Now that we know who made the cut for enshrinement inside the hallowed grounds of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton this year, it’s worth turning our collective eye forward to see which former stars of the league will be the next to earn a bust in the Ohio institution.
Whether it be a first-time ballot member like quarterback Drew Brees or wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, or a returning candidate like kicker Adam Vinatieri, there seem to be more than a few surefire candidates for enshrinement next year, joining the four men who were inducted last week.
With that in mind, BetCarolina.com took a look at compiling some odds on which former NFL stars will be the next to get a bust of their own inside the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with legends like Brees, Fitzgerald and Vinatieri all looking like shoo-ins currently.
The Carolina Panthers have a stake because one of their all-time best players - Luke Kuechly - is among the candidates.
Player | Position | Odds | Percent Chance |
Drew Brees | QB | -12500 | 99.2% |
Larry Fitzgerald | WR | -1250 | 92.6% |
Luke Kuechly | LB | -450 | 81.8% |
Adam Vinatieri | K | -375 | 78.9% |
Jason Witten | TE | +125 | 44.4% |
Eli Manning | QB | +175 | 36.4% |
Torry Holt | WR | +450 | 18.2% |
Reggie Wayne | WR | +650 | 13.3% |
Philip Rivers | QB | +650 | 13.3% |
Terrell Suggs | OLB | +900 | 10.0% |
The Field |
| +800 | 11.1% |
These odds are exclusive to BetCarolina.com, where top real money NC sports betting promos are ready for customers to use when they sign up.
Our clubhouse leader to be inducted in 2026 is Brees, who threw for more than 80,000 yards and 571 touchdowns in a 287-game career with the San Diego Chargers and the New Orleans Saints between 2001 and 2020, winning the Super Bowl in 2010 and making 13 trips to the Pro Bowl, earning him -12500 odds (or 99.2%) of making it into the halls of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot next year. That wager would be considered a near lock at North Carolina sportsbooks.
Throw in Fitzgerald, who was a one-man tour de force out wide for the Arizona Cardinals in a 17-year career that saw him finish with 1,432 receptions, 17,492 yards and 121 touchdowns to go with an approximate value of 138, per the team at Pro-Football-Reference.com, netting him -1250 odds of enshrinement in 2026.
Other virtual locks include Kuechly (-450) and Vinatieri (-375), as the former was a seven-time Pro Bowler and a five-time NFL All-Pro member with Carolina from 2012 to 2019 with an approximate value of 107 in 118 career NFL games, while Vinatieri (-375) was a three-time Pro Bowl and All-Pro member, holding NFL records for most points scored (2,673), field goals made (599) and a slew of other accolades during a playing career that stretched across three decades, going from 1996 to 2019.
Outside of those four, other candidates that should have solid odds of making the cut in 2026 include 11-time Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten (+125), two-time Super Bowl champion QB Eli Manning (+175) and star wideouts Torry Holt (+450) and Reggie Wayne (+650).
Other names to keep an eye on in 2026 include QB Phillip Rivers, who also clocks in at +650, while former Baltimore Ravens seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker Terrell Suggs is the final player to make our list, at +900, illustrating how high of a bar there is for enshrinement in Canton each year.
BetCarolina has reviews of NC sportsbook apps so you can compare for yourself when you sign up.
Author
Christopher Boan is a lead writer at BetCarolina.com specializing in covering state issues. He has covered sports and sports betting in Arizona for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
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