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Cardinals legend Larry Fitzgerald headlines 2026 Hall of Fame class

Originally posted on Burn City Sports
By Tanner Tortorella | Last updated Aug 2, 2025 7:40 PM ET

GLENDALE – With the introduction of Eric Allen, Jared Allen, Antonio Gates and Sterling Sharpe into the football Hall of Fame as a part of the 2025 class, the 2026 class is the talk of discussion. Next year’s class is stacked, with Arizona Cardinals legendary wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald as one of the headliners. To be inducted, Fitzgerald must receive 80% of the votes from the 50-member selection committee, or be one of the top three vote getters if less than three candidates receive less than 80% threshold.

Cardinals legend headlines stacked 2026 class:

First-time eligibles for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 include:

Larry Fitzgerald
Drew Brees
Philip Rivers
Jason Witten
Frank Gore
Julian Edelman
Maurkice Pouncey
LeSean McCoy
Thomas Davis
Greg Olsen
Alex Smith
Dez Bryant
Stephen Gostkowski… https://t.co/OsH7RpMmzU

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 2, 2025

Fitzgerald has 17,492 career receiving yards, the second-most of all-time. He has the all-time single-postseason record for receiving yards (546) and touchdowns (seven) in a single-postseason during the 2008 Super Bowl run. Despite not ending that run or his career with a championship, Fitzgerald is widely considered one of the most elite wide receivers in the 21st century.

The other candidates that have a high chance of making it at a first-ballot is Phillip Rivers and Drew Brees, with Frank Gore and Jason Witten having an outside chance. Fitzgerald is a safe bet to be a first-ball Hall of Famer, but the amount of historic players and careers being eligible could hinder the 41-year-old making the 80% threshold. However, he’ll just need to make the top three of vote getters and become the 24th Cardinals player to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

This article first appeared on Burn City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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