Vince Wilfork stops on the red carpet for a photo at the New England Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony Eric Canha-Imagn Images

20 Former Patriots Eligible For Hall of Fame

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 11:50 AM ET

The New England Patriots are one of the storied franchises in the NFL, especially over the past 24 years.

Several of the league's top players joined the Patriots to get on the train with Tom Brady en route to six Super Bowl titles. While Brady isn't eligible for the Hall of Fame quite yet, 20 of his former Patriots brethren could get the call to Canton this year.

The NFL revealed a list of 128 modern-era nominees for the Hall of Fame. Quarterback Rich Gannon, fullback Larry Centers, running backs Corey Dillon, Steven Jackson and Fred Taylor, wide receivers Torry Holt, Chad Johnson, Brandon Lloyd, Reggie Wayne and Wes Welker, offensive linemen Logan Mankins and Brian Waters, defensive linemen Ted Washington and Vince Wilfork, linebackers Tedy Beuschi and James Harrison, defensive backs Rodney Harrison, Asante Samuel and Adrian Wilson and kicker Adam Vinatieri were nominated for enshrinement for the Class of 2026.

Here are the 128 modern-era players nominated for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame. Between 3-5 players will ultimately make this class. Willie Anderson, Torry Holt, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri are all automatically in the top-15 based on their place in voting last year. pic.twitter.com/weHccQ45Bn
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) September 24, 2025

There are a ton of fan favorites on the list, including Wilfork, who played 11 seasons with the Pats from 2004-14, Welker, one of Brady's top targets from 2007-12 and Bruschi, who spent his entire 13-year career with the organization, winning three Super Bowls.

It's a testament to see so many Patriots as part of the list. Just over 15 percent of the players nominated are former Patriots.

If all 32 teams had an equal distribution of players on the list, each team would have four players. The Patriots have five times that number, a true sign of dominance and picking the right players to join the roster.

Some of these players are people that had a cup of coffee with the team, but went on to have tremendous careers elsewhere. There are also people like Wayne, Jackson and Johnson who are most known for playing in a different organization but came to the Patriots because they were a yearly Super Bowl contender and the players wanted a chance to win a championship before they retired.

If anything, that's another testament to how successful the Patriots organization has been.

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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