Key facts
- Drew Brees is the 33rd modern-era (post-1970 merger) quarterback inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, part of the Class of 2026.
- Brees is the first QB inducted in five years, since Peyton Manning in 2021; he won a Super Bowl with the Saints but never a regular-season MVP.
- Ben Roethlisberger: 2 Super Bowl rings, 6 Pro Bowls, 64,088 career passing yards (7th all-time) over 18 seasons.
- Tom Brady: 7 Super Bowl rings, 6 All-Pro selections, 3 MVPs across 23 seasons, projected as a first-ballot inductee.
- Matt Ryan: 1 MVP, 4 Pro Bowls, 62,792 passing yards (9th all-time), 381 TD passes (top 10 all-time).
- Active locks per CBS Sports: Aaron Rodgers (4 MVPs, Super Bowl MVP, career INT-rate record), Patrick Mahomes (2 MVPs, 3 Super Bowl MVPs by age 30), Lamar Jackson (6,522 rush yards, 102.2 career passer rating, 2 MVPs), and Matthew Stafford (MVP plus Super Bowl title, won 2025 MVP).
Drew Brees is set for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026, with the enshrinement ceremony in Canton, Ohio taking place on a Saturday alongside four other all-time NFL legends. According to Sporting News, Brees becomes the 33rd quarterback of the modern era (post-1970 merger) to make the Hall, and his induction marks the first time a quarterback has been enshrined in five years, since Peyton Manning went in during 2021. Brees won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints but never won a regular-season MVP award, making him one of the most accomplished QBs never to claim that individual honor. His enshrinement brings the total number of Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks in the Hall to 16.
Who’s next among retired quarterbacks
Sporting News projects a group of quarterbacks likely to follow Brees into Canton over the coming years. Ben Roethlisberger, who won two Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers, made six Pro Bowls across 18 seasons and finished with 64,088 career passing yards, currently seventh all-time. Of 13 quarterbacks in NFL history with more than one Super Bowl ring, eight are already in the Hall of Fame, and Sporting News groups Roethlisberger with Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes as likely inductees rather than with Eli Manning or Jim Plunkett, who remain outside looking in despite multiple rings.
Tom Brady is described as a lock for first-ballot induction, with seven Super Bowl rings, six All-Pro selections and three MVP awards over a 23-year career, along with most of the league’s major passing records. The outlet notes that off-field controversies such as Deflategate and Spygate are not expected to affect his case. Matt Ryan is also mentioned as a strong candidate, holding an MVP award, four Pro Bowl selections, 62,792 career passing yards (ninth all-time, behind Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers) and 381 touchdown passes, a top-10 figure. Philip Rivers, who came out of retirement to play for the Indianapolis Colts, is referenced as part of the broader group of contenders as well.
Active players considered locks
CBS Sports separately identifies active NFL players viewed as certainties for eventual Hall of Fame election. Aaron Rodgers, who has said this will be his final season, is called a top-10 all-time quarterback with four MVP awards, a Super Bowl MVP and the NFL’s career interception rate record. Because players become eligible five years after retirement, Rodgers and others retiring after the 2026 season would be eligible for consideration in 2032.
Patrick Mahomes, by age 30, had already won two regular-season MVP awards and three Super Bowl MVP honors, making him one of only five quarterbacks to win at least three Super Bowls. Lamar Jackson is cited as the leading rusher in quarterback history with 6,522 career rushing yards and the most efficient passer in NFL history by rating, at 102.2; he has won two MVP awards despite not yet reaching a Super Bowl. Matthew Stafford’s Hall of Fame case is described as having strengthened considerably after he won an MVP award during the 2025 season, joining the group of quarterbacks with both an MVP and a Super Bowl title, a combination CBS Sports says has historically guaranteed enshrinement.
Context on the Hall’s QB history
Sporting News notes that all six eligible retired quarterbacks who won regular-season MVP more than once have already been inducted into the Hall of Fame, underscoring how strongly multiple MVP awards correlate with eventual enshrinement for the position.
Sources
Featured photo: Marianne O’Leary via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)