Hall of Fame or not, Ward satisfied with career: 'It will be a cherry on top'

Former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward doesn't know what the Pro Football Hall of Fame is looking for in its inductees, but he's not sweating it.

Ward will be eligible to enter the immortal walls of Canton for the first time this summer, five years after his retirement. Throughout his career, he carried himself like a Hall of Famer, but he's not so certain he'll be there in retirement.

"I don't know because I don't know what the criteria is," Ward told Mark Kaboly of the Tribune-Review on Wednesday. "Is it stats? My stats are OK. Is it MVPs? I got a Super Bowl MVP. I got two Super Bowl rings. I really don't know the criteria. I don't know what is really expected to get in."

Ward had 1,000 career catches for 12,083 receiving yards and 85 touchdowns in his 14-season career, the entirety of which was spent with the Steelers. He was named to four Pro Bowls.

The 40-year-old concedes that his chances of getting in are going down as modern receivers' numbers go up, calling a 1,000-catch career "kind of like nothing now."

But even if Ward doesn't get a gold jacket and a spot in the Hall, he'll be plenty satisfied with his career accomplishments.

"I started in this game as a third-round pick, a special teams guy, and I ended up playing 14 years," Ward said. "If it happens it will be a cherry on top of an amazing career - if not, I am not going to be disappointed."