The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 was a competitive one, with Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly, Adam Vinatieri and Roger Craig earning enshrinement. Among those left out: Bill Belichick and Eli Manning.
2027 could be even more competitive. Belichick and Manning be back on the ballot — alongside other 2026 finalists like Frank Gore, Torry Holt and Marshal Yanda — and there will also be a large number of first-time candidates deserving of consideration.
Here are 10 players whose last NFL appearance was in the 2021-22 season.
Rob Gronkowski
One of a few acceptable answers to the question, “Who is the greatest tight end of all time?”
No player caught more passes or posted more receiving yards from Tom Brady than Gronkowski, who was also one of the best blockers at his position and a larger-than-life personality. The only thing that ever limited “Gronk” was injuries. When healthy, he was an unstoppable weapon in the hands of some of the NFL’s best minds.
Adrian Peterson
The last running back to win NFL MVP was AD, who sits at fifth in the NFL’s all-time rushing list and is one of nine players in history to post 2,000 rushing yards in a season. He came only eight yards short of breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season record in 2012-13.
Peterson was a star from his first snap and kept going until his mid-30s.
Richard Sherman
The loudest member of the Legion of Boom was also the best. Sherman made the switch from wide receiver to cornerback in high school and waited until the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft to hear his name called.
One of the largest corners in the league at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Sherman became a paradigm-shifting defensive back in the Seahawks’ system and was a central component of their Super Bowl XLVIII team. He was an all-time trash-talker who earned it, regularly shutting down his side of the field.
Ben Roethlisberger
Aside from Manning, the system is usually kind to two-time Super Bowl champion quarterbacks. Roethlisberger’s first ring was more a product of Jerome Bettis and the Pittsburgh Steelers defense in his sophomore season, but was overall one of the NFL’s most prolific quarterbacks during his 18-year career.
Big Ben retired as the all-time leading passer for one of the NFL’s most storied franchises. However, a pair of sexual assault allegations from earlier in his career loomed over his achievements, and there’s no telling how that could play out if Spygate was enough to get Bill Belichick off some people’s ballots.
Antonio Brown
Our second of three Steelers offensive stars is also the most mercurial, to put it politely. Brown was on track for an overwhelming case when he turned 30 and still had a standout career, ranking behind only Hines Ward on the Steelers’ all-time receiving list.
And yet, few stars have crashed out of the NFL as loudly as Brown did, first with the Oakland Raiders, then the New England Patriots, then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He rose from the sixth round of the 2010 Draft to do some amazing things on the field, but he’s going to be remembered for much more than that.
Le’Veon Bell
The third of the Killer B’s likely faces the longest odds, considering how short his prime ended up being. Bell was one of the NFL’s top backs as a runner and receiver, but an ugly divorce from the Steelers saw him sit out a season then land with the New York Jets. He was never the same after that.
Cam Newton
Newton not making the College Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility despite posting one of the greatest seasons in the sport’s history was a Belichick-style puzzler. His NFL career was a standout too.
Newton led the 2015-16 Carolina Panthers to a 15-1 record and the Super Bowl, demanding attention every time he stood on the field. Injuries derailed what could have been a strong second act, though, especially with so many other quarterbacks vying for enshrinement.
Andrew Whitworth
Offensive linemen usually don’t get their due, but Whitworth earned his right to be an exemption with a 16-year career as a dependable blind-side blocker for the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams. He went out on top with the latter against the former at Super Bowl LVI, alongside…
Eric Weddle
Weddle spent a solid decade as one of the NFL’s top safeties for the San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Ravens, earning six Pro Bowl nods and hauling in 29 interceptions in his career. He had a strong case when he first retired in 2020, but his return to the Rams in 2021-22 postseason after a pair of devastating injuries was one of the biggest stories of their Super Bowl title, especially when he didn’t let a pec tear stop him from playing every defensive snap.
Alex Mack
Mack was arguably the best center of the 2010s, earning seven Pro Bowl nods for the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers. Between him and Joe Thomas, the Browns had two of the best in the league anchoring their offensive line for seven years, and he helped lead the Falcons to the ill-fated Super Bowl LI with the Falcons.
