CLEVELAND, Ohio — Former Browns linebacker Clay Matthews Jr. has another shot to get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Tuesday, the Hall of Fame announced 31 senior players who are still in consideration to be part of the Class of 2025, and Matthews made the cut.
From the 31 players, the Hall of Fame will narrow this group down to nine semifinalists within about three weeks, and then eventually down to three player finalists in consideration to join the Class of 2025.
Matthews was a finalist in 2021, his last year as part of the modern player pool, but he did not get inducted. As a result, Matthews is now in the senior player pool, which is reserved for players who have been retired for at least 25 years.
He was a semifinalist in the senior pool in 2023 but did not become a finalist. Randy Gradishar and Steve McMichael were the two senior players who were inducted into the Class of 2024.
Matthews played 19 seasons in the NFL, 16 of which were with the Browns. He was a four-time Pro Bowler, all with the Browns, and was a key part of Cleveland teams that went to the AFC Championship Game three times in four seasons.
He finished with career with 1,595 tackles, 82.5 sacks, 27 forced fumbles and 16 interceptions.
Here are the 31 remaining semifinalists in the senior pool:
Quarterbacks: Ken Anderson, Charlie Conerly, Jim Plunkett.
Running backs: Ottis Anderson, Roger Craig, Chuck Foreman, Cecil Isbell, Paul “Tank” Younger.
Wide receivers: Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, Stanley Morgan, Art Powell, Sterling Sharpe, Otis Taylor.
Offensive linemen: Ox Emerson, Joe Jacoby, Mike Kenn, Bob Kuechenberg, George Kunz, Jim Tyrer, Al Wistert.
Defensive linemen: Jim Marshall, Harvey Martin.
Linebackers: Carl Banks, Maxie Baughan, Larry Grantham, Clay Matthews Jr., Tommy Nobis.
Defensive backs: Lester Hayes, Albert Lewis, Eddie Meador, Everson Walls.