This weekend, we will find out who wins Super Bowl LX. We will also find out the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
Of course, we know one man who didn’t make it, with the omission of Bill Belichick potentially revamping the voting process come 2027.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the 15 Modern Era finalists will find out whether they are part of the newest class or will have to wait one more year for their gold jacket. At least three will be enshrined, according to the Hall of Fame bylaws, with no more than five making the cut.
As for how voting works, the Hall of Selectors will vote to narrow the 15 finalists to 10. Then, they’ll trim the list to seven. Finally, the 50 voters will each select five players, a total of 250 votes. To earn induction, a candidate must get at least 80% of the votes (40 or more) or be in the top three of vote-getters.
Here’s what each finalist brings to the table.
Willie Anderson, OT
Teams: Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens (1996 to 2008)
Anderson has been a finalist before, but has been stuck at this stage of the process for years. With the Bengals, the star left tackle was a four-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro, an incredible accomplishment considering he shared an age with Jonathan Ogden, Walter Jones and Willie Roaf.
Drew Brees, QB
Teams: San Diego Chargers (2001 to ’05, New Orleans Saints (2006 to ’20)
Brees is likely going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. A Super Bowl champion in 2009 with the Saints, he ranks second all-time to Tom Brady in passing yards (80,358) and passing touchdowns (571). He also threw for 5,000 yards in a season on five occasions and was the passing champion seven times.
As a 13-time Pro Bowler, a two-time Offensive Player of the Year, a Comeback Player of the Year, and a five-time All-Pro (one first-team selection), Brees should be an easy choice.
Jahri Evans, G
Teams: New Orleans Saints (2006 to ’16), Green Bay Packers (2017)
Like Anderson, Evans has been to this stage in the selection process before but ultimately stalled out. Playing 12 seasons between New Orleans and Green Bay, Evans was one of the finest guards of his era, earning six Pro Bowls, four first-team All-Pro honors and being named to the 2000s All-Decade Team.
Larry Fitzgerald, WR
Teams: Arizona Cardinals (2004 to ’20)
Beyond Brees, Fitzgerald is the most likely candidate to earn enshrinement. While this is his first time on the ballot, it’ll be tough to ignore 17,492 receiving yards and 121 touchdowns, ranking second and sixth, respectively, all-time. He’s also a three-time All-Pro, 11-time Pro Bowler, a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team and a Walter Payton Man of the Year award winner.
Frank Gore, RB
Teams: San Francisco 49ers (2005 to ’14), Indianapolis Colts (2015 to ’17), Miami Dolphins (2018), Buffalo Bills (2019), New York Jets (2020)
Gore is going to have an interesting candidacy. Like Brees and Fitzgerald, this is his first time on the ballot. It should help that he’s the only running back to be a finalist this year. However, if he doesn’t get pushed through in 2026, things get trickier with Adrian Peterson on the ballot next year.
Predominantly with the 49ers, Gore rushed for 16,000 yards, placing him third all-time behind only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton. He also notched nine 1,000-yard campaigns. However, he was never a first-team All-Pro, made the second team once and was a five-time Pro Bowler across 16 seasons, while rushing for 10-plus touchdowns only once.
Torry Holt, WR
Teams: St. Louis Rams (1999 to 2008), Jacksonville Jaguars (2009)
Holt is beginning to fall into the backlog of great receivers who are having a tough time getting to Canton. As a member of the Greatest Show on Turf, Holt was brilliant. He won the Super Bowl in his rookie year of 1999 and went on to amass 13,382 receiving yards and 74 touchdowns, leading the NFL in receptions once and yardage twice. He was also a seven-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro and a member of the 2000s All-Decade Team.
Luke Kuechly, LB
Teams: Carolina Panthers (2012 to ’19)
In his second year on the ballot, Kuechly is a fascinating study. He played only eight years with the Panthers due to injuries and concussions, but during that time, there was nobody better. In eight seasons, Kuechly was a Defensive Rookie of the Year, a seven-time Pro Bowler, a seven-time All-Pro (five first-team honors) and a Defensive Player of the Year. It’s hard to be any better, even if for a shorter span of time.
Eli Manning, QB
Teams: New York Giants (2004 to ’19)
It’s already been reported that Manning didn’t make the cut in his second year on the ballot, and his candidacy raises questions about what matters most. On one hand, Manning doesn’t have Hall of Fame credentials in the typical sense. He was never an All-Pro, reached four Pro Bowls and passed for 366 touchdowns against 244 interceptions.
That said, Manning won two Super Bowls, beating Tom Brady and the Patriots by being clutch in the most significant moments. In the postseason, Manning was a money player, earning a pair of Super Bowl MVPs.
Terrell Suggs, DE
Teams: Baltimore Ravens (2003 to ’18), Arizona Cardinals (2019), Kansas City Chiefs (2019)
Suggs is the forgotten superstar of those great 2000s Ravens defenses, with most focusing on Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. But Suggs was a tremendous player, winning the Defensive Player of the Year in 2011 while totaling 139 sacks, ranking eighth all-time on the official list.
Suggs won a pair of Super Bowls with the Ravens and Chiefs while posting seven seasons of double-digit sacks. The Arizona State product was also a Defensive Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-Pro.
Adam Vinatieri, K
Teams: New England Patriots (1996 to 2005), Indianapolis Colts (2006 to ’19)
Vinatieri is trying to become the third pure kicker to earn induction into the Hall of Fame, joining Jan Stenerud and Morten Andersen. In his 24-year career with the Patriots and Colts, Vinatieri is best known for his clutch kicks, including a pair of Super Bowl winners in 2001 and ’03, along with his 45-yard effort through a blinding blizzard against the Raiders in the ’01 divisional round.
Vinatieri was a three-time All-Pro and member of the 2000s All-Decade Team, making 599 field goals, an all-time NFL record.
Reggie Wayne, WR
Teams: Indianapolis Colts (2001 to ’14)
A star alongside Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Edgerrin James with the 2000s Colts, Wayne is the only one still trying to find his way to Canton.
During his 14-year career, he notched 14,315 receiving yards, including seven consecutive seasons of at least 1,000 yards. A three-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler, Wayne is trying to get inducted on his sixth try.
Kevin Williams, DT
Teams: Minnesota Vikings (2003 to ’13), Seattle Seahawks (2014), New Orleans Saints (2015)
Williams was underappreciated nationally throughout his career, playing in relative anonymity with the Vikings during a litany of middling campaigns. Williams reached the playoffs in only five of his 13 seasons, but he was a force on the interior with five first-team All-Pro nods and six Pro Bowl appearances. He finished with 63 sacks and 113 tackles for loss.
Jason Witten, TE
Teams: Dallas Cowboys (2003 to ’17, ’19), Las Vegas Raiders (2020)
We’ve already seen Shannon Sharpe, Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez go from star tight ends to Hall of Famers this century. Witten is the next in line. In his 17 NFL seasons, he caught 1,228 passes for 13,046 yards and 74 touchdowns. Those figures rank second, second and sixth, respectively, among tight ends.
Even if Witten doesn’t end up getting inducted as a first-ballot candidate, the fact that he’s already a finalist bodes well for his candidacy.
Darren Woodson, S
Teams: Dallas Cowboys (1992 to 2003)
Woodson is in the final few years of his Modern Era eligibility, with 20 years on the ballot being the cutoff. He’s come close time and again as a finalist but hasn’t been able to get over the proverbial hump, despite being a three-time Super Bowl champion with the dynastic 1990s Cowboys.
Primarily a safety but with the versatility to play corner, Woodson was a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro with 23 interceptions and 11 sacks.
Marshal Yanda, G
Teams: Baltimore Ravens (2007 to ’19)
Much like Evans, Yanda was one of the best guards in the league for the better part of a decade. The Ravens enjoyed his services for 13 years while Yanda earned a spot on the 2010s All-Decade Team. He was also named to eight Pro Bowls and seven All-Pro teams, including two first-team spots.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2026 Finalists Await Their Pro Football Hall of Fame Fate.
