FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots revealed two new names among this year's nominations for hall of fame consideration, as recently eligible candidates Julian Edelman and Adam Vinatieri join third-time finalist Logan Mankins. Mankins was also a finalist in 2022 and 2023.
Starting today, Patriots fans are encouraged to vote for the Patriots finalist most deserving of Patriots Hall of Fame induction. Fans can vote on the Patriots website www.patriots.com/hof through midnight EDT on Wednesday, April 30. The team will announce the fans' selection later that week.
This year's inductee will join Bill Parcells, who was named as a contributor to the Patriots Hall of Fame by Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft during a media session on April 1 at the annual league meetings in Palm Beach, Fla. Parcells became the 36th person to be named to the Patriots Hall of Fame. The date and time of this year's ceremony will be announced once confirmed with the two inductees.
Beginning in 2007, the Patriots started a new tradition, inducting at least one player into the team's hall of fame each year. The process involves a panel of media, alumni and staff who collectively nominate the players or head coaches most deserving of induction. After the nominations are made, the committee votes and the top-three tallies become that year's finalists. The Patriots then give fans the opportunity to vote online to select each year's inductee. The Patriots are the only team in the NFL that allows its fans to make the final selection for enshrinement into the franchise's highest individual honor. In addition to the fans annually selecting a nominee for induction, a senior selection committee has added three members to the Patriots Hall of Fame and Kraft has extended the honor to five contributors.
The New England Patriots held their annual nomination committee meeting on Thursday, April 3, to discuss, deliberate and vote for this year's candidates for induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame. Now it is up to the fans to select the 2025 honoree.
More information on each of this year's finalists is listed below in alphabetical order:
Julian Edelman spent his entire 12-year career with the Patriots after originally joining the team as a seventh-round draft pick in the 2009 NFL Draft out of Kent State. He is second in team history with 620 receptions, fourth with 6,822 receiving yards and ninth with 36 receiving touchdowns. He also had 58 rushing attempts for 413 yards, the most rushing attempts and rushing yards by a wide receiver in Patriots history. His 9,869 all-purpose yards are fourth in team history. Edelman sits third in NFL history with 118 postseason receptions, behind Travis Kelce (178) and Jerry Rice (151). He is one of 17 NFL players with at least 1,000 career postseason yards and his 1,442 postseason receiving yards are third all-time, behind Rice (2,245) and Kelce (2,078). A member of three Super Bowl Championship teams, Edelman turned in key performances at crucial moments in all three Super Bowls wins. He was named Super Bowl LIII MVP after finishing with 10 receptions for 141 yards in the win vs. the Los Angeles Rams. Edelman finished with 5 receptions for 87 yards, including a miraculous 23-yard, diving, finger-tip catch late in the fourth quarter of the win vs. Atlanta in Super Bowl LI. He also caught the game-winning, 3-yard touchdown pass with 2:06 left to play in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl XLIX win vs. Seattle. A college quarterback who converted to wide receiver after entering the NFL, Edelman made his mark as a punt returner early in his career. Edelman totaled 177 punt returns for 1,986 yards and an 11.2-yard average, which is the 12th-highest in league annals (minimum 100 punt returns). He holds the team record with 4 punt returns for a touchdown and set a franchise record with a 94-yard punt return for a touchdown vs. Miami on Jan. 2, 2011. During the 2011 season, he was also called on to play defense and finished the season with 10 total tackles as a reserve in the secondary.
Logan Mankins is recognized as one of the best offensive linemen in franchise history. He played nine of his 11 NFL seasons with the New England Patriots after joining the team as a first-round draft pick in 2005. The three-time team captain earned six Pro Bowl selections and six All-Pro honors (2007, 2009-13) during his time with New England, including First-Team Associated Press All-Pro honors following the 2010 season. Despite playing his entire collegiate career as a left tackle, Mankins was moved to left guard when he joined the Patriots and was immediately inserted into the starting lineup. Mankins started all 130 regular season and 17 postseason games in which he appeared as a member of the Patriots. With Mankins in the lineup, the Patriots offense finished in the top 10 in eight of his nine seasons with the Patriots - 2005 (7), 2007 (1), 2008 (5), 2009 (3), 2010 (8), 2011 (2), 2012 (1), 2013 (7). Mankins finished his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014-15), earning a seventh Pro Bowl berth in his final season in 2015. He is a member of two of the Patriots All-Decade Teams (2000s and 2010s) and their 50th Anniversary team. Mankins is a finalist for the team's hall of fame for the third straight time and is the only player to have been selected as a finalist more than once who has not yet been selected into the Patriots Hall of Fame.
Adam Vinatieri earned the reputation as one of the greatest and most clutch placekickers in the history of professional football during his 24 years in the NFL. After joining New England as a first-year free agent out of South Dakota State in 1996, he helped kick off the Patriots dynasty through 2005. He then spent the final 14 years of his career with Indianapolis from 2006-2019, winning a fourth Super Bowl in 2006. Vinatieri is the NFL's all-time leading scorer with 2,673 points, as well as the NFL record-holder for most field goals made (599), postseason points scored (238) and overtime field goals made (12). He is also a member of the NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team and the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team. As a member of the Patriots, Vinatieri was responsible for several of the most crucial field goals in NFL history. In 2001, Vinatieri connected on a 45-yard field goal in blizzard conditions to send the AFC Divisional Playoff game vs. the Oakland Raiders to overtime, and he then won the game on a 23-yard field goal. New England went on to Super Bowl XXXVI that season, and Vinatieri kicked the game-winning 48-yard field goal as time expired to give the Patriots their first Super Bowl victory. Two years later in Super Bowl XXXVII, Vinatieri kicked a 41-yard field goal with four seconds left in the game to secure a second Super Bowl victory for the Patriots in 2003. In his third Super Bowl with New England in 2004, Vinatieri converted a field goal and three extra points in a three-point victory, 24-21, over Philadelphia in Super Bowl XXXIX. His career as a Patriot earned him positions on the New England Patriots All-1990s Team, All-2000s Team, 50th Anniversary Team and All-Dynasty Team.
About The Patriots Hall of Fame presented by RTX
The Patriots Hall of Fame presented by RTX is the crown jewel of Patriot Place and one of the only sports and education experiences of its kind. Through a dazzling array of interactive multimedia exhibits and historical artifacts, the Patriots Hall of Fame presented by RTX showcases the tradition of the New England Patriots, explores the history of football in New England and promotes math and science education for the thousands of schoolchildren who visit each year. It is also home to the Patriots' six Lombardi Trophies. For more information, please visit www.patriotshalloffame.com.
- Houston Antwine (2015)
- Bruce Armstrong (2001)
- Drew Bledsoe (2011)
- Tom Brady (2024)
- Troy Brown (2012)
- Tedy Bruschi (2013)
- Nick Buoniconti (1992)
- Gino Cappelletti (1992)
- Raymond Clayborn (2017)
- Ben Coates (2008)
- Sam Cunningham (2010)
- Bob Dee (1993)
- Kevin Faulk (2016)
- Leon Gray (2019)
- Steve Grogan (1995)
- John Hannah (1991)
- Rodney Harrison (2019)
- Mike Haynes (1994)
- Jim Lee Hunt (1993)
- Ty Law (2014)
- Matt Light (2018)
- Willie McGinest (2015)
- Stanley Morgan (2007)
- Jon Morris (2011)
- Jim Nance (2009)
- Steve Nelson (1993)
- Vito "Babe" Parilli (1993)
- Richard Seymour (2020)
- Andre Tippett (1999)
- Mike Vrabel (2023)
- Vince Wilfork (2022)
Contributors by Year:
- William H. "Billy" Sullivan, Jr. (2009)
- Gil Santos (2013)
- Tracy Sormanti (2021)
- Dante Scarnecchia (2023)
- Bill Parcells (2025)
