Former Carolina Panthers Linebacker Luke Kuechly will be on the football Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2025. On Thursday night, the Hall of Fame game took place between the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears in Canton, Ohio. The game was called in the third quarter because of heavy thunderstorms. Chicago won that game over Houston 21-17. Some of this year’s Hall of Fame class will feature Wide Receiver Andre Johnson, Outside Linebacker Julius Peppers, special teams returner Devin Hester, and others. They were some of the best players this game has ever seen. Who will make it into Canton next season?
Breaking Down The 2025 Class
With the Hall of Fame ceremony on Saturday, it is never too early to talk about the class of 2025. Luke Kuechly is one of the players who could very well be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. It will be interesting to see who else could make it in for the first time other than him. Eli Manning, former quarterback of the New York Giants, will also be on the ballot next year. Another stud defensive player who is also going to be on the ballot next season will be former Baltimore Ravens Linebacker Terrell Suggs.
His former teammates, safety Ed Reed and linebacker Ray Lewis are already in the hall. Suggs was a force on that defense for a very long time. They won a Super Bowl together during the 2012 season when they beat the San Francisco 49ers. Terrell Suggs was an outside linebacker and a pass rusher and Luke Kuechly was just primarily an inside linebacker. Those will be some of the players who could be next to be inducted in Canton, Ohio.
Analyst Gives His Take About 2025
In his latest article about who will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2025, Pro Football Network’s Lorenzo Reyna made predictions. One of the players he has getting in next year is Carolina Panthers Linebacker Luke Kuechly. It will be interesting to see if he does get in on the first try. There have been some players in the past who should have gotten in on the first try but went in on the second try. Reyna said about Keuchly:
“As the league witnessed the end of Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher’s dominance, Luke Kuechly became the one who carried the linebacker mantle across the league. Kuechly only missed one Pro Bowl season — his rookie year in 2012. The Carolina Panthers star even led the league with 164 tackles that year. But the rest became history, as Kuechly earned seven Pro Bowl nods and five All-Pro nominations while solidifying a fierce Panthers defense.
“He also emerged as a pivotal defensive fixture during Carolina’s 15-1 season of 2015. Voters may use Kuechly’s truncated NFL career as a reason to not put him in the Hall right away. Kuechly only played eight seasons in the league because of injuries including concussions. But his dominance during 2012-19 shouldn’t be overlooked and could still get him a knock on the door.”
Looking Back on Kuechly’s Career
Luke Kuechly was a first-team all-pro five times throughout his NFL career. He went to seven pro bowls and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2013. Kuechly was on the Carolina Panthers from 2012-2019. In the 2015 season, he helped the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance, but they lost to the Denver Broncos. Carolina was the No. 1 seed in the NFC that year and had an elite defense. In 118 total games in his NFL career, he recorded 18 interceptions, one interception for a touchdown, 66 pass deflections, seven forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries, and one fumble return for a touchdown.
Some of the other stats in his NFL career included 12.5 sacks, 1,092 combined tackles, 75 tackles for a loss, and one safety. Luke Kuechly was the best at his position for several NFL seasons. Luke Kuechly won’t be the only player who could potentially be inducted next year. Some potential other names to watch for next season will be Eli Manning, Antonio Gates, Joe Staley, Terrell Suggs, and Torry Holt. It was a surprise that Gates did not get in on the first ballot this year. It would also be a surprise if Luke Kuechly didn’t get in on the first try.
