New England Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork.
The New England Patriots will not be well represented in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
After making it past the semifinals, Rodney Harrison and Vince Wilfork failed to be selected as finalists for the upcoming Hall of Fame class.
Wilfork is a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time Super Bowl champion who also boasts two All-Pro nods. The defensive tackle played 11 seasons for the Patriots, racking up over 500 tackles and 16 sacks.
While spending less time in New England, Harrison still made an impact. In six seasons, he tallied 446 tackles, nine sacks and seven forced fumbles. The safety also won two Super Bowls with the Patriots and was named an All-Pro twice in his career.
New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick Advocated for Rodney Harrison & Vince Wilfork
Though the two Patriots legends failed to get in, they had the support of their former head coach. Belichick said in 2021 that both players belonged in the Hall of Fame.
“Vince is almost impossible — he’s impossible to block in the running game. And in the passing game, there’s some guys that match up against him, but his overall strength and athleticism for his size was pretty impressive,” Belichick said. “And because we had players like [Richard] Seymour, there was less of a need to use Vince on third down, although we used him on third down. He had some huge plays on third down, like in the [2011] AFC Championship Game against Baltimore. He really won that game with his fourth-quarter pass rush on [Joe] Flacco up the middle of the pocket.
“So I think it’s an interesting question. In my Hall of Fame, those two guys are there, without a doubt,” Belichick said.
The Patriots head coach went out of his way to make sure that Harrison was mentioned as well.
“I’ve coached some of the other safeties that have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame, and not taking anything away from them, but certainly Rodney Harrison belongs in that conversation, and he belongs in the conversation with other players that are already there,” Belichick said.
One Former New England Patriots Player Is a Finalist
Though Wilfork and Harrison failed to make the cut, one former Patriots player did. Darrelle Revis is a finalist for the 2023 Hall of Fame class.
Revis spent the majority of his career with the rival New York Jets, but the elite cornerback joined New England for the 2014 season and helped the Patriots win a Super Bowl.
Patriots fans likely won’t be as excited as Revis ripped the Patriots back in 2021 while appearing on the “I AM ATHLETE” podcast.
“You know, I’m happy for the grind and the hustle of winning Super Bowl 49,” Revis said. “But you know waking up every day and walking into the facility and having to deal with the tension, you see why they’ve been to 10 Super Bowls. You see the hustle and the grind of it, but at the end of the day, there’s other philosophies to win and it doesn’t have to be that way.”