The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced 13 first-time candidates among the 128 modern-era nominees for the class of 2026 on Wednesday.
Among them are quarterbacks Drew Brees and Philip Rivers, whose careers are forever intertwined thanks to their time spent together on the San Diego Chargers. Alex Smith joins them as the third new quarterback nominee.
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Arizona Cardinals wide receiver great Larry Fitzgerald is also among the first-time candidates, as is running back Frank Gore. Here’s a look at some the strongest and more compelling cases from the new crop of nominees, as well as the full list:
Drew Brees
Brees is a lock for the Hall and a likely first-ballot inductee. Because of his aforementioned association with Rivers, he’s arrived here from among the least likely of paths.
Brees joined the Chargers as the No. 32 overall pick — back then, that was the first pick of the second round — in the 2001 NFL Draft out of Purdue. He took over as San Diego’s starter in his second season and held the job for the better part of four years. But there was little during his tenure to suggest that he was a Hall of Famer.
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He got benched in 2003 in favor of veteran Doug Flutie following a 1-7 start to the season. He eventually won his job back and held it through the 2005 season. But the Chargers weren’t sold on Brees and traded to acquire Philip Rivers in the infamous 2004 draft-day deal with the Giants involving Eli Manning.
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Brees continued to start during Rivers’ first two seasons and made the Pro Bowl in 2004. But a significant shoulder injury at the end of the 2005 season signaled the start of the Rivers era in San Diego. The Chargers let Brees walk in free agency.
The Dolphins courted Brees, but ultimately traded for Daunte Culpepper due in part to concerns over the long-term impact of Brees’ shoulder injury. The Saints signed Brees to a six-year, $60 million contract that turned out to be one of the most significant free-agent deals in NFL history.
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Brees became an icon in New Orleans as one of the greatest quarterbacks of a generation that also featured Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers. He led New Orleans to its first and only Super Bowl title as the game’s MVP. He was 13-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro. He’s the NFL’s second all-time leader in passing yards, trailing only Brady.
Brees is a lock for the Hall of Fame. It will be a surprise if he doesn’t get “the knock” this winter.
Larry Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald stands alongside Brees as a strong candidate for a first-ballot call.
The Cardinals drafted Fitzgerald with the No. 3 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. Seventeen years later, Fitzgerald finished his career on the short list of the game’s all-time receiving greats.
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Fitzgerald made 11 Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams. He led the league twice each in receptions and touchdown catches. He’s second only to Jerry Rice in all-time receptions and receiving yards and stands sixth all-time in touchdown catches.
If you were to nominate Fitzgerald as having the best set of hands in football history, you’d have a reasonable case. He routinely made the sensational look easy.
And, perhaps above all else, he associated a moribund Cardinals franchise with winning. The Cardinals have a grand total of 11 playoff appearance since 1947. Fitzgerald was a featured player on four of those teams. One of those runs ended in a Super Bowl alongside Kurt Warner that the Cardinals almost won. It’s no small feat, and one in which Fitzgerald played an integral role. Like with Brees, it won’t be a surprise to see him in Canton come next summer.
Philip Rivers
While the Chargers ultimately let a Hall of Fame quarterback walk away, they didn’t exactly leave the cupboard bare.
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The Chargers placed their faith in Rivers with that fateful decision, and he delivered as the quarterback of one of the great eras in franchise history. Flanked by Hall of Famers LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates, Rivers helmed one of the NFL’s most prolific offenses of this century.
At their peak from 2006 to 2009, the Chargers finished 14-2, 11-5 and 13-3 in three out of four seasons as regular Super Bowl contenders. They won four straight AFC West titles. Rivers went on to start 16 seasons for the Chargers and remained the face of the franchise during its transition from San Diego to Los Angeles in 2017.
Does Philip Rivers belong in the Hall of Fame?
(Harry How via Getty Images)
When his career was done, Rivers had made eight Pro Bowls. He’s the NFL’s seventh-leading all-time passer, and he finished with a 421-to-209 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
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But despite the Chargers’ era of contention with Rivers, they never made a Super Bowl, much less won one. Painful playoff exits became the signature of Rivers’ postseason legacy. Had he won at least one Super Bowl, his Hall case would be considerably stronger. But it’s far from a lock as is.
Frank Gore
Gore’s case is one of the more compelling of the first-time nominees. In an era that featured Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson, Gore was rarely mentioned alongside his elite contemporaries.
But when his career was done, it added to a strong case for the Hall of Fame.
Gore’s name can be fairly mentioned alongside Jim Brown’s and Walter Payton’s among the most durable backs in the history of the game. Gore played 16 NFL seasons and only once played in fewer than 14 games. That was in 2010, when he played in 11.
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He paired that reliability with consistent production. His nine 1,000-plus yard rushing seasons stand fifth all-time behind Emmitt Smith, Curtis Martin, Barry Sanders and Payton. Each of the four players ahead of him is in the Hall of Fame.
When he retired, his 16,000 rushing yards stood third all-time only to Smith and Payton. He was a five-time Pro Bowler. He averaged 4.3 yards per carry and was a factor in the passing game with 484 catches for 3,985 yards and 18 touchdowns in addition to his 81 scores on the ground.
Gore rarely made the Sunday highlight reel. He was never the best back in the league and earned just one All-Pro nod as a second-teamer in his second season with the 49ers. He never played on a Super Bowl winner.
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It doesn’t add up to a first-ballot profile. But it’s one that will become harder for voters to ignore the longer he remains left out.
Full slate of first-time nominees
The first-time nominees will compete for votes from a total field of 128 modern-era candidates. Among them are second-year candidates Marshawn Lynch, Luke Kuechly, Terrell Suggs, Adam Vinatieri and Eli Manning, all of whom missed the cut on their first ballot.
Here’s the full class of first-time nominees for the Hall of Fame, which is heavy on offense:
Quarterback
Drew Brees
Philip Rivers
Alex Smith
Running back
Frank Gore
LeSean McCoy
Wide receiver
Larry Fitzgerald
Tight end
Jason Witten
Greg Olsen
Offensive lineman
Maurkice Pouncey
David DeCastro
Defensive lineman
Geno Atkins
Jurrell Casey
Linebacker
Thomas Davis
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