SAN FRANCISCO -- The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 was revealed on Thursday night during NFL Honors, with five individuals (four modern-era candidates and one senior finalist) receiving the Canton call.
- Drew Brees, QB: San Diego Chargers, 2001-05; New Orleans Saints, 2006-2020.
- Roger Craig*, RB: San Francisco 49ers, 1983-1990; Los Angeles Raiders, 1991; Minnesota Vikings, 1992-93.
- Larry Fitzgerald, WR: Arizona Cardinals, 2004-2020.
- Luke Kuechly, LB: Carolina Panthers, 2012-19.
- Adam Vinatieri, K: New England Patriots, 1996-2005; Indianapolis Colts, 2006-2019.
*Senior inductee
Here are my quick thoughts on the newest members of football's most revered club.
I know a lot of the talk about the Hall leading up to tonight was about who didn't get in, but let's focus on celebrating a player who's spot in Canton has been a long time coming. Roger Craig is a Hall of Famer, voted in by the Seniors Committee, and for the second consecutive year, the voters have righted a wrong (in my opinion) that has long loomed over the Hall.
Craig was one of the NFL's greatest receiving threats out of the backfield, and he did this in the 1980s before game really evolved. Craig was the first player in league history to amass 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season. We took him for granted, and he accomplished what Christian McCaffrey did in 2019 before it was cool. Some guys are years ahead of their time. Roger Craig was generations ahead.
It's hard not to think about what Roger Craig meant to the 49ers dynasty, particularly in Super Bowl XIX which happened just down the road in nearby Palo Alto, California. Of course, Joe Montana was the game's MVP and played perhaps the best game of his career up until that point. But Craig really stole the show, rushing for 58 yards and a touchdown and leading the 49ers in receiving with seven receptions for 77 yards and two more touchdowns.
Perhaps it's fitting he's going into the Hall when the Super Bowl returns to the Bay Area for the third time.
Congratulations are also in order to the modern-era members, which includes Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald -- two players I thought were automatic locks. Interestingly enough, Brees is in the Hall of Fame and the quarterback drafted to replace him -- Eli Manning -- is not.
Interestingly enough, Brees is in the Hall of Fame. The quarterback drafted to replace Brees -- Eli Manning is not. Fitzgerald was also drafted the same year as Manning in 2004. I'll always wonder what could have been if the San Diego Chargers had drafted Larry Fitz to pair with Brees and Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson. There is some other universe where that happened, and I would love to have a glimpse into it. In the end, the Chargers traded a quarterback who won a pair of Super Bowls and Brees, who they let walk away in free agency and who won the Saints' first and only Super Bowl title.
Unlike Patrick Willis, Luke Kuechly will not have to wait an inordinate amount of time to get into the Hall because the former Carolina Panthers great got the knock. Kuechly was the 2012 Rookie of the Year, 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and a five-time first-team All Pro.
And then there is Adam Vinatieri. The guy who kicked the ball off to Devin Hester in Super Bowl XLI. He was quickly ushered to the front of the line in his first year of eligibility, while Devin had to wait. Not that I'm angry. Don't let the papers say I was angry. Nobody made bigger kicks than Vinatieri, a three-time Super Bowl winner, and I'm glad he didn't have to wait too long to get into the Hall. The fact that he's the ONLY kicker in Super Bowl history to have made multiple go-head field goals with less than 10 seconds remaining should've been enough. And what's funny, Vinatieri is getting in before Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, who I know isn't eligible yet, but just humor me here.
Again, congratulations to all who made it.
