For fans, the Pro Bowl is meaningless; a barely watched teeter-totter of games that don't matter and some flag football whose outcome signifies nothing.

For players, however, a Pro Bowl invitation is a badge of honor. It cements their place in the league, reinforces a Hall of Fame argument and, in some cases, activates contract incentives to give them a salary boost. So while a Pro Bowl snub lacks the prestige of being shut out from a higher profile all-star game, it's still at least a minor deal.

Thursday's Pro Bowl roster release gave a handful of star (and not-quite-star) players something about which to be angry. While the playoffs and injury opt-outs will give some of 2025's snubs a chance to join the party, the first draft of this winter's depth charts is undeniably missing some key names. Here are the players who have a legitimate beef with voters.

1. DE Leonard Williams, Seattle Seahawks

How many defensive lineman can you name that aren't just versatile enough to drop into coverage in a simulated blitz, but to pluck an Aaron Rodgers pass out of the air and return it 90-plus yards for a touchdown?

Williams had 15 tackles for loss -- a top 12 mark -- and nine sacks from his spot on the interior of the line. Despite this, Seattle's only Pro Bowl representative was cornerback Devon Witherspoon.

2. S Kerby Joseph, Detroit Lions

Statistics aren't everything, but Joseph leads the league with nine interceptions -- two more than second-place Xavier McKinney, who was named an NFC starter at safety. His 39.9 passer rating allowed is the lowest in the league and only 0.3 points higher than if an opposing quarterback fired every pass into the turf. He may have been squeezed out by voter fatigue; seven Lions, including Joseph's secondary mate Brian Branch, made the 2025 Pro Bowl.

3. TE Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins

Smith was hampered by a slow start and a wave of votes for Travis Kelce, but his breakthrough campaign deserves recognition. Through the first four weeks of 2024 he was on pace for a little over 300 receiving yards. Over the last 12 games he's exploded for 750 and seven touchdowns -- a season-long 1,000-yard pace that underscores his importance in Mike McDaniel's offense.

4. DL Zach Allen, Denver Broncos

Allen was a major piece of the Broncos' surge from the NFL's 27th-best scoring defense in 2023 to a top five rankings in 2024. Allen's second season in Denver was his finest as a pro, producing career highs in sacks (8.5). tackles for loss (15), and quarterback hits (39, eight more than second-place Myles Garrett on the league leaderboard). Teammates Nik Bonitto and Pat Surtain II were worthy honorees, but the young veteran up front was snubbed.

5. CB Christian Benford, Buffalo Bills

Buffalo was forced to make sweeping changes across its defense, letting go of veteran talent like Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer in a season that looked like a rebuilding year. But that unit still managed to be a top-10(ish) unit for the runaway AFC East champions. Benford was a big reason why.

The former sixth round pick continued his rise, emerging as a trustworthy presence on the sideline. He knocked down 10 passes and picked off two more, knocking his yards allowed per target down from 10-plus as a rookie to a meager 5.4 in 2024 -- seventh-best among all cornerbacks who were thrown at 50 times or more.

6. CB Christian Gonzalez, New England Patriots

There were two reasons to watch the Patriots in 2024. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye was one. Gonzalez is the other. He continued his rise after tantalizing the Pats in a debut season cut short by injury last fall. This year, he emerged as a true shutdown corner, producing a 71.4 passer rating in coverage as a rare bright spot in a defense that fell off a cliff following Bill Belichick's departure.

7. ST J.T. Gray, New Orleans Saints

Was Gray the reason special teams coach Darren Rizzi got the call to replace Dennis Allen as interim head coach? Probably not, but he provides compelling evidence the position coach knows what he's doing. Gray had 25 tackles this fall despite playing only three percent of the Saints' defensive snaps and blocked a punt. The former All-Pro has been the most reliable arrow in Rizzi's quiver, but since only one special teams specialist makes the cut he found himself stuck behind Atlanta's KhaDarel Hodge.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: 7 biggest 2025 Pro Bowl snubs, from Leonard Williams to Kerby Joseph