NEW ORLEANS – Congratulations to Eric Allen, Jared Allen, Antonio Gates, and Sterling Sharpe.

You are now inducted into the prestigious team celebrating excellence in the sport.

During the NFL Honors program held at the Saenger Theatre on Thursday night, the Pro Football Hall of Fame revealed its Class of 2025, marking a notably exclusive moment. This class is the smallest one inducted in two decades.

Unfortunately, Eli Manning did not make the cut.

The former quarterback for the New York Giants, who earned the Super Bowl MVP title twice, was overlooked by the 49-member selection committee, alongside first-ballot candidates such as Terrell Suggs, Luke Kuechly, Adam Vinatieri, and Marshal Yanda. Coaching finalist Mike Holmgren and other long-time deserving candidates like Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne will also have to wait at least another year for their chance.

Nonetheless, the four who are set to be honored on August 2 in Canton, Ohio, have impressive credentials:

• Sterling Sharpe, selected as a seniors finalist after 26 years of eligibility, is now part of the first-ever Hall of Fame brother duo alongside his brother Shannon. The former wide receiver of the Green Bay Packers had his career prematurely ended due to a neck injury but was a prominent All-Decade player of the 1990s, leading the NFL in receptions three times and surpassing 1,000 receiving yards on five occasions, including a remarkable 112 catches in 1993.

• Antonio Gates, who holds the NFL record for career touchdown receptions by a tight end with 116, was a Pro Bowl selection for eight straight years from 2004 to 2011 and received five All-Pro honors throughout his 16-season tenure with the San Diego Chargers. He was also acknowledged as an All-Decade player for the 2000s and was unexpectedly left out last year as a first-ballot candidate.

• Jared Allen, a four-time first-team All-Pro defensive end, has secured his place as 12th on the NFL’s all-time sack leaderboard with a total of 136 sacks. A five-time finalist, he was the league’s sack leader twice: once during his time with the Kansas City Chiefs and again with the Minnesota Vikings. Allen also shares an NFL record with four safeties during his 12-year career, which included spells with the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers.

• Eric Allen, who spent the first seven years of his 14-season NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles, was a six-time Pro Bowl cornerback. He recorded 54 interceptions, placing him tied for 21st all-time, with eight of those being returned for touchdowns. In 1993, he topped the league with four pick-sixes. Allen also played three seasons with the New Orleans Saints and four with the Oakland Raiders, achieving his induction in his 19th year of eligibility.

This is the first Hall of Fame class to be this small since 2005 (with inductees including Dan Marino, Steve Young, Fritz Pollard, and Bennie Friedman). This is particularly notable because each Hall class since 2013 has included at least seven new members.

What causes such a limited induction number? It appears to stem from changes made to the selection process, which involved a final reduction vote, leading the selection panel to vote for five out of the last seven modern-era candidates. Those who received 80% of the votes would gain induction, a change from the previous method of selecting from a final five with a simple yes or no vote.

Additionally, five other finalists—three from the seniors category and one from the coaches and contributors categories—were voted on separately from the modern-day candidates. Selection panel members voted for three out of the five finalists across these categories, with those achieving 80% also gaining induction.

The Hall of Fame selection committee conducted a virtual meeting in January to determine this year’s class.