SAN FRANCISCO — The ballots are in, and the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class is officially etched in gold. Saints icon Drew Brees and Cardinals legend Larry Fitzgerald sprinted into Canton on their first try Thursday night. But the headline screaming from the NFL Honors isn’t who got in—it’s who didn’t.
Bill Belichick, the architect of six Super Bowl titles and owner of 333 career wins, was left out in the cold.
While the snub dominates the airwaves, the five men who made the cut boast resumes that practically broke the printing press. Brees and Fitzgerald were absolute locks. Brees, second all-time with 80,358 passing yards and 571 touchdowns, didn’t just play quarterback; he saved a franchise in New Orleans. His 2009 Super Bowl MVP run remains the stuff of legend.
Fitzgerald? He spent 17 seasons catching everything thrown his way in Arizona. His 1,432 catches and 17,492 yards sit second only to Jerry Rice. He cracked 1,000 yards nine times and dragged the Cardinals within inches of a title in 2008 with a postseason for the ages.
Joining the first-ballot duo are two titans who waited just one extra year:
And finally, the drought ends for Roger Craig. After 28 years of waiting, the 49ers dynamo—the first player to ever slash 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season (1985)—is a Hall of Famer.
“I thought he’d have a real good chance to be up there as well. The people who voted made their votes and I think he’ll be up here one day.” — Adam Vinatieri, on his former coach Bill Belichick
Voters sent a message loud and clear: nobody is safe. Reports indicate at least 11 of the 50 selectors left Belichick off their ballot entirely. Whether it’s Spygate, Deflategate, or just a desire to make the grumpy genius sweat, the decision has lit a fire under the league’s old guard. Even owner Robert Kraft, the man who hired Belichick, failed to secure the votes.
This marks the second straight year of a shrunken class—only four got in last year—thanks to tighter voting regulations that demand 80% approval for entry. This new math is brutal. It left Belichick on the outside looking in, grouping him with snubbed legends like Ken Anderson and L.C. Greenwood.
The players felt the weight of the moment. Fitzgerald, usually the picture of calm, admitted the magnitude hit him hard.
“One of the coolest moments was getting up on that stage with all the other Hall of Famers. That moment kind of crystallized it for me.” — Larry Fitzgerald
Belichick won’t stay out forever. The numbers—333 wins, six rings—are too big to ignore. But this rejection forces a massive conversation about the voting process. With offensive linemen Willie Anderson and Marshal Yanda, plus Terrell Suggs, rolling over as finalists to 2027, the logjam is only getting tighter. Expect a war in the selection room next February.
