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Peyton Manning leads 2021 Hall of Fame nominees

Peyton Manning
Image: Peyton Manning had a 17-year NFL career, playing in Indianapolis for 13 of those

Peyton Manning is the leading name among the list of Pro Football Hall of Fame Class nominees for 2021 announced on Wednesday.

To be considered for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a nominated individual must not have participated as an active player for five consecutive seasons.

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The 130 modern-era nominees listen below will be reduced to 25 semi-finalists in November and 15 finalists in January. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021 will then be revealed during NFL Honors the night before Super Bowl LV.

Manning, a two-time Super Bowl winner and five-time NFL Most Valuable Player, who played 17 seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos is among those newly eligible, along with former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, prolific pass rusher Jared Allen and standout defensive backs Charles Woodson and Charles Tillman.

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First-Year Eligibles

DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 27:  Calvin Johnson #81 of the Detroit Lions warms up prior to the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Ford Field on December 27
Image: Calvin Johnson was a six-time Pro Bowl selection during his time with the Lions from 2007 to 2015

Quarterback - Peyton Manning

Wide Receivers - Calvin Johnson, Wes Welker, Roddy White

Tight End -Heath Miller

Also See:

Running Back - Steven Jackson

Offensive Linemen - D'Brickashaw Ferguson (T), Logan Mankins (G)

Defensive Backs - Charles Tillman (CB), Charles Woodson (CB/S)

Defensive Linemen - Jared Allen (DE), Justin Tuck (DE), Kevin Williams (DT)

Linebacker - Jerod Mayo

Additional Nominees

Reggie Wayne of  Indianapolis Colts runs with the ball during the pre-season game against the Cleveland Browns at Lucas Oil Stadium
Image: Manning's long-time partner-in-crime in Indianapolis, Reggie Wayne is also among the nominees

Quarterback - Drew Bledsoe, Randall Cunningham, Jake Delhomme, Jeff Garcia, Dave Krieg, Donovan McNabb, Steve McNair

Running Backs - Shaun Alexander, Mike Alstott (FB), Tiki Barber, Earnest Byner, Larry Centers, Corey Dillon, Warrick Dunn, Eddie George, Priest Holmes, Jamal Lewis, Eric Metcalf (also WR/KR/PR), Glyn Milburn (also WR/KR/PR), Lorenzo Neal (FB), Fred Taylor, Herschel Walker (also KR), Ricky Watters

Wide Receivers - Donald Driver, Henry Ellard (also PR), Torry Holt, Chad Johnson, Derrick Mason, Muhsin Muhammad, Jimmy Smith, Rod Smith, Hines Ward, Reggie Wayne

Tight Ends - Dallas Clark, Ben Coates, Keith Jackson, Brent Jones, Jeremy Shockey, Wesley Walls

Offensive Linemen - Willie Anderson (T), Matt Birk (C), Tony Boselli (T), Lomas Brown (T), Ruben Brown (G), Alan Faneca (G), Kevin Glover (C/G), Jordan Gross (T), Kent Hull (C), Olin Kreutz (C), Tom Nalen (C), Chris Samuels (T), Jeff Saturday (C), Chris Snee (G), Brian Waters (G), Richmond Webb (T), Erik Williams (T), Steve Wisniewski (G)

Defensive Linemen - John Abraham (DE also LB), Ray Childress (DT/DE), Casey Hampton (DT/NT), La'Roi Glover (DT/NT), Leslie O'Neal (DE), Michael Dean Perry (DT/DE), Simeon Rice (DE), *Richard Seymour (DT), Justin Smith (DE), Neil Smith (DE), Greg Townsend (DE/LB/DT/NT), Adrian Wilson (DE), Bryant Young (DT)

Linebackers - Cornelius Bennett, Lance Briggs, Tedy Bruschi, London Fletcher, Seth Joyner, Clay Matthews, Willie McGinest (also DE), Joey Porter, Sam Mills, Chris Spielman, Takeo Spikes, Pat Swilling (also DE), Darryl Talley, Zach Thomas, Patrick Willis

Defensive Backs - Eric Allen (CB), Ronde Barber (CB/S), LeRoy Butler (S), Nick Collins (S), Rodney Harrison (S), Merton Hanks (S), James Hasty (DB), Albert Lewis (CB), John Lynch (S), Tim McDonald (S), Allen Rossum (DB), Asante Samuel (DB), Bob Sanders (S), Troy Vincent (CB), Darren Woodson (S)

Punters/Kickers - David Akers (K), Gary Anderson (K), Jason Elam (K), Jeff Feagles (P), Jason Hanson (K), John Kasay (K), Sean Landeta (P), Ryan Longwell (K), Nick Lowery (K), Reggie Roby (P), Rohn Stark (P), Matt Turk (P)

Special Teams -Josh Cribbs (KR/PR also WR), Mel Gray (PR/KR also WR), Brian Mitchell (KR/PR also RB), Steve Tasker (ST also WR)

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