Meet the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026, and why they deserve it

This year's inductees include a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, a record-breaking receiver, a punishing linebacker, the most clutch kicker in history, and a running back who redefined his position.

Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly, Adam Vinatieri and Roger Craig are those men, poised to earn a bust and gold jacket this weekend when they are enshrined as the Class of 2026.

DAZN News breaks down what made each of them great, and why they belong in Canton.

Drew Brees earns first-ballot nod

The Purdue product was the first pick of the second round, 32nd overall, and spent five years with the Chargers before hurting his throwing shoulder in 2005.

A shock trade to the New Orleans Saints followed, and Brees never looked back, forging a partnership with coach Sean Payton that saw him earn a Lombardi ring and Super Bowl MVP honours.

Fittingly, Brees asked Payton to present his induction, and the answer was never in doubt.

Brees' achievements and records

• 80,358 passing yards, second all-time
• 571 touchdown passes, second all-time
• 7,142 completions, second all time
• 67.7% career completion rate, third all time
• 13x Pro Bowl selections
• 1x First-team All-Pro
• 2x NFL Offensive Player of the Year
• 1 Super Bowl title
• Super Bowl XLIV MVP
• Five 5,000-yard passing seasons, still an NFL record

Larry Fitzgerald's hands earn him a jacket

The sure-handed Fitzgerald had the rare distinction of having spent his entire career with the same team; all 17 years of his dominant career coming in the desert of the Arizona Cardinals.

He finished second all-time in catches and second all-time in receiving yards, becoming the only player within shouting distance of the great Jerry Rice in both categories.

When you consider that only five of those years were spent with Kurt Warner, and consider how sensational he was in the playoffs, it makes Fitzgerald's achievements even more special.

Fitzgerald's achievements and records

• 1,431 receptions, second all-time
• 17,492 receiving yards, second all-time
• 11x Pro Bowl selection
• 3x All-Pro (1x First-team 2008, 2x Second-team 2009, 2011)
• 0 Super Bowl titles, 1 appearance (Super Bowl XLIII)
• Just 35 career drops across 17 seasons

Luke Kuechly: Small sample, huge impact

Eight seasons is a small sample size by Hall of Fame standards, and yet it's still more than sufficient for a first-ballot case where Kuechly is concerned.

A cerebral player with the athleticism to match, Kuechly's career was defined by triple-digit tackles in every year he played, 67 passes defended, and 18 picks.

Kuechly is one of only two linebackers to win both Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, and he did it by his second season in the league.

Kuechly's achievements and records

• 7x Pro Bowl selection
• 5x First-team All-Pro, 2x Second-team All-Pro
• 2012 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
• 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year
• Super Bowl 50 appearance
• NFL 2010s All-Decade Team

Adam Vinatieri's clutch plays earn him a bust

Nobody in NFL history has kicked more field goals or scored more points, and that's before anyone brings up the postseason numbers.

The blizzard kick against the Raiders in the 2001 divisional round will never be forgotten, 45 yards through a whiteout to force overtime in the Tuck Rule game.

But that was just the opening act, as two weeks later he won the Patriots their first Super Bowl title, kicking the game-winning field goal in a game where New England were the underdogs.

Vinatieri's achievements and records

• 599 field goals made, most all-time
• 2,673 career points, most all-time
• 3x Pro Bowl selection
• 3x First-team All-Pro
• 4x Super Bowl champion (three with the Patriots, one with the Colts)
• 3rd pure kicker ever enshrined in Canton, joining Jan Stenerud and Morten Andersen

Craig gets his call from the Seniors committee

Craig had been sitting outside the Hall for a while as the only running back on the 1970s, 1980s or 1990s All-Decade teams without a bust to his name.

In 1985, in Bill Walsh's legendary 49ers' offense, he became the first player in league history to clear 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season.

That feat, several years before running backs were truly considered dual-threats, has only been matched by Marshall Faulk and Christian McCaffrey since.

Craig's achievements and records

• 4x Pro Bowl selection
• 2x All-Pro (1x First-team 1988, 1x Second-team 1985)
• 3x Super Bowl champion (XIX, XXIII, XXIV)
• 1988 NFL Offensive Player of the Year
• NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
• 13,100 career yards from scrimmage, 73 total touchdowns

When is the Hall of Fame enshrinement?

The Class of 2026 gets enshrined at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, when all five men receive their jackets and take photos alongside their busts.

Ceremony start time:

• Saturday, August 8, at 5pm BST (UK)
• Saturday, August 8, at 12pm ET (US)
• Saturday, August 8, at 9am PT (US)

The Hall of Fame Game

Enshrinement weekend always comes with a preseason game attached, and this year's matchup was as exciting as any in recent memory.

Held at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in the Hall of Fame Village as it is every year, the Panthers ran out 33-30 winners over the Cardinals.

The Class of 2026 watched on as rookie quarterbacks Carson Beck and Haynes King slugged it out in a game that went down to the wire.

This game and the three weekends packed with preseason fixtures that follow will be available to watch FREE and LIVE on DAZN.

On Saturday, August 8, the enshrinement takes place, when all five men receive their jackets and take photos alongside their busts.

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