10 Best NFL Players Who Aren't in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Earning a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is the highest honor a player can receive, but the process is imperfect.

Generally speaking, deserving players will be enshrined in Canton. What stings, however, is seeing a worthy individual not make the cut—in some cases, for many, many years.

Hopefully, that coveted call for players like Willie Anderson or Reggie Wayne is coming as soon as the 2026 class alongside Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald and perhaps a few more.

The list, while subjective, considers a player's career production and accomplishments along with typical HOF standards.

Ken Anderson

AP Photo

Still the passing leader in Cincinnati Bengals history, Ken Anderson is the best eligible quarterback not in the Hall of Fame.

Anderson started 172 games during his 16-year career, leading Cincy to three division titles and its first-ever appearance in the Super Bowl. That season (1981), Anderson also brought home the league MVP with AP Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Pro honors.

In addition to that peak campaign, Anderson totaled four Pro Bowls and a second-team All-Pro nod. Upon his retirement, he ranked seventh all-time in passing yards and eighth in passer rating.

Anderson is now subject to the voting of the senior committee, which has chosen him as a finalist in 2026.

Willie Anderson

AP Photo

Willie Anderson, meanwhile, is trending in the right direction—even if he's falling on the wrong side of the results.

The once-powerful right tackle has advanced to the finals of modern-era voting in several HOF cycles but is awaiting the final call.

Still, he absolutely should be included soon.

Anderson played 13 NFL seasons, spending 12 with the Bengals. He emerged as one of the most dominant linemen of his era, securing All-Pro and Pro Bowl recognition in four straight seasons from 2003 to 2006.

Drew Brees

Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Barring an absolute travesty of voting, Drew Brees will be a first-ballot selection as part of the 2026 class.

The legendary QB broke into the NFL with the San Diego Chargers and played four seasons there. Between the team drafting Philip Rivers in 2004 and Brees having a serious shoulder injury, he hit free agency after the 2005 season—almost wound up with the Miami Dolphins—and joined the New Orleans Saints.

Brees then morphed into an icon.

As a 15-year starter in New Orleans, he guided the franchise to nine playoff appearances and won a Super Bowl in 2009. Brees twice earned Offensive Player of the Year and finished as the MVP runner-up three times.

Brees is second all-time in passing yards (80,358) and touchdowns (571), both of which he once led until Tom Brady surpassed them.

Roger Craig

AP Photo

You know those versatility stats that Christian McCaffrey is "only the third player in 30 years" to attain?

Well, that's partly because of Roger Craig.

As the Bill Walsh-led San Francisco 49ers popularized the West Coast offense—which sparked Ken Anderson's career in Cincinnati, by the way—Craig became an integral piece of the scoring attack.

The running back played eight seasons in San Francisco, rushing for 7,064 yards and 50 touchdowns with 508 receptions for 4,442 yards and 16 more scores. He became the first player in NFL history to notch 1,000 rushing and receiving yards in the same season.

Craig, a three-time Super Bowl champion, won AP Offensive Player of the Year in 1988 and twice landed All-Pro status.

Larry Fitzgerald

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

As with Brees, Larry Fitzgerald should be a 2026 lock.

Throughout a 17-year career on the Arizona Cardinals, he provided a consistent impact. Fitzgerald produced 10 seasons of 80-plus catches, nine of 1,000-plus yards and five of double-digit trips to the end zone.

Fitzgerald landed on three AP All-Pro teams, collected 11 Pro Bowl nods and twice paced the NFL in both receptions and touchdowns.

On the all-time leaderboard, Fitz is second in both catches (1,432) and yards (17,492) and sixth in scoring grabs (121).

Torry Holt

AP Photo

Torry Holt's production is just silly.

Throughout his 11 NFL years, he never finished below 700 receiving yards. And in eight of those seasons, Holt collected at least 1,188 yards with two campaigns above 1,600.

It's no surprise, then, that Holt was a seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro receiver. He held a vital role during the St. Louis Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf" era and continued to put up elite numbers.

Holt retired with the 10th-most receiving yards (13,382) in league history and still is 17th in the category.

Sure, he didn't always catch a bunch of touchdowns, ranking 43rd today with a reasonably modest 74 scores. But is that really the only thing preventing him from entering the Hall?

Luke Kuechly

AP Photo

The reality is a brief NFL career—relatively speaking, of course—is why Luke Kuechly didn't receive the first-ballot label. He retired at 28 years old.

However, there is absolutely zero reason otherwise to ignore his Hall of Fame case. With at least 100 tackles in all eight seasons, he locked down the middle of the field for the Carolina Panthers from 2012-19.

This man, in the most respectful tone, was a terrifying human.

Kuechly won AP Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2012 and garnered All-Pro status in each of the next seven seasons. He earned NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 and finished third in that balloting two years later.

Altogether, he amassed 1,092 tackles in just 118 career games.

Eli Manning

AP Photo

Not unexpectedly, New York Giants legend Eli Manning fell short of being a first-ballot inductee in 2025. He missed in 2026, as well.

Manning's resume lacks the flash of individual prominence, given he managed four Pro Bowl selections and never made an All-Pro team. Eli played in an era of QB excellence and didn't command much of the spotlight.

Except for, you know, those two game-winning drives in the Super Bowl to slip on a pair of championship rings.

Between those Super Bowl titles and ranking 11th all-time in both passing yards (57,023) and touchdowns (366), Eli fully deserves a spot in Canton.

Philip Rivers

Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Forever connected to Manning because of the memorable 2004 draft-day swap, Philip Rivers put together a compelling HOF résumé.

The main obstacle is a lack of postseason success, but that's not rare.

For all but 19 games of his 18-year career, he suited up for San Diego. Rivers ended with one season—and later a few more games—on the Indianapolis Colts. Along the way, he passed for 63,984 yards and 425 touchdowns. Rivers is eighth and sixth, respectively, in those categories.

Rivers had been part of the 2026 HOF class until he returned to briefly play for Indianapolis during the 2025 season. Those appearances delayed his Hall of Fame eligibility for another five years.

Reggie Wayne

AP Photo

Reggie Wayne will definitely be inducted soon. Probably. I think.

Mediocre humor aside, the longtime Colts wide receiver has an obvious case for inclusion.

A three-time All-Pro honoree, he ranks 11th all-time in receptions (1,070), 10th in yards (14,345) with a top-35 mark in touchdowns (82). Wayne won a Super Bowl with Indianapolis in the 2006 season, catching a long score in that triumph over the Chicago Bears.

Wayne should be on the verge of joining coach Tony Dungy and former teammates Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison and Dwight Freeney in Canton.

Make it happen in 2026, please and thanks.