Champ Bailey: John Lynch ‘overdue’ for Hall of Fame honors

For his first four years in Denver, Champ Bailey called John Lynch his teammate in the Broncos defensive backfield.

Now, the Hall of Fame cornerback says it’s “overdue” for Lynch to join him on the Pro Football Hall of Fame roster in Canton, Ohio.

Joining “Nick & Cecil” on Wednesday night, Bailey touted Lynch’s commitment to the game of football, saying the all-pro safety was as dedicated as a rookie in his waning NFL years in Denver.

“I mean, the dude was committed to the game,” Bailey said. “And he played great. Won a Super Bowl. He’s one of the all-time great safeties, and it’s a shame that he’s had to wait this long.”

Bailey said that he believes “it’s just a matter of time” for Lynch to don a gold jacket, which could come as soon as Saturday.

“We all know, nobody is a finalist this much without getting in,” Bailey said of Lynch, who has been a finalist for the Hall eight times. “We know it’s overdue.”

A third-round draft pick in 1993 out of Stanford by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, John Lynch spent 15 NFL seasons terrorizing opponents in the defensive backfield.

Twice a first-team all-pro and a nine-time Pro Bowler, Lynch recorded 26 interceptions, 13 sacks and 1,059 tackles.

After 11 seasons in Tampa, where he was a member of the Super Bowl XXXVII squad, Lynch signed with the Broncos in 2004, where he was selected to four-consecutive Pro Bowls before he retired in 2007.

Along with kicker Jason Elam and linebacker Simon Fletcher, Lynch was inducted into the Broncos Ring of Fame in 2016.

If indeed Lynch does make the cut this go around, he’ll likely be joined by former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, a first-time finalist.

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