Bucs legend John Lynch was not elected to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in his seventh straight year as a finalist. This year’s 2020 Hall Of Fame class had five inductees, which are Steve Atwater, Isaac Bruce, Steve Hutchinson, Edgerrin James and Troy Polamalu.

Lynch played 15 seasons in the NFL, 11 in Tampa Bay and four in Denver. He made nine Pro Bowls, which, as we’ve learned, is an important category with the Hall of Fame, including every season in Denver – 87 percent of players with that many Pro Bowls have been Hall of Famers.

Mike Tomlin, Monte Kiffin and John Lynch – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Lynch earned first-team All-Pro honors twice in his career, once in 1999 and again in 2000. As what many would call an “old school” strong safety over the middle, Lynch finished his career with 733 tackles and 26 interceptions. He was also a centerpiece player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ lone franchise Super Bowl, and was a part of one of the greatest defensive performances in Super Bowl history.

Lynch was a seven-time finalist for the Hall of Fame and seems to be the victim of playing a position that just didn’t have an immediate impact on the game like quarterbacks, running backs, pass rushers or lock down corners do. Lynch was inducted into both the Broncos Ring of Fame and the Buccaneers Ring of Honor in 2016.

Buccaneers who are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame are Lee Roy Selmon, Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks.