Vikings Legend Gets Hall of Fame Chance
Just last year, the Minnesota Vikings watched former star defender Jared Allen be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This year, another defender from that era could get the nod. Defensive tackle Kevin Williams was named a finalist for the 2026 class.
Lindsey Young of Vikings.com wrote, “Vikings Ring of Honor member Kevin Williams is one step closer to Canton. The former defensive tackle was announced Tuesday as one of 15 Modern-Era Finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026. Williams is in his sixth year of eligibility, and this marks his first time as a finalist.”
Williams, now 45, joined the Vikings as the 9th overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. Ironically, the Vikings were initially slated to have the 7th pick, but as their time expired, the Jaguars and Panthers drafted ahead of them.
He had a fantastic start in the Twin Cities. Young explained, “Minnesota drafted Williams No. 9 overall in 2003, and he became an immediate starter at defensive end before moving inside after 12 games. As a rookie, he racked up 10.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, an interception and four passes defensed. He was named to the 2003 NFL All-Rookie Team and finished fourth in voting for The Associated Press’ Defensive Rookie of the Year.”
Here are the 15 finalists.
- OL Willie Anderson
- QB Drew Brees
- OL Jahri Evans
- WR Larry Fitzgerald
- RB Frank Gore
- WR Torry Holt
- LB Luke Kuechly
- QB Eli Manning
- OLB Terrell Suggs
- K Adam Vinatieri
- WR Reggie Wayne
- DT Kevin Williams
- TE Jason Witten
- S Darren Woodson
- OL Marshal Yanda
Up to five of those guys can be selected this year.
The defender has a strong HOF case as a member of the 2000s All-Decade team with five first-team All-Pro honors and six Pro Bowls. Williams collected 63 sacks, 528 tackles, and five interceptions in his career, scoring four defensive touchdowns. Of his 203 career games, Williams played 171 of them wearing purple.
SI.com’s Will Ragatz commented on Williams’ chances to be enshrined this year: “Williams deserved to reach this point in the process earlier than he did. This is his sixth year of eligibility and his first time even being one of 25 modern-era semifinalists, much less one of 15 finalists. That probably doesn’t bode well for his chances of getting into the Hall next year, along with the fact that the finalist group includes players like Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Frank Gore, Luke Kuechly, Terrell Suggs, and Eli Manning.”
He’s part of a group that includes some quarterbacks with strong cases, as well as offensive stars like Fitzgerald and Gore, who have longevity and statistics on their side. Kuechly and Suggs were — like Williams — among the best defenders of their generation.
Ragatz opined on why Williams should be in: “The case for Williams making the Hall of Fame starts with his five first-team All-Pro nods. There are only nine defensive tackles in NFL history with that many, and seven are in the Hall. The others are Williams and Aaron Donald, who will be a first ballot selection in 2029. There are five DTs with four first team APs, and all five of them are in too — plus several DTs with three or fewer. For a big chunk of the 2000s, Williams had a strong case as the best player in the NFL at his position.”
Unfortunately, there’s a case against him, too.
“The arguments against Williams are that he had a short-ish peak with only six Pro Bowls, his sack numbers aren’t eye-popping, and he may have benefited from playing alongside Pat,” Ragatz added. “There’s also the StarCaps incident that led to a two-game suspension, but the two Williams were using that to try to cut weight for a contract bonus, not mask PED use.”
Vikings defensive linemen in the Hall of Fame include Williams’ teammate Jared Allen, as well as Chris Doleman, Carl Eller, Alan Page, and John Randle.
Regardless of the outcome, Williams’ place in Vikings history is already secure. He was the Ring of Honor inductee in 2021.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.