All Bengals

Former Bengals Legend Officially Announced as 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalist

A pair of Cincinnati legends in the mix.
Russell Heltman|
2005.10.16 BENGALS SPORTS : The Cincinnati Bengals Willie Anderson celebrates their 31-23 win against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville Sunday October 16, 2005. The Enquirer/Jeff Swinger Eeeanderson1116 Jpg
2005.10.16 BENGALS SPORTS : The Cincinnati Bengals Willie Anderson celebrates their 31-23 win against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville Sunday October 16, 2005. The Enquirer/Jeff Swinger Eeeanderson1116 Jpg | Enquirer file / USA TODAY NETWORK

In this story:

Cincinnati Bengals

CINCINNATI — Willie Anderson is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame a fifth year in a row entering the latest round of voting.

The former right tackle is part of a 15-name modern group that also adds five senior era names (including Bengals legend Ken Anderson) to round out the 20 total finalists that could get inducted this coming August.

Anderson and three other players automatically qualified for the finals via last year's top seven finish. He is the only offensive tackle on the ballot, possibly cracking the door open a little more to help him join Bengals legends Paul Brown, Anthony Muñoz, and Ken Riley, PFHOF.

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

A 50-member selection committee meets before the Super Bowl, where they cut the 15-name modern group to seven, and they compete against each other to see who gets the required 80% voted needed for induction.

Meanwhile, Ken is in the mix with four other candidates, including Patriots owner Robert Kraft and legendary head coach Bill Belichick. Only three senior finalists can go in at one time. It's Anderson's first finals shot as a senior and first since he was a modern-era candidate back in 1998.

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).

News about the votes should start trickling in at the end of January.

Sign UP For Our DAILY Newsletter for MORE FREE Coverage of the Cincinnati Bengals Delivered to YOU Directly

For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and watch the video below as part of our in-depth coverage of the team. Prefer to listen? Check out Cincinnati Bengals Talk on Apple, Spotify, and Amazon Podcasts.

Make sure you bookmark BengalsTalk.com for the latest Bengals news, exclusive interviews, insight, film breakdowns and so much more!

Also, check out the podcast, Locked On Bengals, wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple: bit.ly/BengalsApple

Spotify: bit.ly/BengalsSpotify

YouTube: bit.ly/LOBengalsYouTube

-----

Follow us on X: @BengalsTalkSI

Like Our Facebook Page

Follow on TikTok

Published | Modified
Russ Heltman
RUSSELL HELTMAN

Russ Heltman is a contributor for AllBearcats and AllBengals. He is the morning host and producer for 89.3 WMKV in Cincinnati, OH.  Russ can be found on Twitter: @RussHeltman11 or you can reach him by email at Heltmandm@yahoo.com.

Home/News