lawrence is on the right track in that regard, as the Clemson Tiger already has three winning seasons and two division championships under his belt. Unfortunately, those solid regular-season performances have only resulted in one playoff victory and no All-Pro team appearances. That being said, all hope isn't lost, as there is precedent for QBs to get into the Hall with only one Super Bowl on their books.
Joe Namath, one of the most-famous players in the history of the sport, has a losing record as a starter but was still able to get enshrined because of his other accomplishments. Broadway Joe was a pioneer in the passing game and the first thrower to eclipse 4,000 yards. However, it was his ability to cash in after calling his shot against the Baltimore Colts before Super Bowl III that reserved his spot in a future gold jacket ceremony.
Now, the best (or worst, if you're on Lawrence's side) counterargument to my Namath point would be the Ode of Eli Manning. Despite beating the New England Patriots for two world championships, the younger Manning still can't convince the voters to overlook his 117-117 record as a starter in the regular season. Mind you, he had to go 4-0 out of the Wild Card each time he got the New York Giants to the Big One.
Also, Manning's inability to get any support from The Powers That Be is even worse when you consider the fact that New England put together two separate dynasties in the 2000s and 2010s.
Tom Brady beat everyone there was to beat during his time on the field, but he never put away Eli Manning when it mattered the most.
Josh Hines-Allen's actually the one with a clearer path to Canton
Flipping to Josh Hines-Allen, his path to football immortality is a bit more direct, which could make his quest even harder, depending on who you ask. A major positive working in the Kentucky Wildcat's favor is that he's a complete player. He's set the edge on some of the best run defenses in the NFL and snagged a couple of interceptions while playing coverage as an outside linebacker in the 3-4.
Hines-Allen's ability to be a franchise stalwart as either a defensive end or a linebacker will be a notch in his belt once it's time for members of the media to state their cases on his behalf. In a lot of cases, hall of fame pass rushers are judged by how many sacks, tackles for loss, and forced fumbles they racked up while wreaking havoc inside the trenches.
As of August 2026, No. 41 has compiled 61 sacks, 75 TFLs, and 10 forced fumbles. These figures helped Hines-Allen make two Pro Bowls and earn a spot on the Pro Football Writers of America's All-Rookie team in 2019. Strong and impressive accolades, but not enough to be a Hall of Famer by a long shot.
Cracking 100 sacks and 100 tackles for loss would solidify that Hines-Allen was the most disruptive defender in Jaguars history by a wide margin. That being said, he'd need at least two All-Pro nods for supporters to say that the story of the game could not be told without him.
Myles Garrett, T.J. Watt, and Aaron Donald will all be on the ballot before or at the same time Hines-Allen gets his opportunity. If you think that's rough, Von Miller and Calais Campbell still haven't retired yet. These pass rushers have been asked to carry their franchises like quarterbacks would at least once during their careers. For better or worse, JHA has rarely, if ever, been relied upon to that degree.
For what it's worth, James Gladstone and Liam Coen seem particularly happy to have Hines-Allen's services and leadership to lean on as they continue establishing themselves as the new high-impact GM-HC combo in the league. So, if the eighth-year pro can earn a third contract from the organization that drafted him, he'll end up receiving a lot of credit for the franchise's turnaround after his arrival in 2019.
In the end, does this conversation even matter?
Well, not just yet. If you ask me, ESPN's exercise was just a way to bring some attention to the Hall of Fame's annual festivities before the exhibition game between the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers kicked off.
Jags fans and historians saw how long it took for Tony Boselli to get into the hall himself, and he made the 1990s All-Decade team, five Pro Bowls, and three All-Pro squads at the most-premium position on the offensive line. Also, with all due respect to Trevor Lawrence and Josh Hines-Allen, we can't forget that Boselli played in two AFC Championship Games as well.
In all fairness, the worldwide leader said that Lawrence and Hines-Allen had a long way to go before getting a knock on their door. Even if their chances were higher, I'm sure neither player is even reading articles about their Hall of Fame chances at this phase of the NFL calendar anyway. Despite that thought, it's still interesting to see how the national media perceives two of the best players on Jacksonville's roster.
Not too long ago, Shad Khan said that he was fielding (and paying) the best roster in Jaguars history. If he ends up having two Hall of Fame players that he drafted on it, he'll end up looking like a patient genius.
Whether you think they have a realistic shot at Canton or not, Trevor Lawrence and Josh Hines-Allen have been given a great platform to show what they can do as the tone setters at their respective positions. If their individual performances are truly worthy of being voted into the Hall, there's a solid chance that the Jaguars, as a team, will continue rising up the media's various power rankings.
If that happens, the local beat writers making their case should have a much easier time at the debate table.
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