The greatest dynasty in NFL history is well-represented inside the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

That is, except in the wing where it matters most.

Only three players to win a Super Bowl in New England are currently enshrined in Canton, a group includes longtime Jets great Darrelle Revis, who played just one season with the Patriots. That number could double this year, provided all three ex-Patriot semifinalists up for induction — Rodney Harrison, Vince Wilfork and Adam Vinatieri — are voted into the Hall’s 2025 modern-era class.

But the odds of that happening feel lower than Vinatieri stepping in to nail another game-winning kick in the Super Bowl this February.

Harrison has been passed over for more than a decade and named a finalist just once. Like Harrison, Wilfork has been named a semifinalist four times. He’s never advanced to the finalist round. Wilfork’s case is also the hardest to make as time passes, given the impact of his position can’t properly be captured by traditional statistics.

Fortunately for Vinatieri, the opposite is true for him. He is the NFL record holder for most career points, field goal attempts and field goal makes, not to mention the author of some of the most famous kicks in Super Bowl history. He will be a shoo-in, this year or next.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft should be, too. Except Thursday, Kraft was reportedly denied by the contributor committee, which annually submits one name for the Hall of Fame Committee to consider when electing the Hall’s next class. Kraft’s case reportedly has been complicated by some behind-the-scenes politicking.

But no matter how you feel about the direction of the franchise post-Brady, Kraft deserves induction. And so far, he’s been snubbed, as has Harrison, as have the Patriots.

If the Pro Hall of Fame’s mission statement is to “honor the greatest of the game, preserve its history, promote its values, and celebrate excellence together,” then honor the greatest of that game. Celebrate excellence.

In time, the dynasty-era Patriots will force the Hall’s hand. Rob Gronkowski becomes Hall eligible in 2027. Tom Brady will become a first-ball Hall of Famer a year later. Bill Belichick is another lock, just like Brady. Fringe candidates like Stephen Gostkowski and Julian Edelman will be up for consideration next year.

Until then, here are the cases for Harrison, Kraft and perhaps Wilfork to be enshrined in the Hall as soon as possible:

Rodney Harrison

In this Jan. 18, 2004, file photo, New England Patriots’ Rodney Harrison is seen during the AFC football championship game against the Indianapolis Colts in Foxboro. (File)

At the peak of his powers, Harrison was a lesser player than Steelers legend Troy Polamalu.

Another fierce, hard-hitting safety, Polamalu became a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2020. He won two Super Bowls in Pittsburgh, wreaked havoc in the secondary and annually ranked among the league’s best at his position.

Polamalu finished with 783 tackles, 32 interceptions, 14 forced fumbles and a dozen sacks.

How about Harrison?

Try 423 more tackles, two more interceptions, one more forced fumble and 18.5 extra sacks.

Granted, Harrison played more games than Polamalu but does longevity not matter? And how is one player a surefire, first-ball Hall of Famer and the other left out in the cold since 2013?

The more compelling comparison is Harrison against John Lynch, another Hall of Fame strong safety who also played 15 years. Ex-Patriots executive Scott Pioli made this case back in 2021, noting Harrison had more interceptions, sacks and defensive touchdowns than Lynch despite playing 38 fewer games. He also out-paced Lynch in tackles and Super Bowl rings (two to one).

Lynch’s edge, seemingly, stemmed from nine Pro Bowl nods to Harrison’s two, but in two of of his Pro Bowl campaigns, Lynch had a worse statistical season. Not to mention, Harrison’s postseason production is near unparalleled, with seven interceptions, two sacks and 75 tackles in just 13 career playoff games. Were it not for Deion Branch’s record-breaking performance, Harrison may have won MVP of Super Bowl XXXIX for twice picking off Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb.

Harrison is also the only defensive back in NFL history with more than 30 career interceptions and 30 career sacks, and one of two players ever to top those marks (Ray Lewis). If all of that isn’t persuasive enough, take it from Bill Belichick last December.

“Best safety I’ve coached,” Belichick said of Harrison. “There’s a couple other ones that I’ve coached that are in the Hall of Fame. But fantastic player, person, great competitor, could do it all, and was one of the most versatile players I’ve ever coached.”

Robert Kraft

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft before an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

The resume speaks for itself.

Under Kraft’s ownership, the Patriots have won six Super Bowls, reached nine, traded for the greatest coach of all time and employed the greatest quarterback of all time for 20 years. Kraft also had a central role in multiple CBA negotiations and network television deals that enriched the league by billions and billions of dollars. Under his leadership, the Patriots became the NFL’s premier franchise and set several records that may last as long as the league itself.

“There’s no box that Bob Kraft doesn’t check to get into the Hall of Fame,” Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian told ESPN, after twice arguing for Kraft’s induction. “When he didn’t get in last year, I lost sleep over it. I’m still sick at heart about it.”

Since 2000, five owners have been inducted into the Hall: the late Dan Rooney (Pittsburgh), Ralph Wilson (Buffalo), Eddie DeBartolo (San Francisco), Jerry Jones (Dallas) and the late Pat Bowlen (Denver). Only the Steelers have as many Super Bowl titles as the Patriots.

Vince Wilfork

Former Pats nose tackle Vince Wilfork celebrates after a home win at Gillette Stadium. Staff photo by Nancy Lane

A two-time Super Bowl champion and five-time Pro Bowler, Wilfork is one of the greatest run-stoppers in NFL history.

Over 11 years in New England, he anchored some of the league’s best defenses as the Patriots’ starting nose tackles. He was remarkably tough, strong and durable. Wilfork finished his Patriots career with 16 sacks, 560 tackles, 27 pass deflections and five forced fumbles.

His case, like Richard Seymour’s three years ago, rests heavily on voters’ appreciation and understanding of his work as a two-gapping lineman. Back in 2021, months before Seymour got the call that he’d been elected to the Hall’s 2022 class, Belichick called him and Wilfork the two best defensive linemen he’s ever coached.

“Vince is almost impossible to block in the running game. And in the passing game, there’s some guys that would match up against him, but his overall strength and athleticism for his size was pretty impressive,” Belichick said. “And because we had players like Seymour, there was less of a need to use Vince on third down — although, we used him on third down, and he had some huge plays on third down, like in the AFC Championship Game against Baltimore.

“I mean, he really won that game with his fourth quarter pass rush on (Joe) Flacco up the middle of the pocket.”

This week, Patriots coach Jerod Mayo added of his former teammate: “It started with Vince at the nose. Honestly, for a defensive lineman, he was a dominant player. Sometimes the stats don’t do it justice, but he was a dominant player for a very long time. I hope he gets in. I don’t have a vote, but I hope he gets in.”

Future head coaches?

New England Patriots defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington faces reporters before an NFL football practice, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Patriots defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington and quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney made the NFL Network’s annual list of future head-coaching candidates.

Covington was one of 22 coaches named as a head-coaching candidate this cycle, while McCartney was included as a potential target down the line. Covington is in his first year as defensive coordinator, a position he interviewed for with the Cardinals and Chargers last offseason. He ultimately chose to return to New England in a widely expected move after Jerod Mayo was announced as the team’s new head coach.

Under Covington’s leadership, the Pats defense ranks 18th in points allowed per game, but bottom 10 by more advanced metrics like EPA and DVOA. He addressed being mentioned on the NFL Network’s list this Thursday.

“Definitely thankful for that, but for me, it’s really just about being right here. Being planted where my feet are right here,” Covington said. “Trying to help this football team win games, because that’s where it starts. You’ve gotta win games to even be in that position. So win games, do my job here, do it to the best of my ability, then the rest of that will come.

“So I’m not really focused on that at the moment. Excited to be on that list, but really more excited about trying to help this football team win football games.”

On Friday, McCartney confirmed he has aspirations of becoming more than a position coach one day. He also cracked to reporters: “It’s very humbling to be on that list, but also, there’s like 200 people on that list. So I don’t know how I feel about that.”

Miami scouts Maye

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Like most players and coaches around the league, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver had high praise for Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye this week.

Here’s what both of Miami’s head coaches head to say:

“I saw a true quarterback who has the ability to gain the confidence of his teammates and lead and orchestrate an offense,” McDaniel said Wednesday. “A guy who can make plays in a multitude of ways. The Patriots are kind of feeling that right now, where he’s a guy who can see down the field, can play fearlessly in the pocket and make every throw — with the arm strength to do it. But also a very good athlete that has some juice and can make plays off schedule. That’s been a huge bonus to their offense of late. …

“He’s a guy you expect to continue to get better. It’s always impressive when rookie quarterbacks make plays at the NFL level, because there’s a lot coming at them.”

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“The thing you see on the tape is just he doesn’t lack confidence,” Weaver added. “He trusts his ability; he trusts his arm. And the thing with all these new crops of young quarterbacks is when plays break down, they have the ability to create extended plays and run both outside of the pocket and down the field and then run to throw it, too. So we’ve got to be cognizant of that.

“Again, this is not me saying he’s Josh Allen, but you’ve kind of got to approach him like Josh Allen a little bit where you’re trying to funnel him certain directions, and try to contain his rush ability as much as you can.”

Quote of the Week

“(Defensive lineman) Calais Campbell’s still making plays, and they said he’s one of the nicest dudes in the league. But he’s still up there trying to take my head off, I’m sure.” — Maye on facing the Dolphins defense