Brees, Fitzgerald make Hall of Fame in first year

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its 2026 class as part of the NFL Honors awards show Thursday night, with five players, including quarterback Drew Brees and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, selected for enshrinement later this year.

Brees and Fitzgerald received the nod in their first year of eligibility. They’ll be joined by kicker Adam Vinatieri and linebacker Luke Kuechly, who were in their second year of eligibility.

And rounding out the class is running back Roger Craig, who was a Seniors finalist.

But the 2026 class, similar to the one before it, will also be noted for those who didn’t make it. Last year, it was former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning. This year, it is former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and current owner Robert Kraft, who were among five finalists of contributors, coaches and Seniors players who last appeared in a game in 2000 or earlier. Belichick was in his first year of eligibility, with his reported omission last week met with widespread criticism since.

“His stats speak for themselves,” said Vinatieri, who played six years for Belichick.

“I thought he’d have a real good chance to be up there as well. The people who voted made their votes and I think he’ll be up here one day.”

The Hall’s board of selectors chose this year’s class in a virtual meeting in January. The five new Hall of Famers will be enshrined Aug. 8 in Canton, Ohio, and the class is slightly bigger than last year’s four.

Brees, the longtime New Orleans Saints star, retired after the 2020 season as a 13-time Pro Bowl selection. He led the league in passing seven times, had a record five 5,000-yard passing seasons, and his 80,538 passing yards were an NFL record when he retired (eclipsed by Tom Brady in 2021).

Fitzgerald, who ranks second all time in receiving yards (17,492) and receptions (1,432) and sixth in touchdowns (121), will be the first Hall of Famer to spend his entire career with the Arizona Cardinals. He was an 11-time Pro Bowl selection and an All-Decade pick for the 2010s.

“One of the coolest moments was getting up on that stage with all the other Hall of Famers,” Fitzgerald said after NFL Honors ended in San Francisco. “That moment kind of crystallized it for me.”

Along with being the NFL’s all-time leader in points scored with 2,673, Vinatieri set NFL records in field goal attempts (715), made field goals (599), games played (365) and consecutive field goals made (44) during a 24-year career spent between the Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. He made 29 winning field goals, including a record 10 in overtime. He also holds NFL postseason records for points (238), field goal attempts (69) and made field goals (56).

Vinatieri was named to the NFL’s 100th anniversary team. Belichick has called Vinatieri’s 45-yard field goal in a blizzard during the “Tuck Rule” game — which sent the Patriots’ 2001 AFC divisional round matchup against the Raiders into overtime — the “greatest kick of all time.” Vinatieri also kicked the winner that night.

Kuechly was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and a five-time All-Pro before retiring after eight seasons because of concerns over concussions he sustained in his career. He was also named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, his second season in the league, and was later an All-Decade pick for the 2010s. He had at least 100 tackles in all eight of his seasons and led the league in tackles twice — as a rookie and in 2014.

Craig was a four-time Pro Bowl selection who played on three Super Bowl champions with the 49ers. In 1985, he became the first player in NFL history to have at least 1,000 yards rushing and at least 1,000 yards receiving in the same season, and he also led the league with 91 receptions. Just two others have accomplished that feat in the 40 seasons since — Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk in 1999 and Christian McCaffrey in 2019.

Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh considered Craig a key to his West Coast offense, one of the most prolific in league history.

Craig was the only finalist from the Seniors, coach and contributor subcommittees to be selected for enshrinement this year. Quarterback Ken Anderson and defensive end L.C. Greenwood were the other Seniors finalists.

Among the modern-era finalists who didn’t make the Hall this year were tight end Jason Witten, running back Frank Gore, guard Marshal Yanda, defensive end Terrell Suggs and tackle Willie Anderson. Of those, Yanda, Anderson and Suggs automatically are finalists for the class of 2027 because they advanced to the final cutdown this year.