(AP) — Quarterback Drew Brees and receiver Larry Fitzgerald were picked in their first year of eligibility as two of the nominees among modern era players for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
Brees and Fitzgerald were two of the most prolific producers in the passing game in NFL history with Brees ranking second all time in yards passing and touchdowns, and Fitzgerald ranking second in career receptions and yards receiving.
Brees was drafted in the second round by the San Diego Chargers in 2001 and spent five seasons with the team before signing a free agent deal with the New Orleans Saints in 2006. He led the Saints to a Super Bowl XLIV win at the end of the 2009 season.
Brees is second all time to Tom Brady with 80,358 yards passing and 571 touchdown passes. Brees made the Pro Bowl 13 times in his career, won AP Offensive Player of the Year in 2008 and 2011, was an All-Pro in 2006 and was a second-team All-Pro four times.
Eleven other players in their first year of eligibility were picked among the 128 modern-era nominees for this year's class.
The other nominees in their first year of eligibility are 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.
Rivers played for the San Diego Chargers from 2004-2016; he remained the team's starting quarterback from 2017-2019 after the franchise relocated to Los Angeles. He played his final NFL season with the Indianapolis Colts in 2020.
Smith, a native of La Mesa, played high school football at Helix High before starring at the University of Utah. He was selected first overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2005 NFL Draft. Smith also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Washington franchise before retiring in 2021.
A screening committee will reduce the candidates to 50 in October with the full 50-member selection committee reducing the list to 25 and then 15 finalists, who will be voted on by the selection meeting before the Super Bowl in February.
Four players have already guaranteed themselves spots in the final 15 after making it down to the final seven players in the 2025 class with Willie Anderson, Torry Holt, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri taking those spots.
The other returning finalists are Eli Manning, Fred Taylor, Steve Smith Sr., Reggie Wayne, Jahri Evans, Marshall Yanda, Terrell Suggs and Darren Woodson.
In addition to the 15 modern era finalists, the selection committee will consider three seniors, one coach and one contributor for the Class of 2026. Between four and eight new members will be elected in the second year of this current format.
Only four people got in last year for the smallest class in 20 years.
Fitzgerald spent his entire career with the Arizona Cardinals after being drafted third overall in 2004. His 1,432 catches and 17.492 yards receiving in 17 seasons ranks second all time to Jerry Rice.
Fitzgerald topped 1,000 yards receiving nine times — tied for the fourth most ever — and helped the Cardinals reach their only Super Bowl following the 2008 season. Fitzgerald set single-season records that postseason with 546 yards receiving and seven TD catches, including a go-ahead 64-yard score with 2:37 to play before Pittsburgh rallied for a 27-23 win over Arizona.
