Hall of Fame Hopes Revived for These Jaguars Legends

Two key Jacksonville Jaguars legends will once again get another crack at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Aug 2, 2025; Canton, OH, USA; Pro Football Hall of Fame emcee Chris Berman speaks during the Class of 2025 enshrinement ceremonies at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have seen two legends get renewed hopes of joining football immortality in Canton.

To date, the Jaguars have just one player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in offensive tackle (and current Executive Vice President of Football Operations) Tony Boselli. But on Wednesday, Jaguars legends Fred Taylor and Jimmy Smith took a step closer toward joining Boselli as they were named among the 128 Modern-Era Players nominated for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

The roster of nominees consists of 77 offensive players, 42 defensive players and nine special teams players. In the next step in the selection process, a Screening Committee will reduce the list to 50 (plus ties, if any, for the 50th spot). The results of that reduction will be announced in mid-October, the Hall of Fame said.

The full 50-person Hall of Fame Selection Committee then will reduce the list further – to 25 Semifinalists, later this fall. Another vote will create the list of 15 Modern-Era Player Finalists who will be discussed at the annual selection meeting ahead of Super Bowl LX. The Class of 2026 can consist of three, four or five Modern-Era Players under the Hall of Fame’s bylaws.

Jimmy Smith

Sep 11, 2005; Jacksonville, FL USA; Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Jimmy Smith celebrates his second quarter TD reception against the Seattle Seahawks at Alltel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Imagn Images (©) Copyright 2005 by Preston Mack | Imagn Images

During Smith's epic run with the Jaguars, he made five consecutive Pro Bowls from 1997-2001 and led the NFL at that time with a combined 479 catches and 6,728 yards, along with 34 touchdown catches.

In total, Smith ended his career holding essentially every major Jaguars receiving record and as of today he is No. 51 all-time in career receiving touchdowns (67), No. 24 in receptions (862), No. 24 in receiving yards (12,287), No. 10 in yards per reception (16.1) and No. 23 in receiving yards per game (22). 

Fred Taylor

Brock Marion (31) tries to chase down former Jaguars running back Fred Taylor in a 2000 AFC playoff game at TIAA Bank Field. Marion, who played with Dallas, Miami and Detroit, will be part of the Jaguars coaching staff for training camp. Spt 1fredtaylor01150 Syndication Florida Times Union | Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

Taylor recorded 13,632 total yards and 70 touchdowns in his career, with the vast majority of those coming with Jacksonville. He is the all-time leading rusher in franchise history with 11,271 yards, more than 3,000 more than the back behind him. He ranks No. 17 in rushing yards all-time.

When it comes to his production during his career, which spanned from 1998 to 2010, Taylor marked most of the boxes. He ran for at least 1,000 yards in seven of his 13 seasons and scored 32 rushing touchdowns in his first three seasons alone.

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