The 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class will be officially announced at the NFL Honors show on Thursday night ahead of Super Bowl 60. This annual tradition honors the legends of the game and requires players to be voted in by an exclusive committee. The full list of the 15 finalists for the modern era of football was recently released.
Who Are the Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists Being Revealed at NFL Honors?
Many around the league have focused on the shocking news that neither Bill Belichick nor Robert Kraft will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the 2026 class. Now that the NFL Honors show has arrived, it’s time for everyone to shift their attention to those who received enough votes to get in.
The modern era candidate pool is officially down to 15 finalists, according to Adam Schefter. The list is absolutely loaded with legends in all three phases of the game, and all of them are looking to receive the required minimum of 40 votes among 50 voters, who can each pick three on their official ballots.
- Adam Vinatieri
- Darren Woodson
- Drew Brees
- Eli Manning
- Frank Gore
- Jahri Evans
- Jason Witten
- Kevin Williams
- Larry Fitzgerald
- Luke Kuechly
- Marshal Yanda
- Reggie Wayne
- Terrell Suggs
- Torry Holt
- Willie Anderson
Most around the league would agree that the only two locks that appear to be obvious choices to be inducted into this year’s Hall of Fame class are Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald. Both rank towards the top of every statistical category in their respective positions and are widely accepted as being among the greatest players in NFL history.
The 15 Modern Era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with the Class of 2026 to be revealed tonight:
🏈Adam Vinatieri
🏈Darren Woodson
🏈Drew Brees
🏈Eli Manning
🏈Frank Gore
🏈Jahri Evans
🏈Jason Witten
🏈Kevin Williams
🏈Larry Fitzgerald
🏈Luke Kuechly
🏈Marshal Yanda… pic.twitter.com/8h0KH2l7tc— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 5, 2026
Brees held almost all of the career passing titles at the time that he retired, before Tom Brady eventually surpassed him. He also ranked among the top ten quarterbacks in PFSN’s QB Impact Metrics in each of his final 17 seasons. Fitzgerald ranks second to only Jerry Rice in the all-time rankings for receptions and receiving yards.
Eli Manning is an interesting name on this list, despite reports indicating he didn’t receive enough votes to make this year’s Hall of Fame class. His polarizing career included relatively mediocre numbers for the most part, but he’s also one of only six players ever to win multiple Super Bowl MVP awards. He will reportedly have to wait at least another year, along with Kraft and Belichick, arguably the biggest overall snubs.
