Simeon Rice dominated the NFL for the better part of a decade and now he is getting strong consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On Wednesday, the Hall announced its top 52 candidates for the Class of 2026, down from an initial list of 128 players revealed in September, and the list included Rice among five former Buccaneers.
Rice has a strong case for enshrinement in Canton, as detailed here.
Rice is one of six former Buccaneers to make the cut to 52 in 2025. That list also includes running backs Warrick Dunn and LeSean McCoy, fullback Lorenzo Neal, guard Logan Mankins and tackle Lomas Brown.
Rice recorded 101.5 sacks from 1998 through 2005. Since the sack became an official statistic in 1982, every player eligible for the Hall of Fame who had 100-plus sacks over an eight-year period, other than Rice, has received a bronze bust and a gold jacket.
Rice ranked in the top five in sacks in five of his 12 seasons. Only Reggie White (7) and Bruce Smith (6) did so more often, and both are in the Hall of Fame. Eight other edge rushers have been inducted into the Hall of Fame since 2013 and among that group Rice's average of 10.17 sacks per season ranks fourth.