The Pro Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday trimmed its list of Modern Era Class of 2026 candidates to 26 semifinalists, with three Colts greats making the cut: Defensive end Robert Mathis, wide receiver Reggie Wayne and kicker Adam Vinatieri.
Mathis has been a semifinalist in each of his five years of Hall of Fame eligibility but has not yet advanced as a finalist. Wayne has been a semifinalist for all seven of his years of eligibility and has been a finalist in each of the last six years. Vinatieri was a finalist for the Class of 2025, his first year of eligibility, and again made the semifinalist cut this year.
Mathis spent his entire 14-year career in Indianapolis, during which the 2003 fifth-round pick became the NFL's strip sack king: No player in league history forced more fumbles (52) and recorded more strip-sacks (47). His 123 career sacks are a Colts record, and he was a five-time Pro Bowler and 2013 first-team AP All Pro. Mathis in 2013 led the NFL with 19 1/2 sacks and 10 forced fumbles, finishing second in AP Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Wayne will hope to take his rightful place in Canton after a 14-year career with the Colts, in which became one of the most prolific wide receivers in NFL history. Wayne caught 1,070 passes for 14,345 yards with 82 touchdowns over 211 regular season games from 2001-2014, and he's one of nine players in NFL history with at least 1,000 receptions, 14,000 yards and 80 touchdowns. Now in Year 4 as the Colts' wide receivers coach, Wayne is also top five in NFL history in postseason receptions (93) and postseason receiving yards (1,243).
Vinatieri will look to become only the third kicker enshrined in Canton now in his second year of eligibility (Jan Stenerud and Morten Andersen are the others). Widely regarded as one of the best kickers – if not the best kicker – in NFL history, Vinatieri is the NFL's all-time leader in points scored (2,673) and was a three-time first-team AP All-Pro. His clutch kicks in big moments helped him become a four-time Super Bowl champion, and he was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-2000s first team and the NFL 100 All-Time Team.
Two other former Colts advanced as semifinalists, too: Running back Frank Gore (2015-2017 with Colts) and quarterback Philip Rivers (2020). The full list of 26 semifinalists:
- QB Drew Brees
- QB Eli Manning
- QB Philip Rivers
- RB Frank Gore
- RB Fred Taylor
- WR Larry Fitzgerald
- WR Torry Holt
- WR Steve Smith Jr.
- WR Hines Ward
- WR Reggie Wayne
- TE Jason Witten
- OL Willie Anderson
- OL Lomas Brown
- OL Jahri Evans
- OL Richmond Webb
- OL Steve Wisniewski
- OL Marshal Yanda
- DL Robert Mathis
- DL Vince Wilfork
- DL Kevin Williams
- LB Luke Kuechly
- LB Terrell Suggs
- DB Rodney Harrison
- DB Earl Thomas
- DB Darren Woodson
- K Adam Vinatieri
The Pro Football Hall of Fame will announce 15 modern era finalists later this year to be considered for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Those 15 finalists will be considered by the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee ahead of Super Bowl LX, and between three and five modern era finalists will be chosen for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
Last year, only three Modern Era players were chosen for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Eric Allen, Jared Allen, Antonio Gates).
Wayne and Vinatieri are among 12 returning finalists from the Class of 2025, including Manning, Taylor, Holt, Smith, Anderson, Evans, Yanda, Kuechly, Suggs and Woodson.
