Football historian believes Bengals legend is next up for Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement

183 former NFL players have been selected as initial senior nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Five of them are Cincinnati Bengals, including, once again, Ken Anderson .

The 1981 NFL MVP has been here before . He's been named a senior finalist in each of the past two years but has not gotten the call from Canton yet.

But of all 16 quarterbacks who are also nominees, Anderson looks to have the best chance of getting in.

John Turney, the editor of Pro Football Journal and revered football history writer for Talk of Fame Two, laid out the case for Anderson as the senior quarterback to be enshrined .

"He's been a finalist twice and was on the Hall's preliminary list 20 times. He's a four-time NFL passing leader and was the NFL's MVP in 1981 when he led the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl, where they lost to San Francisco, 26-20. The knock on Anderson is the donut hole in the middle of his career. After a few excellent seasons, he was in the doldrums for four years. "Who Dey" fans think it's criminal that he's not already in the Hall of Fame, but, unlike others, at least he's had his case discussed and been close. However, that could change. If any of these 16 ever end up with a bronze bust, it's the man from tiny Augustana College. "

Anderson is among impressive company. Jim Plunkett, Phil Simms, Joe Theismann, Doug Williams, and another former Bengals MVP Boomer Esiason are just a few who make up the 16-QB group that Anderson headlines.

Some of those quarterbacks were able to do something Anderson never accomplished: Win a Super Bowl. Despite that, Anderson has a more important advantage over his contemporaries.

As Turney mentions, Anderson has been on the mind of the voters in recent years. Being a finalist multiple times in consecutive years. Consistently remaining in the conversation is how you can break through, and Anderson has that going for him on top of a career defined by accuracy ahead of his time.

The Bengals had a senior nominee inducted last year in Ken Riley, who passed away back in 2020. Two years of separation give the voters no excuse to ignore another former Bengals great.

The list of 183 will shrink to 50 in a matter of weeks. Anderson will undoubtedly make that cut, it's the final cutdown that will have Bengals fans holding their breath for the 75-year old.

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