Brandon Marshall deserves to be in the Hall of Fame

Brandon Marshall has been an exceptional player during his career. Has he done enough to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

After a very, very down year in 2014, Brandon Marshall is enjoying one of the best years of his storied career, and the Jets are benefiting from his production.

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After spending time on bad Denver, Miami and Chicago teams, Marshall is finally getting the recognition he deserves by playing in the big city.

The Jets surprisingly nabbed Marshall in a trade with Chicago for a seventh-round pick. Marshall has proven to be an absolute steal, catching 93 passes for over 1,200, all while earning a trip to the Pro Bowl.

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So Marshall is undoubtedly a terrific talent. But will he end up in Canton being enshrined as a Hall of Fame player?

Well, if you look at his numbers it would be hard to argue against it. Marshall only has two — two — seasons in which he didn’t surpass 1,000 yards. The first was his rookie year in Denver in which he only started one game, and the other occurrence was last year in 13 games amidst a murky quarterback situation.

Other than those two blemishes, Marshall has been a beast. After only catching 20 passes his rookie year, Marshall went on to have three straight 100-catch seasons in Denver. He was a monster with the Broncos, but he would end up being traded to Miami.

It didn’t matter though, as Marshall, who went from catching passes from Jay Cutler to catching passes from Matt Moore and Chad Henne, was still an elite receiver.

In Miami, the quarterback situation was rocky, and Marshall’s stats dipped. However, they didn’t dip too much, as Marshall caught 167 passes for 2,228 yards and nine touchdowns. He was the best receiving option, and other teams knew it.

Unfortunately, his time in Miami ended prematurely. The good news was he got sent to Chicago to reunite with one of his best friends, Jay Cutler. Marshall’s chemistry with Cutler was on display, as the talented wide out had back-to-back 100-catch seasons, before the drop off last year.

After three successful years in The Windy City, Marshall was traded to the Jets and the Bears drafted Kevin White, Marshall’s presumed replacement.

Chicago obviously got the short end of the stick, as Marshall has proven to be a revelation for the Jets.

Throughout his illustrious career, Marshall has caught a total of 866 passes for 11,032 yards and 76 touchdowns. Like I said, the numbers speak for himself.

However, a critical thing often considered when discussing whether a player is HOF worthy or not is whether they were ever the best at their respective position. It’s tough to say with Marshall, as the stat-heads and football gurus would understand his greatness, while average, casual fans wouldn’t dare put him in the same category as Calvin Johnson.

But here’s a stat that might surprise you: Entering last season, since 2007, only Wes Welker had more receptions than Marshall, and only Johnson had more touchdowns. Marshall may not be the unquestioned ‘best,’ but he’s always put up good numbers and been a difference maker for whichever offense he’s playing for.

Sep 7, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) makes a catch against Buffalo Bills defensive back

(37) during the second half at Soldier Field. Buffalo Bills defeat the Chicago Bears 23-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

I think the statistics from his time in Miami speak volumes about how good Marshall is. It’s no secret the aforementioned Moore and Henne are not starting-caliber quarterbacks, so to think Marshall was able to have the success he did catching balls from those guys is rather impressive.

Marshall isn’t just a stat-sheet stuffer, either. He’s one of the most unique players I’ve ever seen play, and his skill set is really like nobody else’s. He’s tall at 6-4, but he’s not exactly lanky like an A.J. Green. He’s an incredibly physical player who seeks contact after securing the catch.

“Oh, he’s gigantic,” linebacker Emmanuel Acho said on the NFL’s Top 100 Players of 2015 show. “Anytime there’s a receiver that’s bigger than a linebacker, you know, you start second-guessing whether you’re playing the right position. He’s just a beast”

Safety Harrison Smith echoed Acho’s claims.

“When he catches the ball he’s not looking to get down, he’s not looking to get out of bounds. He’s always fighting for extra yards,” Smith said.

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Watching Marshall play is a treat, as he’s a human-highlight machine. At times, he can be one of the most un-coverable receivers in the game. His skill set is just so vast and talented that he’s able to find ample amounts of success no matter who’s throwing him the ball.

He can run all the routes in the route tree, as well. Oh, and he also has a penchant for making spectacular catches. Marshall is the quintessential quarterback’s best friend. When his QB is in trouble, more often than not they’ll just heave it up to Marshall.

I think it’s also worth remembering Marshall isn’t hanging up the cleats quite yet. While the 31-year-old Marshall said he will retire whenever the Jets decide to cut ties with him, it doesn’t appear Gang Green is exactly in a hurry to dispose of Marshall.

So Marshall, who probably still has 2-3 1,000-yard seasons left in him, will finish with more receiving yards than Andre Reed, ending his career close to the 14,000 mark.

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Like I previously stated, Marshall’s production with average quarterbacks speaks for itself. He never had a Peyton Manning like Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. He never had a Jim Kelly like Andre Reed. He never even had a Matthew Stafford like Megatron.

Instead, Marshall has been a beast with Moore, Henne, Cutler and Ryan Fitzpatrick. When it’s all said and done, based on the numbers he’s put up and the ridiculous amount of consistency he’s played with, Marshall deserves to be enshrined in Canton.