Which 5 Ex-Cal Players Currently in NFL Might Get to Pro Hall of Fame?
Only two former Cal players are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and you can call yourself a bona fide Golden Bears expert if you can name them. (Answer at the end of this story.)
But those two will get some company in the not too distant future as one former Cal player currently in the NFL is a lead-pipe cinch to be voted in on the first ballot. But there are four others who have a chance to get in, and a fifth who just recently retired -- or at least we think he's retired.
ESPN.com provided a rundown of the Hall of Fame chances of the players on all 32 NFL teams, with five former Cal player getting mentioned. The chances of each player making it to the Hall are noted in percentage form.
1. Aaron Rodgers, quarterback, Green Bay Packers
**Photo by Dan Powers - USA TODAY Sports
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ESPN.com assessment of Rodgers:
Lock (100%): QB Aaron Rodgers He's going to get in on the first ballot.
ESPN saw no reason to note that Rodgers is a two-time NFL MVP, won a Super Bowl and has the highest career passer rating of anyone in NFL history.
Whether Rodgers finishes his career with the Packers is in question now, but there is no question he will wind up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Rodgers played for Cal in 2003 and 2004 and finished ninth in the 2004 Heisman Trophy voting when he led Cal to a No. 9 national ranking in the final AP poll.
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2. Cameron Jordan, defensive end, New Orleans Saints
**Photo by Kirby Lee - USA TODAY Sports
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ESPN.com assessment of Jordan:
ln the running (40% to 69% chance of reaching the Hall): DE Cameron Jordan
Jordan's ascension from very good player to one of the best defensive ends in football over the past three years has helped drive his candidacy. Only Chandler Jones and Aaron Donald have more sacks since the start of 2017. The Cal product has five Pro Bowls and a first-team All-Pro appearance through his age-30 season. If he can keep this level of play up for three more seasons, Jordan could get in. A Super Bowl victory would probably help.
Jordan played four seasons at Cal from 2007 through 2010, collecting 16.5 sacks during his college career. He recorded almost that many in 2019, when he had 15.5 sacks and was named to the Pro Bowl for the fifth time.
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3. Keenan Allen, wide receiver, Los Angeles Chargers
**Photo by Kirby Lee - USA TODAY Sports
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ESPN.com assessment of Allen:
Work to do (10% to 39% chance): WR Keenan Allen
ESPN provided no other information for Allen, who has had more than 1,000 receiving yards in a season three times, and has been named to the Pro Bowl each of the past three seasons.
He will need to continue that level of production for several more years to have a shot at the Hall.
Allen was the highest rated recruit ever to sign with Cal, earning a No. 10 overall national ranking by 247Sports Composite in the class of 2010.
He played three seasons at Cal -- 2010, 2011, 2012 -- with his sophomore season being the most productive, when he had 98 receptions for 1,343 yards.
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4. Alex Mack, center, Atlanta Falcons
**Photo by Kyle Terada - USA TODAY Sports
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ESPN.com assessment of Mack:
Work to do (10% to 39% chance): C Alex Mack
Mack is entering what is likely to be his final season with the Falcons. While he has made six Pro Bowls, that's not typically enough for interior linemen to make it into the Hall..
Mack played four seasons at Cal -- 2005 through 2008, after redshirting in 2004. He won the Morris Trophy twice as the best offensive lineman in the Pac-12, taking that title in 2007 and 2008.
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5. Jared Goff, quarterback, Los Angeles Rams
**Photo by Robert Hanashiro - USA TODAY Sports
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ESPN.com assessment of Goff:
Work to do (10% to 39% chance): QB Jared Goff
Goff took a major step backward in 2019 and doesn't appear to be on the same level as the other top quarterbacks in the conference.
For the first half of the 2018 season, Goff looked like an MVP candidate, but he could not maintain that level. He had 32 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions in 2018 when he was named to the Pro Bowl, but he threw 22 TD passes with 16 picks in 2019. He needs to regain his 2018 form and then continue to ascend if he has hopes of making the Hall.
Goff was Cal's starting quarterback all three of his years in Berkeley (2013 through 2015), and he threw 43 touchdown passes in 2015 before being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft.
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Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz and Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson were not mentioned by ESPN.com despite some impressive seasons.
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One other former Cal player deserves mention: Marshawn Lynch.
It is assumed he is retired, but he reportedly was talking to the Seattle Seahawks in May about playing in 2020.
He gained some recent attention when he appeared in a Drake video, making a crushing tackle on Drake (about 2 minutes into the video).
Lynch has numbers that will earn him Hall of Fame consideration: six 1,000-yard seasons, five Pro Bowls, and 10,413 career rushing yards, which would rank fourth among active players if he returns.
Lynch played three seasons at Cal -- 2004 through 2006 -- and rushed for more than 1,200 yards twice, including 1,356 in 2006.
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Who are the two former Cal players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Tight end Tony Gonzalez (Cal seasons 1994-96), and linebacker Les Richter (Cal seasons 1949-51).
No Joe Kapp. No Chuck Muncie. No Ron Rivera. No Hardy Nickerson. No Craig Morton.
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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53
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