Tom Brady, who is a lock for the 1st ballot Hall of Fame, has over the years advocated for his Patriots teammates—those who played pivotal roles in the dynasty to be accorded the same respect of being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Previously, he advocated for Ty Law, who got inducted in 2019, and now he makes a case for the two-time Super Bowl-winning Safety Rodney Harrison.
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Many Patriots players have been left out of the Hall of Fame and haven’t gotten the recognition they deserve. Brady believes that Rodney Harrison is one of those players. Brady joined Vic Blends on his Deep Cut podcast, where he labeled Harrison as one of the most underrated teammates. Calling him one of the greats, TB12 made a case for his former safety teammate’s name to be enshrined in Canton. Tom asserted that Rodney was one of the most fierce and astute defensive players, whose toughness and physical style complemented his take-no-prisoners approach on the field.
“I’ll say underrated teammate, Rodney Harrison. I mean, to me, he’s one of the greatest football players the league has ever seen, and doesn’t get the recognition,” Brady said. “I mean, he should be in the Hall of Fame. He was as good as a competitor, a defensive player, smart, tough, physical, fu**ing mean out there on the field. And I loved it.”
The Patriots are undoubtedly the most successful franchises in the NFL in the 21st century. However, despite evolving into a dynasty and winning six Super Bowls, many players who contributed to the success haven’t made it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In the history of the franchise, only eleven players were Canton-bound: Ty Law, John Hannah, Nick Buoniconti, Mike Haynes, Richard Seymour, Andre Tippett, Curtis Martin, Randy Moss, Steve McMichael, Darrelle Revis, and Junior Seau. Only Ty Law, Revis, and Seymour have been part of their Lombardy Winning teams.
Like many of his teammates, Harrison, who is already in the Patriots Hall of Fame, deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and has numbers to back it up.
Making a Case for Rodney Harrison in Pro Football Hall of Fame
Rodney Harrison is a player many have called the best teammate and one of the toughest opponents they have faced in their career. So it’s surprising that he continues to get snubbed by the Hall of Fame voters. During his hugely successful 15-year career, he played 186 matches for both the Chargers and the Patriots. He contributed to 1198 tackles, 30.5 sacks (most by a DB), 16 forced fumbles, and 34 interceptions.
He is also only one of twelve players to record at least 20 interceptions and 20 sacks in his career, and the first player to record 30 sacks and 30 picks. Appearing in 4 Super Bowls, and winning two, he also holds the record for the most tackles in the Super Bowls with 33.
As per Sports Illustrated, Harrison was one of the finalists for the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame. This was the first time his name made it to the final list, despite the fact that this is his 11th year of eligibility. However, he was, unfortunately, once again snubbed.
This has become a trend to snub Patriots players from being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Many with lighter resumes have made it to the HOF, yet players like Tedy Bruschi, Kevin Faulk, Matt Light, Willie McGeneist, and several others remain left out.
