Three former Bears stars—center Olin Kreutz, linebacker Lance Briggs and cornerback Charles Tillman—are among 167 Modern-Era Nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2025.

Kreutz was chosen by the Bears in the third round of the 1998 draft out of Washington. He was voted to six Pro Bowls during his 13 seasons in Chicago from 1998-2010, anchoring the offensive line while winning four division championships and one conference title. The Washington product appeared in 191 games with 183 starts with the Bears, one shy of Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton's franchise record.

Tillman and Briggs were picked by the Bears in the second and third rounds of the 2003 draft, respectively.

Tillman played his first 12 NFL seasons with the Bears from 2003-14 before spending his final year with the Carolina Panthers. He was part of a dominant defense that helped the Bears win three NFC North titles and one conference championship. He set team records with nine defensive touchdowns, eight interception return TDs and 675 interception return yards. His 36 interceptions are the most by a cornerback in team history and third most overall behind safeties Gary Fencik (38) and Richie Petitbon (37).

Known for smacking the ball away from opponents, a technique dubbed the "Peanut Punch," Tillman forced 42 fumbles in 12 seasons, including a career-high 10 in 2012 when he was voted to his second straight Pro Bowl.

Briggs was selected to seven Pro Bowls while spending his entire 12-year NFL career in Chicago from 2003-14. He appeared in 173 games with 170 starts, recording 1,566 tackles, 15 sacks, 16 interceptions and 18 forced fumbles. His six defensive touchdowns are third most in Bears history and his five interception return TDs are second most. Briggs was the first linebacker in NFL history to return an interception for a touchdown in each of his first three seasons.

Other Modern-Era nominees for the Hall of Fame's Class of 2025 who played for the Bears but spent most of their careers with other teams include quarterback Doug Flutie; running backs Thomas Jones and Glyn Milburn; receivers Brandon Marshall and Muhsin Muhammad; offensive linemen Ruben Brown and Josh Sitton; defensive linemen Jared Allen, Clyde Simmons and Ted Washington; and linebacker/special teams standout Brendon Ayanbadejo.

The roster of nominees consists of 94 offensive players, 56 defensive players and 17 special teams players.

In the next step in the selection process, a Screening Committee will reduce the list to 50, with those results being announced in mid-October.

The full 50-person Hall of Fame Selection Committee then will reduce the list to 25 Semifinalists this fall. Another vote will create the list of 15 Finalists who will be discussed at the annual meeting ahead of Super Bowl LVIX that will produce the new class, which can consist of 3-5 Modern-Era Players.

Twenty Finalists will be presented to the full 50-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee during its annual meeting to choose the Class of 2025. Those candidates will consist of 15 Modern-Era Players Finalists, three Seniors Finalists, a Coach Finalist and a Contributor Finalist.

The Selection Committee will meet next year on a date still to be determined in advance of Super Bowl LVIX. While there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the selection process bylaws provide that 4-8 new members will be selected.

Finalists must receive at least 80% support from the Selection Committee to join the Class of 2025. The Modern-Era Player Finalists will be trimmed during the annual selection meeting from 15 to 10, then to seven. Committee members then will vote for five of the seven Finalists.