The 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony was a rousing success, with five NFL legends taking their rightful place among the game’s greatest. Now, the attention has turned to next year’s class.
After Larry Fitzgerald, Adam Vinatieri, Luke Kuechly, Roger Craig, and Drew Brees had a heartwarming ceremony, the NFL world shared their thoughts on the first-time nominees for the class of 2027 in a list that included Antonio Brown.
NFL Fans Argue Over Antonio Brown’s Hall-of-Fame Candidacy
After Saturday’s ceremony, NFL insider Adam Schefter highlighted the list of players who are eligible to enter the Hall of Fame for the first time in the class of 2027.
“First-time eligibles for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2027 include Rob Gronkowski, Ben Roethlisberger, Adrian Peterson, Richard Sherman, Cam Newton, Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, Andrew Whitworth, Alex Mack, Gerald McCoy and Eric Weddle,” Schefter wrote on X.
The one name that drew everyone’s attention was legendary Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown. A sixth-round pick for the esteemed franchise, he was among the league’s best playmakers during his time with the organization.
Brown led the league in receiving yards twice, led the NFL in receptions twice, and led all players in receiving touchdowns once. He is a seven-time Pro Bowler and earned four First-Team All-Pro nods.
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As a result, he was named to the All-Decade Team for the 2010s as well. After leaving the Steelers, he eventually became a Super Bowl champion, helping Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
However, his career was marred by controversies and off-field issues that have taken some of the shine off of his spectacular resume.
As one fan declared, “AB should be first ballot, but they not letting him in.”
Others had a similar reaction to Brown being on the list. Another fan claimed, “Gronk, AP, Sherman, the easiest first ballots. AB should be too if he wasn’t a crazy person.”
The consensus on the Steelers legend was hard to ignore, especially as the rest of the list seemed pretty straightforward to most folks. However, one fan believed Newton would also be on the outside looking in with Brown.
“Ben, Gronk and Whit will get in next year. They’ll make AP wait. Antonio Brown and Cam are never getting in,” they wrote.
Another fan pointed to former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who won six Super Bowls, not making the Hall of Fame last year as evidence for Brown being snubbed as well.
He explained, “AB numbers say first ballot, but we know it’s politics with this league if [Bill Belichick] wasn’t even first ballot.” Another fan mirrored that sentiment, adding, “Ab deserves to be in the hof but there is a 0% chance there putting him in there lol.”
Yea…they’re not letting AB in…He’s going to have to pull a T.O. and hold his own HOF ceremony 😆 pic.twitter.com/tyV6l0nlET
— James 🎮 Games 365 (@JGxTweets) August 8, 2026
One fan had a hilarious idea in mind for Brown. Pointing to Terrell Owens, he claimed, “Yeah…they’re not letting AB in…He’s going to have to pull a T.O. and hold his own HOF ceremony.”
It remains to be seen who will eventually end up in the class of 2027. But for many football fans, it seems like a foregone conclusion that Brown won’t make it as a first-ballot inductee.
