Drew Brees, Eli Manning Headline 2026 Pro Football HOF Finalists, Full List Revealed

The Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2026 is one step closer to officially taking shape.

On Tuesday, the full list of Hall of Fame finalists was revealed, featuring recognizable names like quarterbacks Drew Brees and Eli Manning. The full list of candidates is as follows:

• Willie Anderson, OT
• Drew Brees, QB
• Jahri Evans, G
• Larry Fitzgerald, WR
• Frank Gore, RB
• Torry Holt, WR
• Luke Kuechly, LB
• Eli Manning, QB
• Terrell Suggs, OLB
• Adam Vinatieri, K
• Reggie Wayne, WR
• Kevin Williams, DT
• Jason Witten, TE
• Darren Woodson, S
• Marshall Yanda, G

A 50-person selection committee will vote on the 15 finalists, with three to five of them being selected for induction. The results will be announced on Feb. 5 during the annual NFL Honors ceremony.

Brees, Fitzgerald, Gore and Witten all became finalists in their first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame. Manning, Evans, Suggs, Wayne and Yanda are all returning finalists, while fellow 2025 finalists running back Fred Taylor and receiver Steve Smith Sr. fell short this time around. Anderson, Holt, Kuechly and Vinatieri all had their finalist spots guaranteed after making it to the final seven in voting for the 2025 class. Williams made it to the finalist stage for the first time in his sixth year of eligibility.

Last year's four-person class included defensive back Eric Allen, defensive end Jared Allen, tight end Antonio Gates and wide receiver Sterling Sharpe, marking the smallest class of inductees in the past 20 years.

In addition to this year's crop of modern era finalists, the selection committee will be selecting one to three inductees out of senior candidates Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood, coaching candidate Bill Belichick and contributor Robert Kraft.

It should be noted that quarterback Philip Rivers made it to the semifinalist stage before ending his retirement to play for the Indianapolis Colts this season, thereby resetting his Hall of Fame eligibility for another five years. The earliest he could be eligible for induction is now 2031.