2021 was always going to be a difficult year for former Miami Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas to make the cut into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The class was effectively only going to accommodate three players this year thanks to the presence of both Peyton Manning and Charles Woodson as first-ballot candidates — both have slam dunk resumes. But when the committee is going to vote for Calvin Johnson as a third first-ballot addition in the same year? That’s a tough break for Thomas; as is the momentum that former Bucs and Broncos safety John Lynch was able to build for his own 2021 induction.
Lynch was the candidate Thomas seemed to be competing with the most; and the case could be made that Thomas still has a better final resume when you stack up their career accolades.
But Lynch will go down as a Hall of Famer before Thomas, who feels on the doorstep after two consecutive near-misses with induction. For Thomas, the wait extends to 2022 — but Thomas did offer congratulations to the five modern-era players who were announced to make the cut last night during the 10th annual NFL Honors event:
Statement from Zach Thomas. pic.twitter.com/67Pub4XKEB
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) February 7, 2021
If you were hoping or expecting Thomas to make a fuss, you’ll be sorely disappointed — but this is who Thomas is off the field. His day will come. And it will hopefully come before his window to be inducted as a modern-era player comes and goes. But 2021 will, once again, not be the year for Zach Thomas to serve as the Dolphins’ next inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And given Miami’s “dark age” of the franchise that followed in the last 15 years, Thomas will continue to be the team’s best hope for another induction over the next few years. So keep your fingers crossed for 2022, Dolphins fans.
