New York Jets

Kevin Mawae belongs in Pro Football Hall of Fame

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:53 p.m. ET

Fansided, Michael Pallas/FanSided via The Jet Press

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced their 15 modern-era finalists. A New York Jets mainstay, and probably the best to ever play his position for the team, is finally on the list: Kevin Mawae.

After three seasons of eligibility, center Kevin Mawae is a finalist. There’s no doubt the New York Jets great belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

He was great as a center for the Jets that spanned eight seasons in his tenure. His peers also thought highly of him. He made six consecutive Pro Bowls from 1999-2004. In addition to that, he was a First Team All-Pro in 1999 and 2001.

He played in all 16 regular season games for ten consecutive seasons. He was also named to the Pro Bowl on two other occasions and named a First Team All-Pro one other time.

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With his help, the Jets made it to the playoffs four times including the AFC Championship game. Behind him and the Jets offensive line, Curtis Martin was able to run for 1300+ yards in all but one of his six consecutive Pro Bowl seasons.

When you stack him up against the other centers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he stacks up pretty favorably. He would be the eighth primary center in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Bruce Matthews started all three positions in his career. Among the centers, he would rank third in games played, third in Pro Bowl selections and tied for third in All-Pro/All-League selections.

There’s one problem, though. Even though he deserves to get in, it may not be this year. There’s a maximum of seven players elected each season. It may be difficult for the voters to include Mawae in the seven in this year’s class. Whether or not he gets in this year, he’s deserving of a bust in Canton.