RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesThe Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio is set to welcome its class of 2026 over the weekend.
The festivities will begin Thursday, August 6 with the NFL's annual Hall of Fame preseason game . The Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers will participate in the showcase, as each franchise has a notable player being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
In total, five players will be enshrined among the legends of the sport of football. Here's everything to know about the Pro Football Hall of Fame's class of 2026.
2026 NFL RECORD PREDICTIONS: Super Bowl 61 an all-Texas affair between Cowboys, Texans?
Who made the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2026?
Five players are being enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They are as follows:
QB Drew Brees
RB Roger Craig
WR Larry Fitzgerald
LB Luke Kuechly
K Adam Vinatieri
Here's more to know about each player's career.
2026 NFL RECORD PROJECTIONS: Super Bowl 61 an all-Texas affair between Cowboys, Texans?
Drew Brees
Position : Quarterback
Teams : Chargers, Saints
Years played : 2001-20
Brees spent the first five years of his career with the Chargers after being a second-round pick out of Purdue. He was replaced by Philip Rivers in San Diego after suffering a catastrophic injury to his throwing shoulder, which included a 360-degree tear of the labrum and a partial tear of the rotator cuff, and eventually signed with the Saints.
In New Orleans, Brees teamed up with Sean Payton to create one of the NFL's most prolific and consistent offenses. He led the NFL in passing yards seven times – and threw for at least 5,000 passing yards on four occasions – while leading the Saints to their first Super Bowl, a 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl 44.
Brees was named the MVP of Super Bowl 44, made it to 13 Pro Bowls and finished his career with 80,358 passing yards and 571 passing touchdowns. Both of the latter figures rank second-most all time behind only Tom Brady.
Roger Craig
Position : Running back
Teams : 49ers, Vikings, Raiders
Years played : 1983-93
Craig was a key part of the 49ers dynasty in the 1980s. The versatile running back helped lead San Francisco to three Super Bowl victories, logging seven consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 scrimmage yards and showing his worth as a prolific receiver out of the backfield.
In 1985, Craig became the first NFL running back to post at least 1,000 rushing yards and at least 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. His versatility helped establish the blueprint for the modern three-down running back which ultimately helped him get into the Hall of Fame after a lengthy wait.
Larry Fitzgerald
Position : Wide receiver
Teams : Cardinals
Years played : 2004-20
Fitzgerald played his entire 17-year career with the Cardinals after being the third pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. The Pitt product quickly established himself as an effective and consistent receiver, posting at least 1,000 receiving yards in six of his first eight seasons and playing at least 13 games in each of his 17 NFL seasons.
Fitzgerald made 11 Pro Bowls, led the Cardinals to an appearance in Super Bowl 43 against the Steelers and posted 17,492 receiving yards, good for the second-most ever behind only Jerry Rice. He also posted 121 touchdown catches, which presently ranks sixth in NFL history.
Luke Kuechly
Position : Linebacker
Teams : Panthers
Years played : 2012-19
Kuechly played eight NFL seasons and took home hardware in all of them. He was named the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2012 after leading the league in tackles, was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 and earned five All-Pro first team nods and two All-Pro second team nods over his final seven seasons.
Across his career, Kuechly never logged fewer than 102 tackles in a season and added 18 interceptions and 66 pass defenses to his ledger across 118 career games played. His elite instincts allowed him to thrive both as a downhill run defender and in coverage while helping him become the league's most fearsome three-down threat at linebacker.
Kuechly never won a Super Bowl, but he was a key cog in the Panthers defense that helped power the team to an appearance in Super Bowl 50.
Adam Vinatieri
Position : Kicker
Teams : Patriots, Colts
Years played : 1996-2019
Vinatieri will become just the third pure kicker enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining Morten Andersen and Jan Stenerud in Canton.
Vinatieri played a whopping 24 seasons after going undrafted out of South Dakota. He made an NFL-best 599 field goals during his career and won four Super Bowls. That included Super Bowls 36 and 38, during which he made game-winning kicks to break ties in the final seconds of regulation to help kickstart New England's dynasty.
Few kickers have ever enjoyed the longevity and consistent clutch performance Vinatieri did during his career. A case can be made that he is the greatest kicker in NFL history.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who made Pro Football Hall of Fame? 5 players highlight NFL's class of 2026
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