Cincinnati Bengals Legends' 2026 Pro Football Hall Of Fame Status Revealed

CINCINNATI — The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 is official. A Bengal won't be getting enshrined in August. Former right tackle Willie Anderson and fellow legend Ken Anderson did not hit the required vote mark in the senior category.

Only one senior candidate got enough votes to get their HOF moment: Roger Craig

Anderson was a finalist again, but won't be enshrined. The former right tackle was part of a 15-name modern finalist group that had five senior era names (including Anderson) to round out the 20 total finalists.

Drew Brees, Adam Vinatieri, Larry Fitzgerald and Cincinnati native Like Kuechly are Hall of Fame bound in this year's class.

Anderson and three other players automatically qualified for the finals via last year's top seven finish. He was the only offensive tackle on the ballot, but it wasn't enough to finally have him join Bengals legends Paul Brown, Anthony Muñoz, and Ken Riley in the hall.

Anderson played 195 games for Cincinnati in his career with just 36 total penalties and three first-team All-Pro appearances from 2004-06.

Anderson also has to keep waiting after getting to the finals for the first time since 1998, when he was a modern-era candidate.

Anderson was the Bengals' first NFL MVP player in franchise history during the 1981 AFC Champion season. All in all, Anderson played 16 seasons in Cincinnati (1971-86)—the longest of any player in franchise history. He completed 2,654 passes (59.3%) for 32,838 yards, 197 touchdowns, and 160 interceptions.

On Pro Football Reference's Hall of Fame calculator, Anderson rates higher than inductees like Troy Aikman, Sonny Jurgensen, Len Dawson, Bob Griese, and more. Although his score (82.99) is below the average HOFers at quarterback (108).

The Bengals Ring Of Honor member could get back into the senior finalist mix again next cycle.

The 2026 @ProFootballHOF Class! @Novartis | #NFLHonors pic.twitter.com/mS899W2rE6
— NFL (@NFL) February 6, 2026

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