One of the three finalists will join a class also featuring former head coach Bill Parcells.
Three franchise legends are on the verge of receiving the New England Patriots’ highest individual honor.
As was announced by the organization on Thursday, Julian Edelman, Logan Mankins and Adam Vinatieri are this year’s finalists for the Patriots Hall of Fame. Edelman and Vinatieri are first-timers in this position, while Mankins was an unsuccesful finalist in 2022 and 2023.
Starting on Thursday and through Wednesday, April 30, fans can cast votes for their favoite candidates on the Patriots’ website. The selection, who will become the 37th member of the Patritos Hall of Fame, is expected to be announced by the team in early May.
Edelman, 38, joined the Patriots as a seventh-round draft pick out of Kent State in 2009. Originally a quarterback in college, he made the move to wide receiver and developed into one of the team’s most reliable players of its second dynastic run. In total, he appeared in 137 regular season games over the course of his 12-year career and caught 620 passes for 6,822 yards and 36 touchdowns. A prolific postseason receiver and three-time Super Bowl champion, he also was the recipient of 118 playoff passes for 1,442 yards and 5 TDs. Besides his work as a receiver, Edelman also served as a punt returner, part-time thrower and part-time defensive back. He was voted MVP of Super Bowl LIII and named to the Patriots’ Team of the 2010s.
Mankins, 42, came to Foxboro as the 32nd overall selection in the 2005 NFL draft. The Fresno State product went on to start a combined 147 regular season and playoff games for the franchise and was named to its All-2000s Team and 50th Anniversary Team. He also was a three-time team captain who as voted to six Pro Bowls and All-Pro teams each. Joining the Patriots immediately after their third Super Bowl, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014 training camp — right before they went on their fourth championship run.
Vinatieri, 52, arrived as an undrafted free agent out of South Dakota State in 1996. He spent the first 10 seasons of his 24-year NFL career in New England, and was a cornerstone of three Super Bowl-winning teams. He kicked game-winning field goals in two of those championship efforts, and additionally made arguably the best kick in NFL history when he split the uprights from 45 yards out in a 2001 divisional round win over the Oakland Raiders. Vinatieri, who spent his final 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, made 81.9 percent of his regular season field goals as a Patriot and 76.5 percent in the playoffs. Arguably the most clutch kicker the NFL has ever seen, he was named to the league’s 100th Anniversary Team and the All-Decade Team of the 2000s.
One of the three will join Bill Parcells in this year’s Patriots Hall of Fame class. As was announced at last week’s NFL meeting, the former head coach was chosen as a contributor by team owner Robert Kraft.
The date and time of the 2025 Hall of Fame ceremony has yet to be made official.