Former Ravens stars Terrell Suggs and Marshal Yanda are one step closer to becoming first-ballot Hall of Famers.
Suggs, a linebacker who spent 15 years in Baltimore (2003 to 2018), and Yanda, an offensive lineman who spent his entire career as a Raven (2007 to 2019), were among the nine 2025 Modern-Era Player finalists, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Saturday. That list has been whittled down from 167 nominees.
The selection committee can choose up to five Modern-Era Players to be immortalized with a bust in Canton, Ohio.
The inductees will be announced Feb. 6 from the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans during Super Bowl weekend — whether the current Ravens get there or not. The show will air on Fox and NFL Network, starting at 9 p.m. ET.
“My thoughts are both of those guys should be first-ballot Hall of Famers,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said when Suggs and Yanda were initially nominated in September. “There’s no question in my mind that they both deserve that honor. I’ll be rooting for them.”
Should Suggs and Yanda be inducted, they would join a starry cast of former Ravens to be voted first-ballot Hall of Famers. That short list includes left tackle Jonathan Ogden, linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed.
In a recent video message posted on the team’s website for their Hall of Fame nod, Lewis called Yanda one of the toughest football players he’s ever seen and Harbaugh tipped his cap to Suggs, saying, “The history of the Ravens in so many ways is built on Terrell Suggs.”
Two other short-term Ravens made the most recent cut as well. Wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. played in Carolina from 2001 to 2013 but finished his career in Baltimore, catching passes from Joe Flacco from 2014 to 2016. Left tackle Willie Anderson spent 11 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals before finishing his career with the Ravens in 2008.
Suggs and Yanda aren’t the only players vying for first-ballot Hall of Fame status. Five-time All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly, two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Eli Manning and kicker Adam Vinatieri, who is the NFL’s all-time points leader, are all also in their first year of eligibility.
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