In their first year of eligibility, Larry Fitzgerald and Drew Brees were selected as two of the nominees among modern era players for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Fitzgerald and Brees headline a star-studded class of 128 candidates.

The other nominees in their first year of eligibility include quarterbacks Philip Rivers and Alex Smith; tight ends Greg Olsen and Jason Witten; running backs Frank Gore and LeSean McCoy; offensive linemen David DeCastro and Maurkice Pouncey; defensive linemen Geno Atkins and Jurrell Casey; and linebacker Thomas Davis.

In October, a screening committee will scale the number of candidates down to 50, and then the full 50-member selection committee will reduce the list to 25 and then 15 finalists, who will be voted on by the selection committee before the Super Bowl in February.

Spending his entire 17-season career with the Arizona Cardinals, Fitzgerald is one of the most decorated wide receivers in the history of the NFL. He’s the second all-time in NFL history in both receptions (1,432) and receiving yards (17,492), trailing only Jerry Rice in both categories. He also ranks sixth all-time in receiving touchdowns with 121.  An 11-time Pro Bowl selection, Fitzgerald is a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.

Hailed as one of the most prolific passers in NFL history, Brees led the New Orleans Saints to their first and only  Super Bowl championship in Super Bowl XLIV, where he was named MVP. Brees holds the NFL record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass (54) and the single-season record for highest completion percentage (74.4% in 2018). When he retired, Brees was second all-time in career passing yards and passing touchdowns. He was also named to 13 Pro Bowl selections, earned two NFL Offensive Player of the Year awards, and won the Comeback Player of the Year award in 2004.

To be inducted, finalists must receive at least 80% support from the Selection Committee to join the Class of 2026. 

Along with the 15 Modern-Era Player Finalists, the 50-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee will convene over three Seniors Finalists, a Coach Finalist, and a Contributor Finalist as potential members of the Class of 2026.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 will be enshrined next August.