Arizona Cardinals great Larry Fitzgerald is among the 26 modern-era semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2026.
Fitzgerald’s place as a semifinalist comes in his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility.
“I think everybody’s expectation is that Larry’s going to be a first-ballot, unanimous decision immediately. He earned that. I have so many memories of talking about legacy and just the impact that he wanted to have on the game when we were younger,” Cardinals defensive lineman Calais Campbell told Arizona Sports of former teammate of Fitzgerald in September.
Fitzgerald’s legacy in Arizona speaks for itself.
Not only does he hold the top mark for most receptions by a player with a single team in NFL history with 1,432, Fitzgerald is second to only Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (1,549) in career catches. The same goes for career receiving yards, with Fitzgerald racking up 17,492 to Rice’s 22,895.
Of his 17 seasons in Arizona, Fitzgerald posted at least 1,000 yards in nine of them. He reeled in at least six touchdowns in all but four years of work.
After landing on 26 modern-era semifinalists, the next step in the Hall of Fame voting process is landing on 20 finalists made up of 15 modern-era players, three seniors, one coach and contributor.
Those names will then be evaluated at the selection committee’s annual meeting ahead of Super Bowl LX.
Four modern-era finalists — Willie Anderson, Torry Holt, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri — are already known after reaching the finalist stage for the 2025 class.
According to Hall of Fame bylaws, between four and eight new members must be selected for the 2026 class.
Additionally, former Cardinals offensive lineman Lomas Brown and pass rusher Terrell Suggs were named semifinalists.
Brown made 46 starts across three seasons (1996-98) for the Cardinals.
ASU and Hamilton High School alum Suggs started 13 games for the Cardinals in 2019. He recorded 5.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, nine QB hits and four passes defensed.