Hall calls Brees, Fitzgerald on first ballot, leaves Belichick on hold

Sat Feb 7 8:36am ET
Field Level Media

SAN FRANCISCO -- Six-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Belichick was officially left out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026, likely opening the door to revisions in the selection process later this year.

Still, the New England Patriots dynasty Belichick helped helm well into the 2000s earned partial vindication as Patriots and Indianapolis Colts placekicker Adam Vinatieri gained induction in his second year on the ballot.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald were elected in their first year of eligibility, and Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly was another headliner in the class.

San Francisco 49ers great Roger Craig was the lone seniors candidate elected from the pool of five that featured Belichick.

The quintet was announced in a ceremony at the Palace of Fine Arts during the annual NFL Honors program before Super Bowl LX.

The class of 2026 will be inducted on Aug. 8 in Canton, Ohio, as part of a weekend of festivities that includes the Aug. 6 NFL preseason Hall of Fame Game.

Multiple members described the prospect of enshrinement as "surreal," and visiting with one another before being introduced Thursday also fit the bill.

"The fact that this will be memorialized forever, what an elite club that we're part of, what a respect and a reverence that we have for this game," Brees said. "And the opportunity to play this game, it was an absolute privilege."

In Vinatieri's second year of eligibility, the 24-year NFL kicker (1996-2005 New England Patriots, 2006-2019 Indianapolis Colts) got the call. He holds numerous kicking records, including the marks for career points (2,673), consecutive field goals made (44), career field goals (599) and most seasons with 100-plus points (21).

His 48-yard field goal in the Super Bowl win over the Rams in February 2002, largely remembered for the performance of 24-year-old Tom Brady and Belichick's mix of young and old talent, all but kickstarted the Patriots' dynasty.

Vinatieri said Belichick was among his "favorite coaches," adding that he thought he stood a strong chance of being a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

"I think he'll be up here eventually," Vinatieri said.

But Belichick's trophy collection with the Patriots and the franchise owner who hired him to spark a dynasty lasting parts of two decades, Robert Kraft, remained a sizzling hot topic inside the scenic Bay Area theater setting.

Belichick was the "coach finalist" and Kraft the "contributor" in a mutually exclusive category separate from the 15 finalists chosen by the Hall's Selection Committee in December. The committee can elect up to five Modern-Era Players for each class, with nominees needing 80% of the vote to be elected to the Hall.

A Super Bowl winning quarterback under Sean Payton with the Saints, Brees (2001-05 San Diego Chargers, 2006-2020 Saints) and Fitzgerald (2004-2020, Cardinals) earned Gold Jackets in their first year on the ballot.

Brees ranks second in NFL history with 80,358 passing yards and 571 passing touchdowns and was a 13-time Pro Bowl selection in addition to Super Bowl XLIV MVP. Brees is the only member of the Saints to enter the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

Fitzgerald was drafted third overall in 2004 and played 17 seasons for the Cardinals. He had 1,432 career receptions for 17,492 yards and ranks second in NFL history in both categories. He is sixth on the all-time receiving touchdowns list with 121.

"I never set out saying, ‘I'm going to be a Hall of Fame player,'" Fitzgerald said. "It's not something you can ever imagine. It's a surreal feeling."

Kuechly, a finalist in 2025, was in his second year on the Hall of Fame ballot. He played only eight NFL seasons (2012-19 Panthers) and retired due to chronic head injuries after posting 1,092 tackles, 18 interceptions, 66 passes defensed, 12.5 sacks and 31 quarterback hits. He was named to NFL's All-Decade Team of the 2010s.

Belichick, Kraft and senior player candidates Ken Anderson, Craig and L.C. Greenwood were in the same pool of candidates. The versatile Craig, now 65, was elected on the back of winning three Super Bowls with the 49ers with Joe Montana and Jerry Rice in featured roles. He was the first running back with 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season, accomplishing the feat in 1985. He scored three touchdowns in San Francisco's Super Bowl XIX victory over the Miami Dolphins.

"Roger Craig was the secret sauce in so many ways," Brees said.

Former Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty said he would be surprised if the heat on the Hall weren't at an all-time high during the summertime inductions.

"I think the travesty of all of this is this summer, there's gonna be a Hall of Fame induction and there's gonna be guys who are deserving of being in the Hall of Fame. And we can probably all bet that the top topic is gonna be Bill Belichick not being there," McCourty told Field Level Media on Tuesday. "And I think that's unfortunate because there are going to be players, coaches, contributors that are Hall of Fame-worthy, but because this feels like a huge mistake, the only talk is going to be about the guys that didn't get into the Hall of Fame."

The Pro Football Hall of Fame defended its process for selection saying the limits of between four and eight enshrinees per class "aligns with the Hall of Fame's important Mission to 'Honor the Greatest of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values and Celebrate Excellence Together.'" The Hall also said it would remove members of the Selection Committee found to be in violation of written bylaws.

Belichick was widely viewed as a lock as a first-ballot Hall of Fame selection. His greatness, and worthiness, bears out by almost every measure. He won two Super Bowls as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants and has been on the sideline in a total of 12 Super Bowls -- he was assistant head coach of the Patriots in January 1997, when New England lost to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI -- with a 6-3 record as head coach.

Former Dallas Cowboys coach and Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson, 82, skipped the Thursday ceremony because he was "pissed" about Belichick's omission.

"He is the greatest of all time. Yes, he had a great QB, but we all did," Johnson said.

The Hall of Fame said in response to backlash over reports of voting results earlier this week it understood and accepted the uproar, but it did not name Belichick directly.

"It's that very passion that propels the game. The Hall also respects the members of the Committee when they follow the selection process bylaws. It is an honor to serve as a selector," the Hall of Fame said in a release. "... The selection of a new class is the most important duty the Hall of Fame oversees each year, and the integrity of that process cannot be in question."

--Jeff Reynolds, Field Level Media

Hall calls Brees, Fitzgerald on first ballot, leaves Belichick on hold

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