Two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Tom Flores and standout wide receiver Drew Pearson are finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2021.
Flores, the first Hispanic coach in the NFL, was nominated in the new coaches category, while Pearson is a senior nominee.
Flores had a 105-90 career record with the Raiders and Seahawks. He took the Raiders to Super Bowl victories in 1981 and 1984.
In nine seasons with the Raiders, Flores won 91 games against 56 losses (.619 percentage), including a record of 8-3 (.727) in the playoffs. His career wins total trails only Hall of Famer John Madden in franchise history.
An undrafted free agent, Pearson played his entire 11-year career with the Cowboys, making three All-Pro teams. He has 489 receptions for 7,822 yards (16 yards per catch). A member of the All-Decade Team of the 1970s, Pearson played in 22 playoff games, making 68 catches and scoring eight touchdowns. The 1977 Cowboys won the championship, with Pearson leading the NFL in receiving yards (870) that season.
Both Flores and Pearson will be considered for induction at the hall’s selection committee meeting the day before the Super Bowl. To be elected, each must receive 80% of the 48-member votes.
“Thank you for the call. You made my day, and you made my life,” an emotional Pearson said near the end of a call from Hall of Fame President and CEO David Baker on Tuesday. “How can I thank you? I’m crying, and I haven’t cried in a long time. Happy tears. I’ve been waiting for this call for so long.”
A total of 18 finalists will be considered: Flores, Pearson, a contributor (to be nominated Aug. 25), and 15 modern-era players to be determined later this year and in January.
The Class of 2021 will be formally enshrined on Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021.
COWBOYS: One day after suffering a rupturing his right quad in practice and being lost for the season, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was cut by the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys had a waiver on McCoy’s quad in his contract due to a previous injury. If he hurt the quad, they could cut him and void the three-year $18 million contract he signed in March. McCoy will keep his $3 million signing bonus. The Cowboys save his $2.5 base salary for 2020 and the $1.5 million that was guaranteed to him in 2021.
The Cowboys would be interested in re-signing McCoy when he regains his health for next season. But he is gone for now, facing surgery to repair the quad and uncertain future.
The move also came hours after McCoy posted a positive video message to Cowboys fans on his Instagram account.
“I just want to say … I’m still smiling,” McCoy said. “To my teammates, coaches. Y’all going to get it. Got a championship to go win.
“To all the fans, stay tuned!”
McCoy suffered the injury when he had his foot stepped on by defensive tackle Antwaun Woods during a drill in Monday’s practice, just the third of training camp and the first in pads.
JETS: Wide receiver Vyncint Smith had surgery Tuesday to repair a core muscle injury and could be sidelined up to two months. Coach Adam Gase confirmed the procedure and prognosis, saying Smith will likely miss five to eight weeks.
Smith caught 17 passes for 225 yards and started four games last season for the Jets. He also returned 10 kickoffs and averaged 29.9 yards, and was expected to be a prominent contributor
BROWNS: Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb has been placed in concussion protocol after he sustained a head injury while being tackled during the team’s first fully padded practice.
Chubb, who finished second in the NFL last season with 1,494 yards, was taken down during Monday’s workout with a high tackle by second-year linebacker Mack Wilson.
The third-year back will sit out Tuesday’s workout and per league rules Chubb will have to pass several neurological tests before he’ll be permitted to return to the field.
CARDINALS: Arizona cornerback Robert Alford will likely miss a second straight season because of an injury suffered during the preseason. Cardinals Coach Kliff Kingsbury confirmed on Tuesday that Alford will miss four to six months. Kingsbury did not specify the injury, but the NFL Network reported that the cornerback tore a pectoral muscle during practice on Sunday.
Alford missed all of the 2019 season because of a broken leg. He played six seasons for the Atlanta Falcons before signing a three-year, $22.5 million deal with the Cardinals prior to last year. He was expected to be the team’s other starting cornerback opposite three-time All-Pro Patrick Peterson.
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