Pro Football Hall of Fame candidates 2026: Here are the best NFL players eligible for next year's class

Four former NFL players are about to be enshrined in Canton, joining some of football's all-time greats in the Hall of Fame.

Eric Allen, Jared Allen, Antonio Gates, and Sterling Sharpe make up the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, which is the smallest since 2005. However, that also means that it's time to start looking forward to the 2026 candidates for Canton.

Plenty of big names will appear on ballots for the first time next year, with players who retired after the 2020 season becoming eligible. Additionally, a group of four players who were finalists in 2025 will automatically advance to the 2026 "Finalist" stage of the Hall of Fame process.

📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp

Here's a look at the top first-time candidates for next year's Pro Football Hall of Fame class, as well as other details about how the 2026 ballots will look.

MORE:The full Madden '99 club' for the 2025 video game

NFL Hall of Fame candidates: Best first-year eligible players for 2026

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has not announced its official finalists for the Class of 2026, but there are quite a few options to choose from. 

Here's a list of some former players who become eligible for enshrinement in 2026:

Drew Brees, QB, Chargers/Saints

Brees will be the closest thing to a lock for the Hall of Fame among the 2026 first-year candidates. He owns one of the most decorated careers of any quarterback in NFL history, ranking within the top-five all-time for passing yards (80,358), passing touchdowns (571), completed passes (7,142) and passer rating (98.7).

After starting his career with the Chargers, Brees became one of the league's best passers over his 15 years with the Saints. He won Super Bowl 44 and claimed MVP honors for the game, and he also accumulated 13 Pro Bowl selections over his career. Other honors Brees earned were the 2004 Comeback Player of the Year award, plus the 2008 and 2011 Offensive Player of the Year awards.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Cardinals

One of the most consistent wide receivers the league has ever seen, Fitzgerald spent his entire 17-year career in Arizona. He's the owner of nine 1,000-yard receiving seasons, 11 Pro Bowl selections, and the 2016 Walter Payton Man of the Year award.

Fitzgerald, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-2010s Team, never got his Super Bowl ring, but his name is plastered all over all-time receiving record books. He ranks second in all-time career receptions (1,432), second in receiving yards (17,492), and sixth in receiving touchdowns (121). Like Brees, Fitzgerald will be considered highly likely to earn enshrinement in his first season on the ballot.

Jason Witten, TE, Cowboys/Raiders

A longtime Cowboy, Witten was a staple of Dallas' offense throughout the 2000s and 2010s. By the end of his 17-year career, he ranked among the game's best tight ends of all time in the record books, including second in career receiving yards by a tight end (13,046) and sixth in career touchdowns by a tight end (74).

Even without always being considered the most dominant player at his position, Witten was a model of consistency over a long career. He earned 11 Pro Bowl selections, two All-Pro selections, and was named the 2012 Walter Payton Man of the Year. He'll certainly be remembered as a Cowboy, but Witten did spend his final NFL season with the Raiders in 2020.

Frank Gore, RB, 49ers/Colts/Dolphins/Bills/Jets

From 2005-17, Gore was one of the NFL's premier running backs, accumulating nine 1,000-yard seasons. Even while never leading the league in rushing in any individual season, Gore was constantly one of the most utilized weapons, from his earlier years spent with the 49ers to later in his career, when he moved around various squads.

Gore was named to the Hall of Fame's All-2010s Team, and he was named to a Pro Bowl team on five occasions. For a position that often results in players having short careers, Gore was one of the most durable running backs the NFL has ever seen, ranking third in career rushing attempts (3,735) and career rushing yards (16,000).

Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers/Colts

Another quarterback up for Hall of Fame candidacy will be Rivers, who was one of the league's best passers for years but never quite racked up the accolades to show for it. While Rivers was an eight-time Pro Bowler, the 2013 Comeback Player of the Year, and ranks sixth all-time in career passing yards (63,440) and career passing touchdowns (421), his team success wasn't quite on par with some of the greats.

Rivers had a career record of 134-106, with most of those games being played with the Chargers. Like some of the other candidates for Canton in 2026, he had a long, successful career on an individual level, but he never claimed a Super Bowl ring in an era of dominant star quarterbacks like Brees, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Aaron Rodgers, among others.

Maurkice Pouncey, C, Steelers

One of the best centers of the 2010s, Pouncey spent his entire NFL career with the Steelers. He retired at age 31 in 2020, which could potentially impact his Hall of Fame case, but Pouncey was also well-regarded as one of the league's best offensive linemen, year-in and year-out.

He finished his career with nine Pro Bowl selections in 10 seasons, with his only non-Pro Bowl season being a 2013 campaign in which he played one game due to injury. Pouncey also earned two All-Pro selections and was honored on the Hall of Fame's All-2010s Team.

Greg Olsen, TE, Bears/Panthers/Seahawks

While fans now recognize him as an in-game analyst for Fox, Olsen was also one of the NFL's best tight ends in his prime years. His best seasons came from 2014-16 as a member of the Panthers, including a trip to Super Bowl 50 as a weapon for MVP quarterback Cam Newton.

Those three seasons also marked Olsen's three Pro Bowl selections and his three 1,000-yard receiving totals. Olsen's numbers dropped in his later years, but he represented one of the most elite players at his position for some time.

Geno Atkins, DT, Bengals

Yet another selection on the Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-2010s Team, Atkins was one of the steadiest defensive tackles in the NFL throughout his 11-year career. All 11 of those seasons were spent with the Bengals, including eight Pro Bowl years.

Atkins racked up 75.5 sacks in his career, including a career-high 12.5 in 2012 that earned him one of his two First-Team All-Pro nods. 

Julian Edelman, WR, Patriots

If team accomplishments were the lone requirement of enshrinement in Canton, there would be no questions about Edelman's candidacy. Even still, he makes an intriguing case as one of the most reliable weapons of the Tom Brady-era Patriots, including three 1,000-yard receiving seasons and 36 career touchdowns.

Edelman had the game of his life in Super Bowl 53 when the Patriots beat the Rams 13-3. The wide receiver totaled 10 receptions for 141 yards, becoming the first receiver to win Super Bowl MVP since Santonio Holmes in Super Bowl 43. Including that victory, Edelman won three Super Bowls with New England.

Todd Gurley, RB, Rams/Falcons

Gurley is one of the "what if" players on the 2026 ballot. Following his fourth NFL season with the Rams in 2018, he was considered one of the league's best running backs, coming off his third 1,000-yard rushing season with a league-high 17 rushing touchdowns that year.

However, injuries very quickly got the best of Gurley, who only played two more years. After a 2020 campaign in Atlanta, Gurley hung up his cleats after six seasons. Among the honors he won are the 2015 Offensive Rookie of the Year, the 2017 Offensive Player of the Year, three Pro Bowl selections, and two First-Team All-Pro nods.

LeSean McCoy, RB, Eagles/Bills/Chiefs/Buccaneers

McCoy enjoyed a 12-year career, most of which he spent as one of the NFL's leading rushers. From 2009-17, he had six 1,000-yard rushing seasons between Philadelphia and Buffalo, including a league-high 1,607 in 2013.

In the later years of his career, McCoy's individual production fell off, but not before he could rack up six Pro Bowl nods and two First-Team All-Pro selections. A member of the Hall of Fame's All-2010s team, McCoy also added two Super Bowl rings as a reserve in his last two seasons, first with the Chiefs in 2019, then with the Buccaneers in 2020.

Dez Bryant, WR, Cowboys/Ravens

Many remember the controversial "Dez caught it" moment from the 2015 Cowboys vs. Packers playoff game, but Bryant also had some elite seasons for Dallas. He had three straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2012-14, plus a league-high 16 receiving touchdowns in 2014.

Bryant's peak was short-lived following those three years, but in total, he had three Pro Bowl nominations and one First-Team All-Pro selection. Bryant did make a comeback attempt with Baltimore in 2020 following two years off, but he officially called it quits after that season.

Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists 2026

The Hall of Fame can select between four and eight inductees each year, and when the Class of 2026 is being decided upon, they will have a roster of 20 Finalists. A Seniors committee will also have chosen up to three players who played no later than 2000 to be included on the list.

In a rule change that began with the Class of 2025, there are now separate committees for coaches and other "contributors," which each select one Finalist for a new class. There is no mandatory retirement period for an enshrinement by a contributor, while a coach must be retired for one season.

The NFL hasn't yet announced any of its finalists for 2026, whether for modern era players, senior players, coaches, or contributors. However, there are four players who are automatically guaranteed to reach the "Finalist" stage of 2026 voting because they reached the final seven in 2025 voting but did not get elected.

Those players who will automatically be 2026 finalists are:

• Willie Anderson
• Torry Holt
• Luke Kuechly
• Adam Vinatieri