Brees, Fitzgerald, Kuechly among 5-person Hall of Fame class - ESPN

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its 2026 class Thursday night, with five players, including quarterback Drew Brees and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, selected for enshrinement later this year.

Brees and Fitzgerald received the nod in their first year of eligibility. They'll be joined by kicker Adam Vinatieri and linebacker Luke Kuechly, who were in their second year of eligibility.

And rounding out the class is running back Roger Craig, who was a senior finalist.

But the 2026 class, like the one before it, also will be noted for those who didn't make it. Last year, it was former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning. This year, it is former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and current owner Robert Kraft, who were among five finalists of contributors, coaches and senior players who last appeared in a game in 2000 or earlier. Belichick was in his first year of eligibility, with his reported omission last week met with widespread criticism since.

This year's class was chosen by the hall's board of selectors in a virtual meeting in January. The five new Hall of Famers will be enshrined Aug. 8 in Canton, Ohio, and the class is slightly bigger than last year's four.

Brees, the longtime New Orleans Saints star, retired after the 2020 season as a 13-time Pro Bowl selection. He led the league in passing seven times, had a record five 5,000-yard passing seasons and his 80,538 passing yards were an NFL record when he retired (eclipsed by Tom Brady in 2021).

Fitzgerald, who ranks second all time in receiving yards (17,492) and receptions (1,432) and sixth in touchdowns (121), will be the first Hall of Famer to spend his entire career with the Arizona Cardinals. He was an 11-time Pro Bowl selection and an