Jaguar Report

Duval Sounds Off on Hall of Fame's Rejection of Fred Taylor

The Jacksonville Jaguars community is not exactly thrilled about the Hall of Fame news on legendary running back Fred Taylor.
John Shipley|
Dec 1, 2019; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars former running back Fred Taylor (black sun glasses) looks on prior to the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-Imagn Images
Dec 1, 2019; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars former running back Fred Taylor (black sun glasses) looks on prior to the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-Imagn Images | Douglas DeFelice-Imagn Images

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Jacksonville Jaguars

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Former Jacksonville Jaguars legendary running back Fred Taylor was rejected as a finalist by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Duval is sounding off on the injustice.

Taylor, one of the best running backs in NFL history and an all-time franchise great, was not among this year's 15 modern-era finalists, despite the Jaguars' legend being a finalist just a year ago. As expected, Jaguars fans are letting their thoughts be known.

Duval Sounds Off

Taylor was held out of this year's class despite an impressive career full of production. Taylor, one of the best draft picks in franchise history, was among the most productive running backs of his era, and he has the tape to match. During the Jaguars' golden years, there was arguably no player who put the Jaguars on the map more.

Taylor, though, did not get the recognition he deserved even when he played. He should have been a multiple-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro, but his time with the Jaguars went as underrated as his career has since he retired.

Only one running back was named a finalist for this year's Hall of Fame class: Frank Gore, who had a lengthy career that spanned generations. Gore has better volume numbers than Taylor, but he also had significantly more carries and played in more career games. His longevity was impressive, but it is hard to say that he deserves a spot as a finalist over Taylor for that alone.

With that said, the Jaguars and Taylor have seen running backs struggle to find a spot in the Hall of Fame for years. This is not a new issue for Taylor or for the Jaguars, who have also seen legendary wide receiver Jimmy Smith struggle to gain traction in his race for hall of fame candidacy.

With all of this in mind, this could be set to be yet another rallying cry for a Jaguars franchise that has not been afraid to use external factors as motivation. Taylor is being disrespected as a potential finalist because the Jaguars, as a whole, have never gotten a lot of respect from the NFL as a large entity and community.

That has not changed with the 2025 Jaguars, and it was true even when Taylor played and was one of the best running backs in all of football. For now, Taylor and Jaguars fans will have to wait just a bit longer.

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John Shipley
JOHN SHIPLEY

John Shipley has been covering the Jacksonville Jaguars as a beat reporter and publisher of Jaguar Report since 2019. Previously, he covered UCF's undefeated season as a beat reporter for NSM.Today, covered high school prep sports in Central Florida, and covered local sports and news for the Palatka Daily News. Follow John Shipley on Twitter at @_john_shipley.

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