As the football world continues to wrap its head around the fact that eight-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Belichick wasn’t a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee, a former Dallas Cowboys star has raised concerns over another significant snub by Canton. A familiar name has called out his former head coach, Jimmy Johnson, and demanded the 82-year-old continue to raise his voice for Darren Woodson’s Hall of Fame candidacy as he did for Belichick.

“Different circumstances, but I hope Jimmy Johnson is just as emphatically pissed off if @darrenwoodson28 doesn’t get inducted into the @ProFootballHOF as he is about Bill Belichick,” Cowboys player Tony Casillas wrote on X. “Some things deserve that level of conviction.”

Woodson had an illustrious 12-year NFL career in Dallas and was a key figure in the team’s 1990s dynasty, as America’s Team won three Super Bowls in a four-year span. He remains the franchise’s all-time leading tackler with 1,350 tackles before retiring in 2004.

February 2025 delivered another cruel pause in Woodson’s long Hall of Fame wait. For the third time, in his 17th year of eligibility, the former Cowboys safety reached the finalist stage, only to watch Canton slip away once again. A cornerstone of Dallas’ 1990s dynasty, Woodson once more finished close but not close enough, his name absent when the final calls were made.

“I gotta deal with it,” Woodson said back then. “I mean, it just is what it is, man. It sucks, I wish I could walk in and grab that gold jacket, it’s painful man, it really is.”

Tony Casillas’ demand for Jimmy Johnson comes up after the former Miami Hurricanes head coach was livid as he reacted to Bill Belichick’s snub from the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a first-ballot inductee.

“I would like to know the names of the [expletives] who did not vote for him..they are too cowardly to identify themselves,” Johnson wrote on social media before calling out those who didn’t vote for Belichick cowards. “PLEASE…If you did not vote for BB identify yourselves,” Johnson added. “Probably too much of a coward. Hide behind your SECRET BALLOT!!!”

Every Hall of Fame cycle produces a few head-scratchers, but this year, two omissions cut deeper than most. Darren Woodson and Bill Belichick stood out above the rest, their continued exclusion raising uncomfortable questions about how long undeniable legacies can be left waiting. With that said, let’s look at which other NFL icons are finalists

Who are the final 15 candidates for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class?

Darren Woodson will be joined by another Cowboys legend in the final 15 candidates for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class that will be announced in February. While this year will be Woodson’s fourth straight appearance in the final list, it will be the first for Jason Witten, who is on the ballot for the first time. Witten is the Cowboys’ all-time leader in receptions (1,215), receiving yards (12,977), and games played (255).

But despite these numbers, the Cowboys duo will face tough competition from the other first-timers, Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, and Frank Gore. Alongside these incredible icons, the other modern-era finalists for Canton are Torry Holt, Luke Kuechly, Eli Manning, Terrell Suggs, Adam Vinatieri, and Reggie Wayne.

With this being Witten’s first appearance he still has a lot of time to get his golden jacket. However, for Woodson, another missed opportunity could set his Hall of Fame induction far back. This would happen as the legendary safety is in his 18th year of eligibility and only has two more years to make the HOF as a modern player, as after 20 years of eligibility, he’ll roll over to the Seniors category, where the odds of getting a gold jacket become even longer.

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Darren Woodson and the Cowboys supporters will surely hope that his name is called up at NFL Honors during Super Bowl Week in San Francisco.