The 2026 class of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday, Aug. 8. Five NFL legends will be honored in the induction ceremony, cementing themselves into football immortality. This year’s class consists of Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly, Adam Vinatieri, and Roger Craig.
With this year’s class fresh in our minds, it got us thinking: what about the 2027 class? Which NFL legends will find their way into the Hall of Fame next year? There’s obviously a full year before we see that class inducted, as well as a few months before we find out who made it in.
That said, there are some legendary figures entering their first year of Hall of Fame eligibility, as well as a few carryovers from 2026 who didn’t make the cut. These are our predictions for the six individuals who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2027.
Bill Belichick, HC
The reaction to Bill Belichick not being inducted into the Hall of Fame last year was one of the most explosive controversies in the institution’s history. 2026 marked his first year of eligibility, though he was reportedly held back by a movement spearheaded by former Colts general manager Bill Polian as punishment for such scandals as Spygate and Deflategate.
Controversies aside, Belichick’s resume is easily worthy of a spot in Canton. He’s the most accomplished playoff head coach in NFL history, bar none. He’s won the most Super Bowls, he’s won the most playoff games, he’s won the most divisional championships, and he’s made the most Super Bowl appearances of any head coach the league has ever had.
In the 20 seasons that Belichick and Tom Brady overlapped, the New England Patriots won the AFC East 17 times, and two of the times they didn’t, Brady was either a backup (2000) or injured (2008). His longevity as an NFL head coach for 29 seasons and his unparalleled levels of postseason success will see Belichick enshrined into the Hall of Fame, even if it will take one year longer than it should have.
Adrian Peterson, RB
Few running backs in NFL history can replicate the prime that Adrian Peterson had with the Minnesota Vikings. The 2012 MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, Peterson led the league in rushing yards on three separate occasions and surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark eight times.
His 296-yard outing against the Chargers in 2007 broke the record for the most rushing yards in a single game, a record that still stands nearly 20 years later. Realizing that he broke that record as a rookie just puts into perspective how quickly Peterson dominated at the NFL level. He ended his career as a seven-time Pro Bowler and a seven-time All-Pro.
As if his peak wasn’t strong enough, Peterson also has the longevity to make him an easy first-ballot Hall of Famer. He played for 15 seasons and was productive well into his 30s, even surpassing 1,000 rushing yards in Washington at 33 years old in 2018. He’s one of the best running backs to ever play the game, making him a surefire first-ballot Hall of Fame selection.
Rob Gronkowski, TE
You can’t tell the story of the Patriots’ dynasty without mentioning Rob Gronkowski. At his peak, he was the best tight end in the league, leading the NFL in PFN TE Impact Scoring in four separate seasons. He was a five-time Pro Bowler and a four-time first-team All-Pro over the course of his 11-year career.
Gronkowski’s four 1,000-yard seasons are tied for the second-most by a tight end in NFL history, and his 18 touchdowns scored in 2011 remains the highest total ever by a tight end in a single season. He had five seasons with double-digit receiving touchdowns, showing incredible consistency as a red-zone threat who could also stretch the field vertically and block at a high level.
MORE: Hall of Fame Impact Breakdown
A four-time Super Bowl champion, three times with the Patriots and once with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gronkowski made Brady’s job easier every season the two played together. If there were a Hall of Fame for the most colorful characters in NFL history, Gronk would certainly be a first-ballot inductee. He’ll likely be a first-ballot inducted into the real Hall of Fame next year, too.
Ben Roethlisberger, QB
The question shouldn’t be whether Ben Roethlisberger is a Hall of Famer; the answer to that question should be a decisive “yes”. Rather, it’s a matter of whether he’ll be a first-ballot inductee in his first year of eligibility in 2027. I tend to lean towards an answer of “yes” to that question, as well.
An 18-year starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Roethlisberger owns the NFL record for most career 500-yard passing games with four, and he shares the mark for most wins in a season by a rookie quarterback after going 13-0 as a starter in 2004. He was a six-time Pro Bowler who ranks in the top 10 in career passing yards.
It also helps that Roethlisberger led the Steelers to two Super Bowl victories and three total Super Bowl appearances. His sustained success over such a lengthy career is something very few NFL quarterbacks have been able to match. Big Ben is a big-time candidate for a Hall of Fame induction, so don’t be surprised if that induction comes in his first year of eligibility.
Torry Holt, WR
2026 marked the seventh year in a row that Torry Holt has been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, only for his bid to fall short. As frustrating as it must be to narrowly miss the cut so often, his time will surely come eventually. 2027 might just be the year he finally gets his flowers.
Holt surpassed 1,300 receiving yards in six consecutive seasons, which is the longest streak of any player in NFL history. A seven-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro in his 11-year career, he was a member of the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team and was a key part of the St. Louis Rams’ Greatest Show on Turf offenses throughout the decade.
Every core member of those early 2000s Rams teams is in the Hall of Fame, save for Holt. It feels like a matter of time before he gets his opportunity given his consistency throughout his career, topping 1,100 receiving yards in eight consecutive years. When he secures that elusive Hall of Fame spot, it’ll be better late than never.
Ken Anderson, QB
The senior selection for the Hall of Fame in this instance, Ken Anderson was one of the three finalists for the spot that eventually would go to Roger Craig this year. Anderson is one of just a few eligible NFL MVPs to not have been enshrined in Canton yet, having won the award in 1981 with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Anderson spent 16 seasons in the NFL, all of which were with the Bengals. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro, and he still leads the franchise in career passing yards with 32,838. During his time in the league, he led the NFL in passer rating four times, completion percentage three times, and passing yards twice.
A starter of 172 games for Cincinnati, Anderson remains one of the best quarterbacks not only to have not won a Super Bowl, but to have never been inducted into the Hall of Fame. While the former can’t be changed, the latter can, and it feels like a matter of time before he gets his well-deserved induction.
