It’s Time For Reggie Wayne To Be In The Hall of Fame

The Miami Hurricanes have been on a roll in recent years, with several former players being inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, among others, and now Edgerrin James will be the newest former Cane in Canton, as he’ll be inducted this upcoming August.

One of James’ teammates with the Colts, may just be the next former Hurricane to find himself in the Hall of Fame, Reggie Wayne. While Wayne wasn’t part of the 2021 HOF class, 2022 has got to be the year he gets in.

I got the idea for this article today after reading some of the comments on Twitter surrounding Julian Edelman’s retirement, and whether or not he belongs in the Hall of Fame. After reading one comment where someone says Edelman had a better career than Wayne, and I lost it.

This isn't a shot at Edelman either. Being a die hard Tom Brady fan, Edelman has been one of my favorite players the last decade. But do I think he had the better career, or do I think he’s more Hall of Fame worthy than Wayne? Absolutely not.

Have we forgotten how great Reggie Wayne was in the NFL? I've often said he’s perhaps the most underrated receiver in this century.

In a marvelous 14-year career, Wayne totaled 1,070 receptions, 14,345 receiving yards and 82 touchdowns. Wayne also played 211 games in Indy, a Colts franchise record. He ranks 10th all-time in career receptions and receiving yards, and 23rd in receiving touchdowns. Wayne registered more career receiving yards than 14 current HOF receivers such as John Stallworth and Cris Carter, among others.

In 14 seasons, Wayne helped the Colts win a Super Bowl, appear in another one, was a 6-time Pro Bowl selection, one time first-team All-Pro selection, and was inducted into the Colts Ring of Honor.

For seven straight seasons, from 2004 to 2010, Wayne had over 1,000 receiving yards, and registered over 1,000 receiving yards in 8 of his 14 years in the league.

In the playoffs, Wayne established himself as one of the best postseason receivers in NFL history. He ranks 3rd all-time in career postseason receptions (94), and he’s 4th all-time in career postseason receiving yards (1,254).

Wayne is sometimes forgotten about, mainly because he was the number-two option at wide receiver for those great Colts offenses, as Marvin Harrison was the main guy. It’s hard to imagine however, if Wayne was the go-to-guy for Peyton Manning all those years, what kind of stats Reggie would've had. Still, the fact that Wayne was still able to compile such great stats, even with a fellow Hall of Famer like Harrison on the field, tells you a lot.

2021 was Wayne’s second consecutive year where he was a HOF finalist, so 2022 could be the year where he sneaks in.

It looks like Wayne’s biggest competition in this next class is Torry Holt, who was another finalist this year. However, Wayne is 6 spots high than Holt when it comes to career receiving yards, 8 more receiving TD’s than Holt, and 11 spots high than Holt for career receptions. Just saying.

Wayne has been a finalist for the Hall of Fame his first two years of eligibility, and I do believe that he’ll one day be in Canton. Hopefully, he’s part of the 2022 class.