Lester Hayes was one of 52 senior nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame that made it through the first round of cuts earlier this month. The decision was no surprise, as the five-time All-Pro, who spent his entire ten-year career with the then-Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders, is likely the biggest Hall of Fame snub in the franchise's storied history, and one of the biggest in the NFL.
While his induction is long overdue, Hayes' candidacy appeared to be headed in the right direction, as he was named one of nine senior semifinalists last season. He was one of five former Raiders, along with Art Powell, Matt Millen, Roger Craig and Albert Lewis, to make it to the second stage of the process.
The list was trimmed to 34 players on Thursday, and much to the dismay of Raiders fans, Hayes was not among the names that advanced. The two-time Super Bowl champion, along with Millen, his long-time teammate, were both removed from consideration.
Raiders star Lester Hayes' Hall of Fame candidacy shows hypocrisy among voters
Hayes finished his career with 39 interceptions, 13 of which came during his legendary 1980 season. There, he was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year and helped the Raiders win their second Super Bowl title with five postseason interceptions.
His 13 single-season picks are the second-most in NFL history and the most since the AFL-NFL merger, while his five playoff interceptions are tied for an NFL record. His 18 total interceptions in that legendary campaign are four more than any other player in league history.
In addition to his five All-Pro selections, he was named to five Pro Bowls and the NFL's 1980s All-Decade Team. Despite a career filled with accomplishments, Hayes has not earned the call for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
That won't change in the class of 2026, as his name was a notable omission from the list tweeted out by the Hall of Fame on Thursday.
Following a second reduction vote of candidates in the Seniors category, 34
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) October 23, 2025
former players remain under consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 presented by Visual Edge IT pic.twitter.com/eQLYKAYiyl
RELATED: Lester Hayes may be next in line for Raiders' troubling Hall of Fame pattern
While several of his teammates also had lengthy waits before earning induction, the most frustrating part about Hayes' case is the lack of consistency from the voters. After making the list of the final nine players just last year, the shutdown cornerback was not among the list of 34 players to make it to the third stage of the process this year.
The same happened with Jim Plunkett, who was one of the final 31 players in consideration last year, but failed to make the trim down to 52 players in 2025. The lack of consistency doesn't make sense considering none of the players under consideration have played in at least 25 years.
While Hayes and Millen did not make the next stage, Powell, Craig and Lewis did advance in the process. The list will be trimmed down to nine players over the next few weeks before the three finalists are revealed by the Seniors Blue-Ribbon Committee.
Powell was previously a finalist in 2024, while Craig was a part of an expanded finalist group in 2020, where the number of inductees was increased as part of a 'Centennial Class' to honor the NFL's 100th anniversary. The semifinalists will be announced in about four weeks.