The Hall of Fame football game kicks off the 2024 NFL preseason. The game takes place on August 1st, 2024. The Houston Texans play the Chicago Bears in this year’s game at 8 PM ET. The game takes place at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium located in Canton, Ohio. Later that weekend, fans will get to see the seven class of 2024 inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 3rd, 2024.
Hall of Fame Football Game and Induction Schedule
The NFL Hall of Fame football game isn’t the only big event for induction week. It’s just the big game. Once we get to see the Texans play the Bears on August 1st, the NFL Hall of Fame induction ceremony schedule kicks off on August 3rd at 12 PM. Both events are being broadcast nationally.
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | TV |
| 8/1/2024 | 8:00 PM | HOF Game (Texans vs Bears) | ESPN, ABC, ESPN Deportes |
| 8/3 | 12:00 PM | HOF Induction Ceremony | ESPN, NFL Network |
Who were the 15 Finalists for the NFL Hall of Fame?
In December, the list of candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame was publicly announced. This was a reduction from the initial pool of players being considered for induction to the Hall. Here is the finalists list.
| Eric Allen, CB – 1988-1994 Philadelphia Eagles, 1995-97 New Orleans Saints, 1998-2001 Oakland Raiders (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2021-24) |
| Jared Allen, DE – 2004-07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2008-2013 Minnesota Vikings, 2014-15 Chicago Bears, 2015 Carolina Panthers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2021-24) |
| Willie Anderson, T – 1996-2007 Cincinnati Bengals, 2008 Baltimore Ravens | (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2021-24) |
| Jahri Evans, G – 2006-2016 New Orleans Saints, 2017 Green Bay Packers |
| Dwight Freeney, DE – 2002-2012 Indianapolis Colts, 2013-14 San Diego Chargers, 2015 Arizona Cardinals, 2016 Atlanta Falcons, 2017 Seattle Seahawks, 2017 Detroit Lions |
| Antonio Gates, TE – 2003-2018 San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers |
| Rodney Harrison, S – 1994-2002 San Diego Chargers, 2003-08 New England Patriots |
| Devin Hester, PR/KR/WR – 2006-2013 Chicago Bears, 2014-15 Atlanta Falcons, 2016 Baltimore Ravens |
| Torry Holt, WR – 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Andre Johnson, WR – 2003-2014 Houston Texans, 2015 Indianapolis Colts, 2016 Tennessee Titans |
| Robert Mathis, DE/LB – 2003-2016 Indianapolis Colts |
| Julius Peppers, DE – 2002-09, 2017-18 Carolina Panthers, 2010-13 Chicago Bears, 2014-15 Green Bay Packers |
| Fred Taylor, RB – 1998-2008 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2009-2010 New England Patriots |
| Reggie Wayne, WR – 2001-2014 Indianapolis Colt |
| Patrick Willis, LB – 2007-2014 San Francisco 49ers |
| Darren Woodson, S – 1992-2003 Dallas Cowboys |
NFL Hall of Fame Class of 2024
The former players who earned a spot in the NFL Hall of Fame got to be announced on February 8th, 2024. For a player or coach to be eligible, they have to have been retired for at least five years. After the 2024 class, there will be more than 300 players and coaches in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The newest members who will be inducted to the Hall on August 3rd are:
- Defensive end/outside linebacker Dwight Freeney
- Linebacker Randy Gradishar
- Kick returner/punt returner/wide receiver Devon Hester
- Wide receiver Andre Johnson
- Defensive tackle/nose tackle Steve McMichael
- Defensive end/linebacker Julius Peppers
- Linebacker Patrick Willis.
2024 NFL Preseason Schedule
The 2024 NFL Preseason schedule gets started in earnest one week after the Hall of Fame game. The first game is on August 8th, 2024. The preseason consists of three weeks of game play before it’s time for the NFL regular season schedule to kick off. There will be 17 weeks of regular season play this year again. You can check out the NFL schedule grid to see all of the team schedules and bye weeks on a single page as well. Of course, if you want to see where you team sits with all of the past Super Bowl winners, that list is up too.
