A former Bronco other than Peyton Manning elected to HOF
Feb 6, 2021, 7:26 PM
Everyone is expecting that Peyton Manning will be a part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2021. The former Broncos quarterback is a sure-fire inductee.
But according to reports, another former Bronco will also be headed to Canton in August. It looks like John Lynch made the cut, as well.
I'm hearing that safety John Lynch and offensive lineman Alan Faneca have made the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) February 7, 2021
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. In Denver, 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.
It ends a nearly decade-long wait for the safety. One of his former teammates certainly thinks Lynch is worthy of induction.
“I mean, the dude was committed to the game,” Champ Bailey said this week during and interview with Nick Ferguson and Cecil Lammey. “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 believed it was “just a matter of time” for Lynch to don a gold jacket.
“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.”
It looks like the wait is finally over.
