The Jacksonville Jaguars only have one member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and it’s former left tackle Tony Boselli. Boselli was the first draft pick in Jaguars history – taken No. 2 overall in the 1995 NFL Draft – and he’s currently the team’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations.
The Hall of Fame just released its list of 128 nominees for the 2026 class and the Jaguars have two chances to add at least one player to that elite group.
Wide receiver Jimmy Smith and running back Fred Taylor are amongst the initial nominees and, frankly, you can make a strong case for each of them.
Jacksonville Jaguars WR Jimmy Smith: 1995-2005
Smith’s career is an interesting one. A second-round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 1992, he played in seven games as a rookie, but didn’t log a single offensive stat. He was injured all of 1993 and was out of football in 1994. Just reading that, one would think he’d never get another realistic chance again in the NFL.
But, the Jaguars acquired him before their 1995 inaugural expansion season and the rest is history.
“During Smith’s epic run with the Jaguars, he made five consecutive Pro Bowls from 1997-2001 and led the NFL at that time with a combined 479 catches and 6,728 yards, along with 34 touchdown catches,” writes Sports Illustrated’s John Shipley.
“In total, Smith ended his career holding essentially every major Jaguars receiving record and as of today he is No. 51 all-time in career receiving touchdowns (67), No. 24 in receptions (862), No. 24 in receiving yards (12,287), No. 10 in yards per reception (16.1) and No. 23 in receiving yards per game (22).”
Smith’s former quarterback Mark Brunell (this is back when the Jaguars were good and relevant) says Smith is the best receiver he’s ever played with.
“The best receiver I’ve been around,” Brunell said. “It was an honor for me to be on the same field with him.”
Praise is certainly not the currency of former Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin, but he made an exception in Smith’s case.
“If you were going to single cover Jimmy Smith, the ball was going to him,” Coughlin said. “He was a difference maker. He was a humble athlete who was very respectful of the game, of his coaching staff and the opportunity.”
Jacksonville Jaguars RB Fred Taylor: 1998-2008
Drafted with the No. 9-overall pick in 1998 out of the University of Florida, Taylor had some early injuries in his career that led to the nickname “Fragile Fred.” Sadly, it stuck for many even though it wasn’t true. You simply don’t have his longevity and rack up those kinds of career numbers if you’re hurt all the time.
“Taylor recorded 13,632 total yards and 70 touchdowns in his career, with the vast majority of those coming with Jacksonville,” Shipley writes. “He is the all-time leading rusher in franchise history with 11,271 yards, more than 3,000 more than the back behind him. He ranks No. 17 in rushing yards all-time.
“When it comes to his production during his career, which spanned from 1998 to 2010, Taylor marked most of the boxes. He ran for at least 1,000 yards in seven of his 13 seasons and scored 32 rushing touchdowns in his first three seasons alone.”