This weekend, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will be enshrining eight new members. By this time next year, there could possibly be a class of 20 inductees going into the Hall. On Friday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Board of Trustees announced their approval to allow 20 new members to honor the NFL’s 100th anniversary. Normally, the HOF enshrines a maximum of eight people.
Our proposal to increase the number of Seniors, Contributors and Coaches candidates as part of a special Centennial Class of 2020 was approved by the Hall’s Board of Trustees during its annual meeting.
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) August 2, 2019
More: https://t.co/J7y2kOrb8D pic.twitter.com/2hRRGzjkUd
The potential 20 new members will consist of five modern-era players (eligible players who have been retired for less than 25 years), 10 senior-era players (eligible players who have been retired for more than 25 years), three contributors, and two coaches.
What does this mean for the Chicago Bears? Well, it means that there is a strong possibility of the franchise having another one of their players entering the Hall in 2020—and that player is Jimbo Covert.
As the sixth-overall pick of the 1983 NFL Draft, Covert was a cornerstone for Chicago’s offensive line at tackle, and held that position for eight years before being put on injured reserve for the entire 1991 season and retiring at the year’s end.
More from Chicago Bears News
- Franchise tag and transition tag windows open for Chicago Bears and NFL
- How the Chicago Bears can control the running back market in 2023
- The Chicago Bears can own the city of Chicago moving forward
- Chicago Bears NFL Combine Preview: Quarterback
- 7 best free agent tackle options for Chicago Bears
During his time in the Windy City, Covert started 110 of 111 games played, earned two trips to the Pro Bowl, and was a two-time First-Team All-Pro. In addition, Covert was a part of the unforgettable 1985 Bears Super Bowl championship team, and was named to the NFL’s 1980s All-Decade Team.
As mentioned on Yahoo! Sports, HOF president David Baker said that the increase of inductees for 2020 is “an opportunity to catch up perhaps on some injustices.” Baker went on to say that out of every All-Decade Team, that there are seven players of those teams that aren’t in the HOF.
Obviously, Covert is one of those seven people. With there being 10 slots available for senior-era candidates, and with Covert being a senior-era candidate himself, there seems to be a good chance that the Bears could add another name to their long list of HOFers in Canton, OH next year.