Thursday night saw the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame committee announce the 2025 class at NFL Honors. Chargers’ legend Antonio Gates headlined the four-person class with Sterling Sharpe, Jared Allen,

Three of the 15 modern-era finalists made the Class of 2025: cornerback Eric Allen, defensive end Jared Allen, and tight end Antonio Gates. (Wide receiver Sterling Sharpe, the fourth member of the class, was a senior candidate after previously not getting in as a modern-era candidate.)

With the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class being selected, the attention now turns to those eligible to be elected next year. Players who last took the field in 2020 are eligible for the first time in 2026, a group that’s led by Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Philip Rivers, Frank Gore and Jason Witten.

A small class was announced for the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Thursday night, and now the class of 2026 is officially on the clock.

With the Pro Football Hall of Fame shutting out Cowboys legend Darren Woodson once again, it’s time to look ahead to the Class of 2026. And several Cowboys could well be in the mix for legitimate gold jacket talk next year.

The tiny Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 got in while the getting was good. Notable holdovers will be crowded out in 2026 by new 'eligibles.'

Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Jason Witten, Frank Gore and Philip Rivers will be among the players who will be in their first year of eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame next year. All played their final NFL seasons in 2020.