Kreutz, Briggs and Tillman nominated for Hall of Fame

Three former Bears stars — center Olin Kreutz, linebacker Lance Briggs and cornerback Charles Tillman — are among the 167 nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Modern-Era Class of 2025.

Kreutz was selected by the Bears in the third round of the 1998 draft out of Washington. He was voted to six Pro Bowls during his 13 seasons in Chicago from 1998-2010, anchoring the offensive line and winning four division championships and one conference title. The Washington product appeared in 191 games with 183 starts with the Bears, one shy of the franchise record held by Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton.

Tillman and Briggs were selected by the Bears in the second and third rounds, respectively, of the 2003 draft.

Tillman played his first 12 NFL seasons with the Bears from 2003-14 before spending his final year with the Carolina Panthers. He was part of a dominant defense that helped the Bears win three NFC North titles and one conference championship. He set team records with nine defensive touchdowns, eight interception return TDs and 675 interception return yards. His 36 interceptions are the most by a cornerback in team history and third most overall behind safeties Gary Fencik (38) and Richie Petitbon (37).

Tillman is known for knocking the ball away from opponents, a technique called the “Peanut Punch.” He forced 42 fumbles in 12 seasons, including a personal best of 10 in 2012 when he was voted to the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive year.

Briggs was selected to seven Pro Bowls while spending his entire 12-year NFL career in Chicago from 2003-14. He appeared in 173 games with 170 starts, recording 1,566 tackles, 15 sacks, 16 interceptions and 18 forced fumbles. His six defensive touchdowns are third-most in Bears history and his five interception return TDs are second-most. Briggs was the first linebacker in NFL history to return an interception for a touchdown in each of his first three seasons.

Other Modern Era nominees for the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 who played for the Bears but spent the majority of their careers with other teams include quarterback Doug Flutie; running backs Thomas Jones and Glyn Milburn; receivers Brandon Marshall and Muhsin Muhammad; offensive linemen Ruben Brown and Josh Sitton; defensive linemen Jared Allen, Clyde Simmons and Ted Washington; and linebacker/special teams star Brendon Ayanbadejo.

The nominees consist of 94 offensive players, 56 defensive players and 17 special teams players.

In the next step of the selection process, a screening committee will narrow the list down to 50 candidates. The results will be announced in mid-October.

The full 50-person Hall of Fame Selection Committee will then narrow the list down to 25 semifinalists this fall. Another vote will create the list of 15 finalists who will be discussed at the annual meeting prior to Super Bowl LVIX that will produce the new class, which could include 3-5 Modern-Era Players.

Twenty finalists will be presented during the annual meeting of the 50-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee to determine the class of 2025. These candidates include 15 Modern-Era Players Finalists, three Seniors Finalists, one Coach Finalist and one Contributor Finalist.

The selection committee will meet next year on a date yet to be determined prior to Super Bowl LVIX. While there is no set number for a class of enshrinees, the bylaws of the selection process state that 4-8 new members will be selected.

Finalists must receive at least 80% support from the selection committee to be included in the Class of 2025. The Modern-Era Player Finalists are narrowed from 15 to 10, and then to seven at the annual selection meeting. The committee members then vote on five of the seven finalists.