Colts Great Believed to Miss Hall of Fame for Next 5 Years

An Indianapolis Colts legend and current coach continues to be ignored for the NFL Hall of Fame.

In 14 seasons with the Colts Reggie Wayne compiled 14,345 yards receiving and 82 touchdowns. Xxx Colts 35 Jpg Spt Sports Usa | The Star, Indianapolis Star via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The Indianapolis Colts have an intriguing offense, highlighted by names such as wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., running back Jonathan Taylor, rookie tight end Tyler Warren, and guard Quenton Nelson. However, the coaching staff also stands out.

Head coach Shane Steichen, offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, and offensive line leader Tony Sparano Jr. stand out. However, the Colts also have a future Hall of Famer in wide receivers' coach Reggie Wayne.

Wayne put together an illustrious career with the Colts that spanned 14 years and produced six Pro Bowls, a First Team All-Pro, and a Super Bowl championship (XLI - 2006). Many have campaigned that Wayne deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, and soon.

However, Sports Illustrated leaves the legendary receiver and Colts Ring of Honor member out of the next five Hall of Fame classes. It's curious why Matt Verderame doesn't include the former dynamic playmaker and current Colts position coach.

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Wayne retired following the 2014 season, but put up incredible numbers while playing with legendary Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and one of the greatest prospects to ever enter the NFL in Andrew Luck.

Regardless of which signal-caller was commanding the offense, Wayne was a staple of consistency, operation, and had phenomenal route-running and hands to put any defensive coverage in a blender.

10-5-2003 Indianapolis Colts Reggie Wayne pulls in a pass that got the Colts close enough to try a game winning fieldgoal late in the fourth quarter. The Colts won 38-35 in Monday night's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa Bay. | Matt Detrich / USA TODAY NETWORK

Through his 14 years and 211 games (197 starts), Wayne accumulated 1,070 catches on 1,714 targets for 14,345 receiving yards, 763 first downs, and 82 receiving scores. Wayne also led the NFL in receiving yards in 2007 with 1,510. He also notched a Second-Team All-Pro that year.

Not having Wayne on the list makes little sense, as the former Miami Hurricane has been overlooked for the last several Hall of Fame classes after being eligible since 2020. The hope for Wayne is that Verderame's prediction for the next five classes is slightly wrong.

It's hard to imagine that the Colts legend doesn't make his way into Canton in the next five years. He was electric, deadly, surgical with his routes, had a fantastic catch radius, and put up clutch plays time and time again for Indianapolis.

While it's impossible to tell what will happen with the future Hall of Fame classes, it's safe to assume Wayne will be in one of them after a stellar NFL career. Otherwise, it can be viewed as one of the all-time snubs.