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Cardinals legendary WR Larry Fitzgerald moves one step closer to 2026 Hall of Fame

Originally posted on Burn City Sports
By Tanner Tortorella | Last updated Oct 22, 2025 7:54 PM ET

GLENDALE – Arizona Cardinals legendary wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is one step closer to realizing every little kid’s dream. On Wednesday, the 52-man list of candidates of modern-era pro football players have been released. Eight first-year eligible players made up the list, with notable names like quarterback Drew Brees, running back Frank Gore, tight end Greg Olsen and many more.

Fitzgerald is one of the first-year players in a tough wide receiver class, with other deserving names like Torry Holt, Reggie Wayne and Steve Smith Sr., who were all finalists last year.

Fitzgerald part of final 52 Modern-Era Players:

52 Modern-Era Players advance in the voting process for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 https://t.co/u7ocphUHPP pic.twitter.com/NQZnZvpcvR

— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) October 22, 2025

However, Fitzgerald is ahead of all those names on the all-time receiving list, being second in NFL history with 17,492. His consistency is Fitzgerald’s greatest strength, being of the great wide receivers in the league for over a decade and a half. In the 2008 postseason, the likely future Hall of Famer had seven touchdown catches and 546 receiving yards, both still a single-postseason record.

Many Sportsbooks have the 42-year-old as a heavy favorite to be enshrined in Canton in his first year. Fitzgerald was never able to secure a championship to the Cardinals franchise, but he will remain as the greatest player to ever wear the uniform and hold most of the team’s records for years to come.

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

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