Story by
5 NFL Players Who Will Lock Up Hall of Fame Status in 2026
- Story by
- 5 NFL Players Who Will Lock Up Hall of Fame Status in 2026
5 NFL Players Who Will Lock Up Hall of Fame Status in 2026
The 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class was inducted on Saturday, with some of the National Football League's all-time greats officially being welcomed into Canton. While there are quite a few active NFL players who are already Hall of Fame locks, others still have some work to do.
Ahead of the 2026 NFL season, here is our list of players who will do enough this fall to entrench themselves as locks to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Advertisement
Related: 6 Historic NFL Statistical Milestones Players Could Reach This Season
For the sake of this exercise, we'd consider MVP-caliber players and perennial All-Pros like Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey along with defensive players like Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt to already be future HOF inductees based on their existing career resumes.
Fred Warner, LB, San Francisco 49ers
Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner is already a four-time first-team All-Pro selection ahead of his age-29 season. While he does not have a Super Bowl ring, he feels like a sure bet to make the NFL All-Decade Team at linebacker. Using Pro Football Reference's Hall of Fame Monitor, Warner (51.78 HOFm) is just a few points behind Hall of Famer Sam Mills. Furthermore, of the nine linebackers in NFL history who have made first-team All-Pro five times, all of them are either in the Hall of Fame or will be (Bobby Wagner). Coming off a 2025 campaign that was wiped out by a broken ankle, we think Warner earns first-team All-Pro honors this season, and that will be enough for him to have the resume to make it into Canton.
Advertisement
Cameron Jordan, EDGE, New Orleans Saints
Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It is becoming increasingly rare for Hall of Fame-caliber players to spend their entire career with one team. Fortunately, thanks to a summer re-signing, Cameron Jordan could do just that with the New Orleans Saints . Ahead of his age-37 season, Jordan is an eight-time Pro Bowl selection with 132 career sacks and a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team. He has only earned All-Pro honors twice, once on the first-team, but he is coming off a 10.5-sack season. We think Jordan records 7-plus sacks this year, moving him ahead of Hall of Famers Rickey Jackson (136), Jared Allen (126), John Randle (137.5), Richard Dent (137.5) and DeMarcus Ware (138.5).
Danielle Hunter, EDGE, Houston Texans
Jan 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter (55) is introduced before playing against the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
If not for injuries, Houston Texans pass rusher Danielle Hunter might already have a resume worthy of induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 88th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Hunter missed the entire 2020 season with a neck injury and then went down just seven games into the 2021 season with a torn pec muscle. A testament to how dominant he has been at various points of his career is the fact that he made second-team All-Pro in 2018 and this past year. Hunter is already sitting at 114.5 career sacks, a sack per game pace (0.748) that rivals the likes of Hall of Famers Jared Allen (0.73), Bruce Smith (0.72) and Kevin Greene (0.7). Hunter should put up 14-plus sacks again this season and 15.5 would put him at 130 for his career, a mark that only 17 defensive ends have ever reached.
Advertisement
Mike Evans, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Injuries prevented Mike Evans from breaking Jerry Rice's record for the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in NFL history, but he shares it (11 seasons). That achievement itself, especially considering it came in the first 11 years of his career, might be enough to get Evans into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. However, the backlog at wide receiver and the gaudy receiving stats put up by his younger peers in a pass-heavy league might both lower his odds and diminish the buzz around that feat in a few years. Now with the San Francisco 49ers, we think Evans has one more season with 1,000-plus receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns in him. That would push him over the 14,000-yard mark, making him the 11th player to do so, and he would be just the fifth among that group to have 110-plus receiving touchdowns.
Cameron Heyward, DT, Pittsburgh Steelers
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Unfortunately for Cameron Heyward, he joined the Pittsburgh Steelers just a few years after they won the Super Bowl. There is no realistic chance he gets to hoist the Lombardi Trophy before he retires. Even without a Super Bowl ring, Heyward's resume features seven Pro Bowl selections, the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award and six All-Pro appearances (four first-team). He also already ranks ahead of Hall of Fame inductees Merlin Olsen (91) and Bryant Young (89.5) in career sacks. If Heyward can just get 3-plus sacks this season, he would pass Steve McMichael (95) and Bob Lilly (95.5) to have the eighth-most sacks among defensive tackles in NFL history. Netting 5 sacks this fall would even push him past Warren Sapp (96.5) for sixth at his position.
