Former Vikings All-Pro keeps getting snubbed by the Hall of Fame

Despite an excellent playing career in the NFL, former Minnesota Vikings defender Kevin Williams keeps getting snubbed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

During his career with the Minnesota Vikings from 2003 to 2013, Kevin Williams was one of the best interior defensive tackles in the NFL, and this was proven by his five First-Team All-Pro selections and his six trips to the Pro Bowl. A handful of First-Team All-Pro selections would seem like a clear path to a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for Williams, but apparently not.

Recently, the semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame 2023 class were announced, and Williams‘ name was nowhere to be found on the list.

Instead, former NFL players like Robert Mathis, Vince Wilfork, and Rodney Harrison were among the group of 28 semi-finalists for the 2023 class. Other than the fact that all three won at least one Super Bowl during their pro careers, there is no reason why Mathis, Wilfork, or Harrison should have been named a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame over Williams.

Why does former Vikings DT Kevin Williams get no love from the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

So how does someone like Williams, who had more First-Team All-Pro selections in his NFL career than current Hall of Fame defensive linemen Warren Sapp, Cortez Kennedy, Joe Greene, and Bryant Young, not even get a spot among the semifinalists for the 2023 class?

In all likelihood, it probably has to do with his teams being unable to win a championship during his tenure with them. It’s not a huge surprise, but players that are members of Super Bowl-winning teams are viewed in a more favorable light by Hall of Fame voters.

Still, Williams was one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL for the majority of his career in the league. He was even voted to the All-2000s Team by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

What more did Williams need to do during his career to convince Hall of Fame voters that he’s worthy of getting his own bronze bust in Canton? Would he at least be a semifinalist this year if the Vikings were able to win the Super Bowl in 2009?

Unfortunately, that’s something that we’ll probably never be able to find out. For now, we must wait another year to see if Williams is even viewed as a possibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and that’s a damn shame.