The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2026 class is just around the corner, and while the anticipation is building, two glaring omissions are already making headlines: longtime New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and the architect of the Patriots dynasty, eight-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Belichick.
Now, let’s be clear - both Kraft and Belichick have resumes that scream “Canton.” Kraft helped turn the Patriots into one of the NFL’s model franchises, and Belichick’s coaching legacy is unmatched in the modern era. But neither will be part of this year’s class, and that’s raising more than a few eyebrows.
There’s been plenty of speculation about why. Some point to the cloud of controversy that’s followed the Patriots over the years - from Spygate to Deflategate - while others suggest Belichick’s famously icy relationship with the media hasn’t exactly earned him many favors.
Then there’s the structure of the Hall of Fame voting process itself, which only allows a limited number of candidates to be inducted each year. That limitation becomes even more complicated when you realize that coaches, owners, and senior players all share the same ballot.
So when it comes down to a numbers game, someone’s getting left out - and this year, that someone is both Belichick and Kraft.
But while the football world debates the politics behind the process, there’s another name that deserves far more attention than it’s getting - and that’s Jamaal Charles.
Jamaal Charles - RB, Kansas City Chiefs (2008-2016)
Let’s talk about Charles, because if we’re being honest, the fact that he’s still on the outside looking in is one of the most puzzling omissions in recent memory.
Sure, he doesn’t have a Super Bowl ring or gaudy cumulative stats like some of the other backs enshrined in Canton. But the numbers he does have tell a story of rare, explosive efficiency - the kind of impact that doesn’t always show up in total yardage but is impossible to ignore if you actually watched him play.
Start with this: Charles rushed for 7,563 yards in his career - just 44 yards shy of Hall of Famer Terrell Davis. And while Davis had the benefit of playing on a dominant Broncos team that won two Super Bowls, Charles spent much of his career carrying Chiefs offenses that weren’t exactly loaded with firepower.
But here’s where Charles separates himself: he holds the all-time NFL record for yards per carry (5.4) among running backs with at least 1,000 career attempts. That’s not just good - that’s elite.
That’s historically great. No other modern back has combined burst, vision, and acceleration quite like Charles did.
He could go from zero to 60 in a blink, and when he hit the second level, defenders were left grasping at air.
Even if you drop the 1,000-carry threshold, Charles still ranks second all-time in yards per attempt, behind only Marion Motley - a Hall of Famer who played in a completely different era and logged nearly 3,000 fewer rushing yards than Charles.
What Charles did with the ball in his hands wasn’t just efficient - it was electric. He didn’t need 25 carries a game to make his mark.
He could change the game in one play, whether it was a 91-yard sprint to the house or a perfectly timed screen pass that turned into six points. His ability to create something out of nothing made him one of the most dangerous offensive weapons of his generation.
And yet, somehow, he remains on the outside looking in.
The Hall of Fame is supposed to recognize greatness - not just in terms of longevity or rings, but in terms of pure football excellence. Jamaal Charles brought that every time he stepped on the field.
He may not have the same number of Pro Bowls or postseason accolades as some of his peers, but his impact was undeniable. He was the engine of the Chiefs’ offense for nearly a decade, and when healthy, there were few backs - if any - who could match his explosiveness or efficiency.
So while the conversation around this year’s Hall of Fame class will inevitably focus on the absence of Belichick and Kraft, let’s not forget the players who continue to get overlooked despite putting together careers that were nothing short of remarkable.
Jamaal Charles belongs in Canton. The numbers back it up.
The tape backs it up. And anyone who watched him play knows it.