Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2026 predictions: With Bill Belichick, Eli Manning out, who's in?

While Bill Belichick and Eli Manning are reportedly not getting in, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will still be inducting several new members this summer in Canton, Ohio. 

The only coaching finalist on the ballot this year, Belichick was competing for votes with contributor finalist Robert Kraft and senior finalists Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood. Each of those finalists needed at least 40 votes from the 50-person selection committee, who can only cast votes for three finalists. If no one receives 80% of the vote, the person with the highest percentage would receive induction.

Manning is one of 15 modern-era finalists that also includes fellow quarterback Drew Brees, receivers Larry Fitzgerald, Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne, tight end Jason Witten, running back Frank Gore, guard Jahri Evans, offensive tackle Willie Anderson, guard/tackle Marshal Yanda, defensive tackle Kevin Williams, edge rusher Terrell Suggs, linebacker Luke Kuechly, safety Darren Woodson and kicker Adam Vinatieri. 

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Bryan DeArdo

Up to five modern-era finalists can receive induction, with the entire class ranging from four to eight members. 

So, who's getting in? Before the class is officially unveiled on Thursday, Feb. 5, let's break it down, starting with the most likely candidates. 

Virtual locks: Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald 

It's hard to fathom the voters not inducting Brees and Fitzgerald in their first years of eligibility. 

Brees retired as the NFL's career leader in both passing yards (80,353) and touchdown passes (571) and is currently second in both categories behind Tom Brady. Brees never won league MVP, but he did capture Super Bowl MVP honors after leading the New Orleans Saints to their first championship at the end of the 2009 season. 

Fitzgerald is second to only Jerry Rice in career catches (1,432) and receiving yards (17,492) and is sixth in career touchdown catches (121). While he never won a Super Bowl, Fitzgerald had a postseason for the ages in 2008 that nearly culminated in the Arizona Cardinals upsetting the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Next in line: Gore, Kuechly, Suggs, Vinatieri, Witten

Like Brees and Fitzgerland, Gore and Witten are also eligible for induction for the first time. Gore's biggest case is that he is third all-time in career rushing yards (16,000) after he passed Barry Sanders in 2019. He is trails only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton on the all-time list. 

Kuechly was one of the NFL's premier defensive players before injuries cut his career short after eight seasons. His career was eerily similar to fellow former linebacker Patrick Willis, who had to wait until his fifth year of eligibility before he was inducted in 2024. 

Suggs is eighth on the NFL's career sack list (139) and has a Defensive Player of the Year award and a Super Bowl ring to boot. Witten is second to only Tony Gonzalez in career catches (1,228) and career receiving yards (13,046) among tight ends. 

Vinatieri has an extremely strong case. He is, after all, the NFL's all-time leading scorer who ended two Super Bowls with winning field goals. Vinateiri, who won four Super Bowls during his 24-year-career, is also notorious for his two critical kicks in blizzard-like conditions against the Oakland Raiders during the New England Patriots' first championship run. 

Each of these finalists will receive induction at some point if 2026 isn't their year. 

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Best of the rest 

Wayne and Holt have both waited for years for their day to finally come. Both had prolific careers that included Super Bowl wins, but it feels like they have cancelled each other out in recent years in terms of votes totals. 

No finalists have waited longer than Anderson and Woodson, who are 12 and 18-time finalists, respectively. Anderson faces the challenge of playing a position -- offensive line -- that seldom gets attention (also the case for Yanda and Evans) and for a franchise (the Cincinnati Bengals) that doesn't have much Hall of Fame representation 

As a safety, Woodson also played a position that is underrepresented in the Hall of Fame. He did, however, play for one of the NFL's most popular franchises (Dallas Cowboys) during the peak of its powers. Woodson is actually the Cowboys' all-time leader in tackles. LeRoy Butler's induction in 2022 has given his candidacy some hope. 

What about Kraft and the senior finalists?

At least one person has to earn induction, and based on the fact that Belichick didn't even receive 80% of the votes, it's very possible that only one is going to get inducted this year. 

If that ends up being the case, there's a very good chance it will be Kraft, the only owner in NFL history with six Super Bowl rings -- with a seventh one possibly on the way. There does appear, however, to be a strong sentiment from at least some of the voters to help Anderson, Craig and Greenwood get over the proverbial finish line. 

These players have strong Hall of Fame cases. Anderson won a league MVP and led the Bengals to their first Super Bowl. Craig was the NFL's first player to post 1,000-yard rushing and receiving campaigns in the same season and was a key cog on three championship teams with the San Francisco 49ers. Greenwood was an all-decade performer who won four Super Bowls as a valued member of the Steelers' "Steel Curtain" defense. 

Hall of Fame class of 2026 predictions

• QB Drew Brees
• WR Larry Fitzgerald
• LB Luke Kuechly
• Robert Kraft
• DL L.C. Greenwood 

Brees and Fitzgerald should get in during their first years of eligibility and Kuechly shouldn't have to wait another year before his career is immortalized in Canton.

After years of waiting, it appears that this may very well be the year that Kraft gets inducted, although his former coach, Belichick, will have to wait at least another year before he earns that distinction. Of the senior finalists, Greenwood may finally receive the honor posthumously by virtue of his immense contributions to arguably the greatest defense in NFL history.