Former Indianapolis Colts Reggie Wayne and Adam Vinatieri are among the 15 finalists for the 2026 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Pro Football Hall of Fame has reduced its list of 2026 modern-era candidates to 15 finalists, giving two Indianapolis Colts legends a chance at football immortality: wide receiver Reggie Wayne (2001-14) and kicker Adam Vinatieri (2006-19).
Also making the list was former Colts running back Frank Gore (2015-17), who is in the first year of eligibility for enshrinement. Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (2020) made the list of 26 semifinalists earlier this fall, also in his first year of eligibility, but his return to the Colts a few weeks ago reset his Hall-of-Fame clock.
Wayne and Vinatieri were both members of the Colts' Super Bowl XLI-winning team as well as the squad that made it to, but lost in, Super Bowl XLIV.
Wayne, who has been the Colts' wide receivers coach since 2022, was a three-time All-Pro (one First-Team) and six-time Pro Bowler. He finished his career with 1,070 receptions for 14,345 yards and 82 touchdowns in the regular season, along with 93 catches for 1,254 yards and another nine touchdowns in the playoffs.
Vinatieri is the NFL's all-time leader in points scored (2,673) and holds numerous meaningful kicking records, both in Colts franchise and NFL history. He's a four-time Super Bowl winner, three-time First-Team All-Pro, and three-time Pro Bowler. For his career, he made 599-of-715 field goals (83.8%) and 874-of-898 extra points (97.3%). In the playoffs, he made 53-of-69 field goals (81.2%) and 70-of-71 extra points (98.6%).
“He's the greatest kicker of all time," Colts special teams coach Beian Mason told reporters this week about Vinatieri. "He should be first-ballot Hall of Famer. He's the greatest kicker in playoff history. He can do it in all weather. He kicked at a high level well into his 40s. I mean, I think the list could go on – that I think we all know that Adam Vinatieri is the best kicker of all time and should absolutely be in the Hall of Fame.”
The selection committee unveiled a group of 128 candidates in September, cut it down to 52 in October, 26 in November, and now 15.
Because Vinatieri reached the final seven candidates for last year's class, he was automatically included in the final 15 for 2026, which will be reduced to 10, seven, and then five.
The official class will be voted on and determined ahead of Super Bowl LX and then announced at the NFL Honors ceremony in February.
Jake Arthur has been covering the Indianapolis Colts for over a dozen years and is a member of the PFWA. He's one half of the Locked On Colts podcast and has worked for the Colts' official website, On SI, and more. You can follow him on X @JakeArthurNFL.