Pro Football Hall of Fame candidates 2027: Here are the best NFL players eligible for next year's class

Pro Football Hall of Fame candidates 2027: Here are the best NFL players eligible for next year's class originally appeared on The Sporting News .

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A star-studded class enters the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2026, with Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly and Roger Craig all receiving gold jackets.

The flow of talent to Canton won't stop in 2027, when a handful of players who were some of the most dominant at their respective positions will find themselves on the ballot for the first time.

From a Super Bowl-winning quarterback to the last running back to win MVP, here are the top first-year candidates for the 2027 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

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NFL Hall of Fame candidates: Best first-year eligible players for 2027

Ben Roethlisberger, QB

One of the most heated debates ahead of 2027 will be whether former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. His enshrinement seems inevitable as a two-time Super Bowl champion with a considerably stronger track record than Eli Manning, who is still waiting, but the presence of some other strong first-year candidates could make the path more daunting for "Big Ben."

Roethlisberger is one of nine players with at least 400 touchdown passes, and his 64,088 passing yards rank seventh all-time. Roethlisberger went 165-81-1, including 13-10 in the playoffs, and he only posted a losing record over a full or nearly full season once in an 18-year career.

Rob Gronkowski, TE

While injuries robbed Rob Gronkowski of the career totals that would put him among the NFL's all-time great tight ends, many fans would tell you he was the best tight end of all time at his peak. The four-time Super Bowl champion was one half of a historic duo with Tom Brady, playing like a bowling ball that couldn't be stopped by opposing defenses.

Even with time missed due to injury and a shorter career than most Hall of Fame tight ends, Gronkowski racked up 9,286 yards and 92 touchdowns in 143 games, averaging 15 yards per reception and adding 15 touchdowns in 22 playoff games. Fans can expect to see Gronkowski in Canton in 2027.

Adrian Peterson, RB

Adrian Peterson's case could be hurt by off-field issues, including a 2025 arrest and a 2014 suspension after a child abuse investigation, but his on-the-field production is undoubtedly Hall of Fame-worthy.

The last non-quarterback to win MVP, Peterson led the NFL in rushing three times and is fifth all-time with 14,918 rushing yards. Peterson scored double-digit rushing touchdowns in each of his first seven seasons and put the Vikings on his back with a historic 2,097-yard rushing season in 2012 fresh off an ACL tear suffered near the end of the 2011 campaign.

Injuries and his suspension took away portions of Peterson's prime, but he had more than enough production when healthy to prove himself as a Hall of Famer.

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Richard Sherman, CB

Richard Sherman famously called himself "the best corner in the game" after the 2013 NFC championship game, and that's what he was for a portion of his 11-year career. A fifth-round pick in 2011, Sherman earned three consecutive All-Pro First Team selections from 2012-14, winning a Super Bowl and reaching another in that span.

Sherman recorded 20 interceptions in his first three seasons alone, and he boosted his Hall of Fame case with a resurgent 2019 season in San Francisco that landed him on another All-Pro team and back in the Super Bowl.

A first-year enshrinement for Sherman is unlikely due to the talent around him on the ballot, but he has a case to find his way to Canton at some point.

Antonio Brown, WR

The story of Antonio Brown goes far beyond his otherworldly talent, as his persona became a major issue late in his career, as did his legal troubles. Whether fair or not, those troubles for Brown — most notably an attempted murder case that is set to go to trial in early 2027, right around the time of the selection process — are going to have a major impact on his Hall of Fame chances.

On the field, Brown played like a Hall of Famer. Unheralded out of Central Michigan in 2010, Brown emerged as one of the NFL's elite receivers, rattling off six consecutive seasons of at least 1,200 yards and leading the NFL in receiving yards in both 2014 and 2017. He finished his career with 12,291 yards and 83 touchdowns.

Brown seemingly boosted his Hall of Fame case with a Super Bowl win with the Buccaneers late in his career, but everything that has transpired since — and even in the two years before that championship — complicate his candidacy, to say the least.

Cam Newton, QB

It's rare for an MVP-winning quarterback to fall short of the Hall of Fame, but that's likely going to be the outcome for Cam Newton.

The No. 1 pick was undoubtedly one of the most electrifying players of his generation, but 144 starts, 75 wins and less than 200 touchdown passes make it tough to imagine Newton has the body of work to be a Hall of Famer, even with 5,628 yards and 75 touchdowns on the ground.

Newton had only about eight productive seasons as a starter, as he missed almost all of his ninth season and wasn't quite the same in 2020 or 2021 after undergoing shoulder surgery. He would be an easy selection for the Hall of Fun, but the Hall of Fame will have to wait, at the very least.

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Andrew Whitworth, OT

Andrew Whitworth was a player whose best days came in the latter half of his career, as he earned his first All-Pro selection in year nine and his only All-Pro First Team selections in his 10th and 12th seasons.

A four-time Pro-Bowler, Whitworth could still have a case for enshrinement. He played terrific football right until the end, closing his ca...