There's no better team game than football. Individual efforts blend in unison for a greater goal. Each play call considers all 22 men on the field. The hope is the play called in your team's huddle works better than that of the opponent. Each time any conversation mentions the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl collision, that discussion morphs into others about coaching IQs, chess matches, and individual matchups.
Super Bowl LIX doubles as a buffet for the football junkie. There are so many takeaways and angles, so many stars who can be dissected and studied for days.
Why? It's simple. Though football is the ultimate team game. It also welcomes the beauty of great individual moments and achievements. If guys are lucky, they'll be remembered forever like Eric Allen, who now finally takes his rightful place among football's immortals as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2025 class.
The guys on this list strengthen their chances of also one day being enshrined. Their efforts on the Super Bowl's stage certainly further their arguments.
RT Lane Johnson
Though we hate bringing this up, it is a part of his story. The only thing that could possibly stand in the way of Lane Johnson's enshrinement is the knowledge of the suspensions he endured early in his career.
What's most intriguing about Lane's story is that once he cleaned his life up and gave up the enhancers, he improved as a football player. This run he's been on in the back half of his career is the stuff of legend.
He has stated he'll play at least one more season which will only add to the legend, but the current resume may already be good enough to get him enshrined once he's done playing.
RB Saquon Barkley
Saquon Barkley's first season with Philly has everyone asking the same question. Where might he be on history's ladder had he played for a contender a lot sooner?
Barkley didn't just elevate his game by joining the Eagles. He produced arguably the greatest season by a tailback in NFL history.
He's done two things. He's further proven the New York Giants are no longer a first-class organization, and he's gone from a great talent who played on bad teams to setting himself up for a Hall of Fame-worthy close to his career.
CB Darius Slay
The resume is already impressive: Darius Slay earned a First-Team All-Pro nod in 2017 following a season where he led the NFL in interceptions. He has found his way onto six Pro Bowl rosters (2017–2019, 2021–2023).
A Super Bowl win doesn't guarantee Darius Slay punches his ticket to Canton, but it makes the argument more tangible. Some might still say he's fringe guy either way though.
GM Howie Roseman
Howie Roseman is amazing. He has drafted future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees. He has helped lead Philly to three Super Bowls with two different head coaches. Winning a second Lombardi Trophy almost guarantees his ticket is punched to the land of football's immortals.
