CANTON, Ohio — Willie Anderson and Luke Kuechly are one step closer to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Anderson and Kuechly are among 15 former standouts in the National Football League have reached the doorstep of enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the announcement Tuesday morning of the finalists in the Modern-Era Players category for the Class of 2026.
Anderson, a former Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle, and Kuechly, a former Carolina Panthers linebacker and a 2009 St. Xavier graduate, highlight Greater Cincinnati’s presence in the Modern-Era category. The group also includes automatic finalists Torry Holt and Adam Vinatieri.
Anderson, Holt, Kuechly and Vinatieri advance to this stage automatically due to each candidate reaching the final seven for election with the Class of 2025.
Anderson is in his fifth consecutive season as a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame - the most times as a finalist among the 15 candidates.
The slate of candidates in the Modern-Era Players category will be considered when the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee meets prior to Super Bowl LX. The Class of 2026 will be unveiled publicly Feb. 5 during the “NFL Honors presented by Invisalign” broadcast from the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. The program will air on NBC and NFL Network and streamed on Peacock and NFL+.
The Modern-Era Players, along with their positions, years and teams are:
Willie Anderson, Tackle – 1996-2007 Cincinnati Bengals, 2008 Baltimore Ravens
Drew Brees, Quarterback – 2001-05 San Diego Chargers, 2006-2020 New Orleans Saints
Jahri Evans, Guard – 2006-2016 New Orleans Saints, 2017 Green Bay Packers
Larry Fitzgerald, Wide Receiver – 2004-2020 Arizona Cardinals
Frank Gore, Running Back – 2005-2014 San Francisco 49ers, 2015-17 Indianapolis Colts, 2018 Miami Dolphins, 2019 Buffalo Bills, 2020 New York Jets
Torry Holt, Wide Receiver – 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars
Luke Kuechly, Linebacker – 2012-19 Carolina Panthers
Eli Manning, Quarterback – 2004-2019 New York Giants
Terrell Suggs, Outside Linebacker/Defensive End – 2003-2018 Baltimore Ravens, 2019 Arizona Cardinals, 2019 Kansas City Chiefs
Adam Vinatieri, Kicker – 1996-2005 New England Patriots, 2006-2019 Indianapolis Colts
Reggie Wayne, Wide Receiver – 2001-2014 Indianapolis Colts
Kevin Williams, Defensive Tackle –2003-2013 Minnesota Vikings, 2014 Seattle Seahawks, 2015 New Orleans Saints
Jason Witten, Tight End – 2003-2017, 2019 Dallas Cowboys, 2020 Las Vegas Raiders
Darren Woodson, Safety – 1992-2003 Dallas Cowboys
Marshal Yanda, Guard/Tackle – 2007-2019 Baltimore Ravens
The selection committee may elect up to five Modern-Era Players for the Class of 2026; each must receive a minimum positive vote of 80% for election.
Five others — Seniors category finalists Ken Anderson (former Bengals quarterback), Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood; along with Coach Finalist Bill Belichick and Contributor Finalist Robert Kraft — also are candidates for the Class of 2026. Voting on these five is conducted separately as its own group distinct from the Modern-Era Players; a minimum of one person and a maximum of three from these combined categories may be elected under the Hall’s current bylaws.
While there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s current selection process bylaws stipulate that between four and eight new members shall be selected.
The finalists in the Modern-Era Players category were determined by the independent selection committee from a list that originated with 128 nominees. It was reduced two other times (to 52 nominees and to 26 Semifinalists) before the cut to the 15 finalists.
