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A total of 26 candidates in the Modern-Era Players category have reached the Semifinalist stage for possible election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 presented by Visual Edge IT.
The list includes five players in their first year of eligibility, two players not in their first year of eligibility who have reached this stage in the process for the first time and 19 players who were Semifinalists for the Class of 2025.
Willie Anderson, Torry Holt, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri — among that group of 19 — automatically reached this stage in voting for the Class of 2026 by virtue of finishing in the top seven for election last year. That provision was added to the Hall of Fame’s selection process bylaws beginning with the Class of 2025.
Players making the cut to Semifinalist in their first year of eligibility are Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Frank Gore, Philip Rivers and Jason Witten. Each played his last professional football game in the 2020 season.
The two players not in their first year of eligibility who reached the Semifinalist stage for the first time are offensive linemen Lomas Brown, who retired following the 2002 season; and defensive lineman Kevin Williams, whose career ended following the 2015 season.