Overview

• Gates’ NFL‐record 116 touchdown receptions as a tight end, Jared Allen’s 136 career sacks with two league‐leading seasons and Eric Allen’s 54 interceptions anchored their Hall of Fame credentials.
• Sterling Sharpe’s seven‐year career featured consecutive 100‐catch seasons in 1992–93 before a neck injury forced his retirement.
• The four‐member Class of 2025 is the smallest Pro Football Hall of Fame group since 2005.
• Yardbarker analysts identified one standout Hall of Fame candidate from each AFC and NFC franchise as part of pre‐ceremony coverage.
• NFL.com projects that first-year eligibles Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald will headline the Class of 2026 modern-era ballot.