Jahri Evans of the New Orleans Saints falls short in the Hall of Fame voting
Jahri Evans, a former offensive guard for the New Orleans Saints, came very close to being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024. Evans, forty, was among the fifteen finalists that were declared on Thursday morning. He narrowly lost out in the final selection procedure, though.
The 13th Annual NFL Honors Ceremony took place on Thursday night and featured several postseason prizes, including the most recent Hall of Fame elections. DE Dwight Freeney, KR Devin Hester, WR Andre Johnson, DE Julius Peppers, LB Patrick Willis, LB Randy Gradishar, and DE Steve McMichael are the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees.
Expansions A few well-known athletes who narrowly missed the cut included Evans, Torry Holt, Reggie Wayne, and former Saints wide receiver Eric Allen. Evans was a second-year eligible student. Having placed in the semifinals the previous year, he is going one better this time.
Jahri Evans went to Frankfort High School and was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He played Division II basketball for Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, where he was named to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference all three seasons that he was a player. Two Divisional II All-American titles were won by him.
Evans was chosen by the New Orleans Saints with the 108th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He was a member of the Saints draft class that featured franchise icons Reggie Bush, Roman Harper, Zach Strief, and Marques Colston. It was Sean Payton’s first draft class with the organization.
Evans started for New Orleans right guard right away. Between 2006 and 2013, he would actually lead the squad to 122 straight starts, including playoff games. Evans played for the Saints for 11 years, starting 193 of 200 games that he could have.
Six-time Pro Bowler and four-time First Team All-Pro selection, Evans was an important part of a historically strong New Orleans offense that won the Super Bowl XLIV triumph. Pro Football Reference and the Pro Football Hall of Fame selected him for the 2010 All-Decade Team. Evans, one of the greatest interior linemen of his generation, played for the Green Bay Packers until the end of his career in 2017.
Evans was selected for the Saints 50th Anniversary Team in 2016 and inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame in 2020. For the previous two seasons, he has served as New Orleans’ assistant offensive line coach.
Players that played their entire careers for New Orleans and are now inducted into the Hall of Fame include linebacker Rickey Jackson, offensive lineman Willie Roaf, tight end Morten Andersen, and linebacker Sam Mills. Jim Finks, the former general manager, is also inducted among them. Jahri Evans will have many chances to cement his deserved place among the greatest players of all time after falling up just short.
