Do new HOF rules mean legendary Broncos coach has to wait longer?

Did the Pro Football Hall of Fame just pull a fast one on Mike Shanahan?

The legendary NFL head coach was in charge of the Denver Broncos from 1995 until 2008, and amassed a 138-86-0 record in his time with the team, including back-to-back Super Bowl victories following the 1997 and 1998 seasons.

Shanahan also had success coaching in Washington, but Broncos fans know that it’s his accomplishments with that team that have made him a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame. Shanahan retired in 2013, and under old HOF rules had to wait five years to be eligible for enshrinement.

Those rules changed on Friday, however. The waiting period for coaching candidates to get in has been reduced from five years to one, so a coach needs to be out of the game for just one season before being eligible for the Hall. That rule change had big implications for Bill Belichick, who is heading into his first offseason as an unemployed NFL coach after being fired by the New England Patriots following the 2023-24 campaign.

Theoretically, that could have extended Shanahan’s wait for the Hall of Fame even longer. Despite being eligible for induction for several years, Shanahan has had to wait as coaches like Jimmy Johnson and Bill Cowher received their gold jackets. Both are deserving coaches, and Bill Belichick is obviously one of the best of all time to don the headset, but Shanahan is every bit as deserving.

Fortunately for the coach and Broncos fans, the rule change does not affect Shanahan’s chances of being inducted in 2025. The new rule won’t officially take hold until next season, so the first chance Belichick will have to be inducted will be 2026, not 2025.

That still doesn’t guarantee Shanahan gets in next year, but there are no Hall of Fame voters who could argue with a straight face that he doesn’t deserve induction sooner or later. Broncos fans have their fingers crossed that the answer falls on the “sooner” side of that spectrum.