Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald were selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.
The Class of 2026 also includes Adam Vinatieri, Luke Kuechly, and Roger Craig.
Former 49ers running back Roger Craig was inducted as a senior finalist after a 28-year wait.
Coach Bill Belichick and contributor Robert Kraft were not selected for induction this year.
SAN FRANCISCO – No more surprises. It’s official.
Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald are Hall of Famers on the first ballot.
On the heels of leaks in recent days that revealed Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft as stunning snubs, Brees and Fitzgerald – who rank second all-time for career passing and receiving yards, respectively – were christened as the headliners for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 unveiled Feb. 5 during the NFL Honors show at the Palace of Fine Arts.
Also headed to Canton: Adam Vinatieri, Luke Kuechly and Roger Craig.
The five-member class will be enshrined Aug. 8 in ceremonies at the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
49ers legend Roger Craig ends 28-year wait for Hall of Fame call
While most of the class had relatively quick entries to their selections – Vinatieri and Kuechly were chosen in just their second year of eligibility – Craig finally received his Hall call after a 28-year wait.
The former San Francisco 49ers running back, the first player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards and tally 1,000 receiving yards in the same season, gained induction as one of the three finalists from the seniors category.
Vinatieri, meanwhile, gets in as just the fifth kicker – and arguably the most clutch kicker of all time. In a 24-year career, he became the leading scorer for two franchises, helping the New England Patriots win three Super Bowls before winning another ring with the Indianapolis Colts.
Kuechly, who played his entire eight-year career with the Carolina Panthers, topped 100 tackles in each of his seasons while also snagging more interceptions (18) than any inside linebacker during that span.
Brees, who led the New Orleans Saints to a crown as Super Bowl 44 MVP, is just the third quarterback selected over the past decade and first since Peyton Manning in 2021. The big numbers – he passed for 80,358 yards and 571 TDs, and notched five 5,000-yard seasons during a 20-year career – go far in measuring his impact.
The same can be said of Fitzgerald, who spent his entire 17-year career with the Arizona Cardinals. Fitzgerald’s career marks include 1,432 receptions and 17,492 receiving yards – totals topped only by Jerry Rice.
Patriots’ Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft will have to wait another year
Then again, lofty achievements are only part of the equation when it comes to getting a Hall call. Belichick led the Patriots to six Super Bowl crowns and is the second-winningest coach all-time with 333 career victories yet still has to wait after not garnering 80% of the votes as the finalist from the coaching category.
It marks the third straight year the coach finalist was not chosen by the selection committee, with Belichick following Mike Holmgren and Buddy Parker.
Kraft has his franchise in the Super Bowl for a record 11th appearance but didn’t advance as the contributor.
Belichick and Kraft could advance as finalists again next year if they are again chosen by the coach and contributor subcommittee. Stay tuned.
Willie Anderson, Terrell Suggs, Marshall Yanda up for 2027 Hall ballot
Three finalists from the modern-day player categories are already accounted for as part of next year’s ballot – Willie Anderson, Terrell Suggs and Marshall Yanda – have already advanced to the final seven, per the Hall’s bylaws.
But for now, even amid the noise fueled by the big-name snubs, the Hall can focus on celebrating the newly selected Class of 2026.
Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on X: @JarrettBell
