Four-time Pro Bowler London Fletcher has been selected as a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2024.
Fletcher is part of a group consisting of 25 "Modern-Era" players that was narrowed down from 173 nominees in September. The list includes some of the league's elite who played in the late 1990s to early 2010s, such as cornerback Eric Allen, first-time semifinalist Julius Peppers and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork.
Fletcher, who played in the NFL for 16 years after being an undrafted free agent out of John Carroll, played the final seven years of his career with the Washington franchise, recording 956 tackles, 12 interceptions, 53 pass breakups, nine forced fumbles and 11.5 sacks for the Burgundy & Gold.
Some of Fletcher's best seasons came while he was in Washington, including the 2011 season, when he led the league with 166 tackles to go with eight pass breakups and eight quarterback hits. For being such a pivotal piece of the franchise during his playing career, Fletcher was added to the Ring of Fame in 2019 and named among the team's 90 Greatest in 2022.
For his career, Fletcher is at or near the top of multiple categories. His solo tackles (1,384) are second behind Ray Lewis, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2018. His total tackles (2,039) are also second behind Lewis. He ended his career playing in 256 consecutive games and starting in 2015, which is still the NFL's all-time record for a linebacker.
The list of 25 semifinalists will be trimmed down to 15 players. The Hall of Fame's 50-person selection committee will name the Class of 2024 ahead of Super Bowl LVIII in February. The finalists will be enshrined next August.
Here's the full list of this year's semifinalists:
- Eric Allen,CB
- Jared Allen, DE
- Willie Anderson,T
- Tiki Barber,RB
- Anquan Boldin,WR
- Jahri Evans,G
- London Fletcher,LB
- Dwight Freeney,DE
- Antonio Gates,TE
- Eddie George,RB
- James Harrison,LB
- Rodney Harrison, S
- Devin Hester,PR/KR/WR
- Torry Holt,WR
- Andre Johnson,WR
- Robert Mathis,DE/LB
- Julius Peppers,DE
- Steve Smith Sr.,WR
- Fred Taylor,RB
- Hines Ward,WR
- Ricky Watters,RB
- Reggie Wayne,WR
- Vince Wilfork,DT
- Patrick Willis,LB
- Darren Woodson,S
