2025 Pre-Season Rank #64, 2024 Pre-Season Rank #75, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #120, 2022 Pre-Season Rank: #140. Peak Period: 2021-25

Over the last few seasons, the profile of Joe Thuney rose to the point where he is nationally recognized as one of the top pass protectors in the National Football League, and legendary Quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes will tell you that firsthand.

Thuney helped anchor both Brady’s New England Patriots and Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs to two Super Bowl Championships.  In 2025, Thuney joined the Chicago Bears, and in his first campaign in the Windy City, he was just as dominant.  Last season, he added his fourth straight Pro Bowl and third straight First Team All-Pro, and is positioning himself for a coveted All-Decade selection.

Thuney’s next two seasons will likely determine his Hall of Fame bust.

One of the better dual-threat Running Backs of his era, Matt Forte was a surprise starter as a rookie in a season that would see him rush for over 1,200 Yards and finish seventh in the league.  The product of Tulane early established himself as a solid receiving back with 63 Receptions and he quickly became a favorite of the Chicago Bears’ fanbase.  Forte played for Chicago for eight seasons, and while he was named to the Pro Bowl twice (2011 & 2013), cases could have easily been made for him in other seasons.  He had five seasons in which he went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark and six 50 Reception seasons, punctuated by a 102-catch campaign in 2014.  As a testament to his offensive versatility, Forte would finish in the top ten in yards from scrimmage, highlighted by a 1,933-yard year in 2013. 

Forte signed with the New York Jets, where he played the last two years of his career, but he returned to Chicago to sign a one-day contract so he could retire as a Bear.  His career would end with 9,796 Rushing Yards, 4,672 Receiving Yards, 75 Touchdowns and 14,468 Yards From Scrimmage.

A very significant retirement took place in the NFL that perhaps is not getting the attention it deserves. 

Now former Defensive Back, Charles Tillman has announced that he is calling it a career after thirteen seasons, all but one of with were with the Chicago Bears.

Tillman was drafted in the second round in 2003 and quickly the Cornerback would be forced to compete against elite wideouts in the NFC North.  Tillman would accumulate 38 Interceptions and in 2012 was named a First Team All Pro.  He was also a two time Pro Bowl Selection. 

While he may not have the credentials to be a future Pro Football Hall of Famer, he will eligible in 2021 for those inclined to vote for him.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to thank Charles Tillman for the memories and wish him best on his post-NFL career.

Playing his entire twelve-year career with the Chicago Bears, Lance Briggs was often in the shadow of teammate Brian Urlacher, but he was nevertheless a star in the National Football League. Briggs made seven consecutive Pro Bowls and had a versatile skill set, but his name is never mentioned in Canton circles.  It is more likely that the Hall will not advance him past the Preliminary stage.

Super Bowl Shuffle
Highest Billboard Position:
#41 in 1985

The Chicago Bears had many stars throughout the 1980s, and many were flashy and unforgettable.  Jay Hilgenberg was an unsung hero of that squad and an anchor of the Offensive Line.

For eleven seasons, Jay Hilgenberg played Center for Chicago.  On seven of those campaigns, Hilgenberg was named to the Pro Bowl and twice was a First Team All-Pro.  His game really blossomed in the magical Super Bowl Season of 1985, and it was there that he became one of the most consistent centers of the decade, though he is often overlooked because of the loaded team he played on.

Despite those seven consecutive Pro Bowl appearances, he was always in the shadow of much bigger stars in Chicago.  Still, his resume may warrant a look from the Hall in the future.

Spending all but one of his professional seasons with the Chicago Bears, Olin Kreutz was chosen to represent Chicago six consecutive seasons in the Pro Bowl. The former Center was a mainstay on Chicago’s Offensive Line for years and was selected to the NFL 2000’s All-Decade Team. As a star Center, he might have an interesting case for the Professional Football Hall of Fame, but Centers do not often hear their names called from Canton.