Sports
Eli Manning, Marshawn Lynch, lead 2025 Hall of Fame nominees
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is one of 167 nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Giants quarterback Eli Manning and few other familiar Super Bowl performers are among 167 modern-day nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
Running back Marshawn Lynch, kicker Adam Vinatieri, defensive end Terrell Suggs and late wide receiver Demaryius Thomas are among first-year nominees with Lombardi Trophy resumes. That list also includes offensive tackle Joe Staley, safety Earl Thomas, center Ryan Kalil and tight end Vernon Davis.
In an evolved process, the 2025 selection protocol changed to include a committee assigned to “screen” the larger list of modern-day candidates to 50 finalists over the next month. From there, the 50-person Hall of Fame Selection Committee trims the list to 25 semifinalists and a second vote narrows the pool to 15 finalists. The committee debates the merits of the finalists and selects the new class to be introduced one day prior to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans in February.
Players are required to be five full seasons from their last game to be eligible for nomination, meaning anyone who last played during the 2019 season is eligible for the first time in the 2025 class.
Multiple finalists from the 2024 Hall of Fame class are nominated again, including wide receivers Reggie Wayne and Torry Holt, pass rusher Jared Allen, offensive linemen Willie Anderson and Jahri Evans, running back Fred Taylor and defensive backs Eric Allen and Darren Woodson.
Manning is one of 10 quarterbacks nominated for the 2025 class. Late Titans quarterback Steve McNair, former Eagles and Vikings quarterback Randall Cunningham and Tony Romo (Cowboys) are repeat nominees.
A two-time Super Bowl winner and the No. 1 pick in 2004, Manning played 16 seasons in the NFL with the New York Giants. He was MVP of both Super Bowl wins and he played 236 regular-season games (234 starts) with the Giants, who acquired the Ole Miss product in a draft-day trade — from the Chargers for No. 4 pick Philip Rivers. Manning beat the Patriots in Super Bowls XLII — New England was 18-0 — and XLVI with fourth-quarter drives to take the lead. Manning is one of 21 quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl without losing one.
Older brother Peyton Manning was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021. Former Eli Manning teammate Tiki Barber is a 2025 nominee also bidding to join his brother in Canton. Barber was a running back with the Giants and is the twin of longtime Buccaneers cornerback Ronde Barber, who was a member of the 2023 Hall of Fame Class.
The running back nominees include Shaun Alexander (Seahawks), Jamal Lewis (Ravens), Clinton Portis (Washington, Broncos), Corey Dillon (Bengals, Patriots) and Thomas Jones (Jets, Bears). Adrian Peterson, who retired in 2021, and Frank Gore, are not yet eligible. Gore is fifth on the NFL’s all-time rushing list with 16,000 yards in a career that spanned five teams from 2005-2020 and Peterson is No. 5 on the list (14,918).
Lynch was known as “Beast Mode” for his powerful running style. He retired for the first time in 2015 due to injuries, then returned to play for his then-hometown Oakland Raiders in 2017. After another retirement, Lynch returned to join the Seattle Seahawks for the last game of the regular season and playoffs. A first-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in 2007, he joined the Seahawks in 2010. He had 10,413 rushing yards and 94 touchdowns and played a starring role with the Seahawks in two Super Bowls. Lynch was a member of Seattle’s Super Bowl-winning team (XLVIII) in his fourth season with the team.
Barber is narrowly ahead of Lynch on the NFL’s all-time rushing list — with 10,449 yards — and one of 31 backs with more than 10,000 career rushing yards. Sixteen are in the Hall of Fame. Former McNair teammate and longtime Titans running back Eddie George is between Barber and Lynch on the NFL’s all-time rushing list and one of 31 running backs nominated.
Vinatieri played 24 seasons in the NFL with the Patriots and Colts. Undrafted in 1996, Vinatieri would become synonymous with playoff success on Bill Belichick-coached teams, winning four Super Bowl (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLI). He signed with Indianapolis following the 2005 season to help Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy and quarterback Peyton Manning win the Super Bowl with the Colts in February 2007.
A number of other players tied to the Patriots dynasty are nominees, including Vince Wilfork, Mike Vrabel, Logan Mankins, Willie McGinest and 2024 finalist Rodney Harrison.
Vinatieri retired in 2019 after 24 seasons as the NFL’s all-time leading scorer (2,673 points) and holding league records for field goals made (599), postseason points (238) and field goals made in overtime (12).
Previous Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt and Vinatieri special teams teammate in Indianapolis, punter Pat McAfee, are 2025 nominees.
A two-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection, Thomas was Peyton Manning’s lead receiver when the Broncos claimed Super Bowl 50 over the Carolina Panthers in 2016. Thomas caught 63 touchdowns in his career and totaled 9,763 receiving yards in his career which included part of the 2018 season with the Houston Texans and short stints with the Patriots and Jets in 2019. He died at age 33 in 2021.
2025 MODERN-DAY NOMINEES
* – 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist
QUARTERBACKS (10): Marc Bulger, Randall Cunningham, Jake Delhomme, Doug Flutie, Rich Gannon, Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb, Eli Manning, Steve McNair, Tony Romo
RUNNING BACKS (31): Shaun Alexander, Terry Allen, Jamal Anderson, Tiki Barber, Larry Centers (FB), Jamaal Charles, Stephen Davis, Corey Dillon, Warrick Dunn, Charlie Garner, Eddie George, Priest Holmes, Steven Jackson, Chris Johnson, Thomas Jones, John Kuhn (FB), Vonta Leach, Dorsey Levens, Jamal Lewis, Marshawn Lynch, Eric Metcalf (also WR/PR/KR), Glyn Milburn (also WR), Lorenzo Neal (FB), Clinton Portis, Tony Richardson (FB), Robert Smith, Darren Sproles (also PR/KR), Fred Taylor*, Chris Warren, Ricky Watters, Ricky Williams
WIDE RECEIVERS (21): Anquan Boldin, Donald Driver, Antonio Freeman, Irving Fryar, Torry Holt*, Joe Horn, Chad Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Derrick Mason, Herman Moore, Muhsin Muhammad, Jordy Nelson, Andre Rison, Jimmy Smith, Rod Smith, Steve Smith Sr., Demaryius Thomas, Hines Ward, Reggie Wayne*, Wes Welker, Roddy White
TIGHT ENDS (6): Ben Coates, Vernon Davis, Antonio Gates, Jeremy Shockey, *Delanie Walker, Wesley Walls
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (26): Willie Anderson* (T), Bruce Armstrong (T/G), Matt Birk (C), Lomas Brown (T), Ruben Brown (G), Jahri Evans* (G), Travis Frederick (C), Jordan Gross (T), Ryan Kalil (C), Lincoln Kennedy (T), Olin Kreutz (C), T.J. Lang (G/T), Nick Mangold (C), Logan Mankins (G), Tom Nalen (C), Jeff Saturday (C), Mark Schlereth (G/C), Josh Sitton (G), Chris Snee (G), Joe Staley (T), Dave Szott (G), Brian Waters (G), Richmond Webb (T), Erik Williams (T), Steve Wisniewski (G), Marshal Yanda (G)
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (18): John Abraham (DE also LB), Jared Allen* (DE), La’Roi Glover (DT/NT), Casey Hampton (DT/NT), Robert Mathis (DE), Chester McGlockton (DT), Haloti Ngata (DT), Simeon Rice (DE), Clyde Simmons (DE/DT), Justin Smith (DE), Neil Smith (DE), Henry Thomas (DT/NT), Justin Tuck (DE), Ted Washington (NT/DT), Vince Wilfork (DT/NT), Jamal Williams (DT/NT), Kevin Williams (DT), Pat Williams (DT)
LINEBACKERS (20): Jessie Armstead, Brendon Ayanbadejo, Cornelius Bennett, Lance Briggs, Keith Brooking, NaVorro Bowman, Tedy Bruschi, Donnie Edwards, James Farrior, London Fletcher, James Harrison, Luke Kuechly, Willie McGinest (also DE), Ken Norton Jr., Julian Peterson, Bill Romanowski, Takeo Spikes, Terrell Suggs, Mike Vrabel, Lee Woodall
DEFENSIVE BACKS (18): Eric Allen* (CB), Eric Berry (DB), Antoine Bethea (S), Dré Bly (DB), Kam Chancellor (S), Nick Collins (DB), Antonio Cromartie (CB), DeAngelo Hall (DB), Rodney Harrison* (S), Eugene Robinson (DB), Samari Rolle (DB), Allen Rossum (DB), Bob Sanders (S), Aqib Talib (CB), Earl Thomas (S), Charles Tillman (CB), Troy Vincent (CB), Darren Woodson* (S)
PUNTERS/KICKERS (15): David Akers (K), Gary Anderson (K), Darren Bennett (P), Jason Elam (K), Jeff Feagles (P), Jason Hanson (K), John Kasay (K), Sean Landeta (P), Shane Lechler (P), Pat McAfee (P), Brian Moorman (P), Matt Stover (K), Matt Turk (P), Mike Vanderjagt (K), Adam Vinatieri (K)
SPECIAL TEAMS (2): Josh Cribbs (KR/PR also WR), Brian Mitchell (KR/PR also RB)
–Field Level Media
Sports
Packers activate TE Tucker Kraft (knee) from PUP list
Sep 11, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (85) looks on after the game against the Washington Commanders at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images The Green Bay Packers activated tight end Tucker Kraft from the physically unable to perform list on Friday.
Kraft, 25, had surgery last November to repair a torn right ACL and is expected to be eased back into practice.
“No team (drills),” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said before Friday’s session at training camp. “So, we’re just going to kind of get him back ingrained into the process and into individual. What’s great is when they do come off PUP, then now he can partake in some of the walk-through periods, especially that we do in the evenings, just to get him back hearing the call, lining up and then just going through that.”
Kraft currently is about 8 1/2 months removed from surgery, just short of the nine-month mark the Packers typically wait for before allowing a player returning from a torn ACL to do 11-on-11 drills.
“The way he looks, you’d think he’s ready to go … but there’s a lot of science behind the nine-month mark, and so we’ll be very cautious as we head into it,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said.
Kraft had 32 catches for 489 yards and six touchdowns in eight games before the injury last season.
The 2023 second-round draft pick is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is looking for a long-term deal.
“I think it would be best if we got it done as soon as possible,” Kraft said on Wednesday, per ESPN.
Kraft has 113 receptions for 1,551 yards and 15 touchdowns in 42 career games (33 starts).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Giants' Harrison Bader crashed scooter into fire truck
May 22, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants center fielder Harrison Bader (9) gestures after he hit a single against the Chicago White Sox during the third inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images The San Francisco Giants are shutting down outfielder Harrison Bader for the season after he reportedly crashed his scooter into the back of a fire truck.
The Giants confirmed earlier this week that Bader was in an accident last weekend that aggravated a left foot injury that has kept him sidelined since May 29.
Bader, 32, met with a foot and ankle specialist Monday in Indianapolis to check the progress of his initial injury, left plantar fasciitis. However, the impact of the scooter-related injury “changed the nature of his evaluation,” the team said in a statement.
Bader was scheduled to undergo an MRI to “better understand the severity of the injuries sustained from the scooter accident,” per the Giants.
TMZ Sports reported Friday that the scooter crash occurred in San Francisco at about 1:50 a.m. local time Sunday morning. A witness said Bader collided with the rear of a San Francisco Fire Department truck, causing the scooter wheel to roll over his foot.
The fire department confirmed that a patient was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Bader batted .170 with five home runs and 14 RBIs in 30 games this season, his first with the Giants. He signed a two-year deal worth $20.5 million in January. He also missed time earlier this season with a hamstring injury.
Bader is a career .244 hitter with 93 home runs and 336 RBIs in 954 games over 10 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals (2017-22), New York Yankees (2022-23), Cincinnati Reds (2023), New York Mets (2024), Minnesota Twins (2025), Philadelphia Phillies (2025) and Giants.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Gotham D Emily Sonnett (left knee) out for season
Jul 4, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Gotham FC defender Emily Sonnett (6) comes down field during the second half against the San Diego Wave FC at Snapdragon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images U.S. women’s national team defender Emily Sonnett will miss the rest of the NWSL season for Gotham FC following knee surgery.
Gotham announced Friday that Sonnett, 32, underwent surgery to repair a ruptured patellar tendon in her left knee. She sustained the injury in the first half of last Friday’s 2-2 draw against the host Portland Thorns.
“Emily has the full support of everyone at the club, and we will be with her every step of the way throughout her recovery,” president of soccer operations Yael Averbuch West said. “She is incredibly resilient, and we know she will return stronger.”
The team did not provide a projected recovery timeline for Sonnett, whose participation in the 2027 Women’s World Cup could be in jeopardy. That tournament begins next June in Brazil.
Sonnett has helped Gotham secure three trophies since joining the squad in 2024, winning the NWSL Championship and Concacaf W Champions Cup in 2025 and the NWSL Challenge Cup in 2026.
The No. 1 pick in the 2016 NWSL Draft, Sonnett is in her 10th season in the league. She has recorded six goals and four assists in 180 career matches (174 starts) with Portland (2016-19), the Washington Spirit (2021-22), Seattle Reign (2023) and Gotham.
Internationally, she has made 118 appearances for the USWNT and helped to win the 2019 Women’s World Cup and 2024 Olympic gold medal.
–Field Level Media
Packers activate TE Tucker Kraft (knee) from PUP list
Reports: Giants' Harrison Bader crashed scooter into fire truck
