We capped the list at 10, but there are at least that many current NFL players who are certain locks to land in the Pro Football Hall of Fame when their time comes.
With Russell Wilson retiring from the NFL last week, it sparked debate about whether he’s on his way to Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day.
It’s a trickier call than it may seem.
Wilson is 16th all-time in career passing yards (46,966), 12th in passing touchdowns (353), the only player so far with 40,000 passing yards and 5,000 rushing yards, a 10-time Pro Bowl selection and a Super Bowl champion. But he never received a single MVP vote in any season of his career. Not one.
Meanwhile, Eli Manning is 11th in passing yards and touchdowns, ahead of Wilson in both categories, a two-time Super Bowl MVP and … still isn’t in the Hall of Fame after two years on the ballot.
We’ll say both quarterbacks eventually get in, but Wilson isn’t the slam dunk some may think he is.
That debate sparks another question, meanwhile.
Who are the active NFL players who are already Hall of Fame locks? We’ll cap the list at 10 certain Hall-of-Famers, plus a healthy number of honorable mentions (likely to make it to Canton in due time).
Also, we’re excluding any retired players still awaiting their Hall of Fame fate, even those who just called it a career like Wilson, linebacker Lavonte David or quarterback Philip Rivers (again, after his brief return from retirement).
10 Current NFL Players Who Are Hall of Fame Locks
1. Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers
When Rodgers announced that 2026 would be his final NFL season, we took a deep dive into his place in history and argued that he is a top 5 quarterback all time.
There’s some room for debate on that matter but certainly no doubt he’ll be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.
Since we exhaustively broke down Rodgers’ legacy in a full column, we won’t belabor those points and can just redirect here for a more in-depth breakdown.
But just to hit the overall numbers again, Rodgers is second to only Peyton Manning with four NFL MVP awards, is fifth all-time in passing yards (66,274) and fourth in touchdowns (527) while throwing 123 interceptions and winning a Super Bowl title.
He has a realistic shot to finish fourth in yards behind Tom Brady (89,214), Drew Brees (80,358), Manning (71,940) and Matthew Stafford (64,516 while committing to playing at least two more seasons), and third in touchdown passes behind Brady (649) and Brees (571).
Debate his all-time ranking perhaps, but there’s no other conclusion in the end other than to recognize Rodgers is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.
2. Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes is just 30 years old, but yes, he’s already a Hall of Fame lock if he retired tomorrow.
He’s one of just three players in NFL history with three Super Bowl MVP awards — along with Tom Brady (5) and Joe Montana (3). He also has two regular-season MVPs and those three Super Bowl rings, led the Chiefs to seven straight AFC West titles and AFC championship game appearances in his first seven seasons, including five Super Bowl appearances overall.
Those streaks ended last year in an unexpected setback season for Kansas City, including Mahomes’ late-season torn ACL/LCL.
Whatever the second half of his career brings, it would be hard to match what he’s already accomplished — including 35,939 passing yards, 267 TDs and 85 INTs, 2,665 rushing yards and 19 TDs — but again, he doesn’t have to prove anything at this point.
Mahomes will be remembered as one of the game’s all-time great QBs regardless.
3. Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce
Kelce is back for at least one more season as he turns 37 years old in October, but he’s a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer as it stands already.
His 1,080 career receptions rank eighth all-time among all players and third among tight ends behind Tony Gonzalez (1,325) and Jason Witten (1,228). It’s highly unlikely Kelce catches them before he retires, but he needs just 23 catches to surpass Marvin Harrison (1,102) for fifth on the overall list.
Kelce ranks 23rd in career receiving yards (13,002) and again third among TEs behind Gonzalez (15,127) and Witten (13,046), the latter of whom he’ll pass this year. He could potentially break into the top 15 overall with a solid season, needing 776 yards to pass Henry Ellard for that spot.
Kelce is further down on the touchdowns list with 82, which is tied for 31st overall and sixth among tight ends behind Antonio Gates (116), Gonzalez (111), Don Hutson (99), Rob Gronkowski (92), Jimmy Graham (89).
While he showed some of that age last season, Kelce was still plenty productive with 76 catches for 851 yards and 5 TDs while playing all 17 games. His durability has always been an underrated part of his profile — since his second year in the league he’s never played fewer than 15 games in any season.
With the Chiefs out to prove something and reassert themselves as top contenders in 2026 and Kelce wanting to go out on top (if this is indeed his final season), there’s every reason to believe he could have a big year and continue moving up those all-time lists.
And those marks alone secure his spot in Canton, but then there is Kelce’s role as a central figure on one of the NFL’s great dynasties as he helped the Chiefs play in those seven straight AFC championship games, reach five Super Bowls and win three in that span, along with nine straight AFC West titles.
He added 178 receptions for 2,078 yards and 20 TDs in 25 postseason games, holding the record by a wide margin for most playoff receptions while ranking second behind only Jerry Rice (2,245) in postseason receiving yards and fourth in postseason TDs behind Rice (22), Emmitt Smith (21) and Thurman Thomas (21).
Kelce particularly left his mark on four of the five Super Bowls he played in with 6 catches for 43 yards and a TD in the SB win over the 49ers to cap the 2019 season, a 10-133 line in a loss to the Buccaneers after the 2020 season, 6-81-1 in a win over the Eagles to cap the 2022 season and 9-93 in an overtime win over the 49ers after the 2023 season for the third of those rings.
4. Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford
Stafford winning his first MVP award last season at 37 years old checked the final box on a career resume that includes a Super Bowl title and passing stats that rank him sixth in career yards (64,516) and seventh in touchdowns (423). And counting …
Having signed an extension through the 2027 season at least, Stafford could realistically finish third all-time in passing yards behind Brady (89,214) and Brees (80,358) and fifth in TDs behind Brady (649), Brees (571), Peyton Manning (539) and Rodgers (527 and counting).
Stafford was as good as ever last season despite his advanced age, leading the league with 4,707 passing yards and 46 TDs while throwing just 8 INTs. He then averaged 312 yards over three playoff games with 6 TDs and just 1 INT, including throwing for 374 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INT in the 31-27 NFC championship game loss to the Seahawks.
The Rams are the consensus preseason favorite to win the Super Bowl this year while returning the best offense in the league and making substantial upgrades to the defense.
A second Super Bowl title would be a crowning punctuation mark for Stafford, but he doesn’t need it to land in the Hall of Fame.
5. Baltimore Ravens RB Derrick Henry
Henry has looked ageless to this point of his career, finishing second in the NFL in rushing last season with 1,595 yards at age 31.
That was his fifth season with at least 1,500 rushing yards, tying Barry Sanders for the most ever. He also tied Tiki Barber, Curtis Martin and Walter Payton as the oldest backs to rush for that mark.
Henry, who finished just 26 yards behind NFL rushing champ James Cook last season, has led the league in rushing twice, is one of nine players all-time with a 2,000-yard rushing season (2,027 in 2020) and nearly did it again in 2024 with 1,921 yards.
His 13,018 career rushing yards ranks 10th all-time, and even with a modest season by his standards in 2026 he should surpass Martin (14,101) for sixth place. It will be interesting to see how long Henry can stretch out his peak and whether he can chase down Emmitt Smith’s record 18,355 rushing yards.
Meanwhile, Henry is already fourth all-time with 122 rushing TDs, trailing Smith (164), LaDanian Tomlinson (145) and Marcus Allen (123).
Every running back in the top 17 on the all-time rushing list is in the Hall of Fame except for Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson (who isn’t eligible until 2027). Henry will absolutely be among them.
6. Free Agent LB Bobby Wagner
Only three inside linebackers in history were selected to more Pro Bowls’ than Wagner’s 10 — Junior Seau (12), Ray Lewis (12) and Derrick Brooks (11) — and all with at least 10 (including Mike Singletary and Joe Schmidt) are in the Hall of Fame.
And he may have had a case for another. Wagner didn’t make the Pro Bowl last year despite racking up 162 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 2 interceptions for the Commanders.
Since 1978, when the NFL began keeping track of combined tackles, Wagner ranks third all-time with an even 2,000, behind only Ray Lewis (2,059) and London Fletcher (2,039). He led the league in tackles three times and could become the all-time leader with another productive season.
He ranks fifth all-time in solo tackles (1,150) — since the league started tracking that stat in 1994 — behind Lewis (1,568), Fletcher (1,384), Brooks (1,300) and David (1,172).
Wagner has earned six first-team All-Pro and five second-team All-Pro honors and won a Super Bowl as a central part of the Seahawks’ famed Legion of Boom defense.
He turns 36 years old later this month and wants to keep playing, though he remains unsigned as a free agent to this point. It’s likely he latches onto a team later this summer.
7. Los Angeles Rams EDGE Myles Garrett
Garrett, who was just moved from the Cleveland Browns to the Los Angeles Rams in a blockbuster trade this month, is one of just nine players in NFL history to win Defensive Player of the Year multiple times.
Of the other eight, six are already in the Hall of Fame (three-time winner Lawrence Taylor, Joe Greene, Lewis, Singletary, Bruce Smith and Reggie White) while three-time winners Aaron Donald and J.J. Watt are HOF locks when eligible.
So too is Garrett.
He set the NFL single-season record for sacks with 23 last year with the Browns and already has 125.5 in nine seasons. In the six seasons in which he played at least 16 games, Garrett has never had less than 13.5 sacks.
He is the best pass rusher of his era — which is really saying something given the company. He’s 16 sacks away from the top 10 all-time, is still just 30 years old and just joined a Super Bowl contender in Los Angeles.
Garrett could make a real run at the all-time sacks record of 200 set by Smith.
8. Free Agent EDGE Von Miller
Miller started his career by posting double-digit sacks in seven of his first eight seasons with the Denver Broncos.
He shook off a torn ACL at the end of his third season (which kept him from playing in the Super Bowl) and immediately returned to peak form with 14 sacks in 16 games the next year in 2014.
The following season, he won Super Bowl MVP after notching 2.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles on Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, with the first recovered for touchdown by teammate Malik Jackson for a pivotal early 10-0 lead on the way to a 24-10 victory. Miller had also had 2.5 sacks and an interception against Tom Brady in the AFC championship game.
At that point, he was as impactful as any pass rusher in the league.
Miller racked up eight Pro Bowl selections, three first-team All-Pro and four second-team All-Pro honors, Defensive Rookie of the Year, that Super Bowl MVP award and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting twice all within his first nine seasons.
He missed the entire 2020 season with a freak ankle injury sustained just before the first game, and his career hasn’t been the same since. But Miller is still going, making clear he wants to play in 2026 after racking up 9 sacks for the Commanders last season at 36 years old.
He’s tied for 13th all-time with 138.5 career sacks and needs just 3 more to move into the top 10.
Every other player in the top 18 on that list is already in the Hall of Fame, except for Terrell Suggs, who has been a finalist in his first two years on the ballot.
Miller’s ticket to Canton is punched.
9A. Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson
Say what you will about Jackson and his lack of postseason success — and he sure does seem to drive a range of opinions — but there are a couple indisputable facts that put him on a surefire track to the Hall of Fame.
First, he’s already won two MVP awards.
Only 11 players in NFL history have won multiple MVPs. Of that list, all seven already eligible for the Hall of Fame are in while Tom Brady (eligible in 2028), Rodgers and Mahomes are locks when their time comes. That leaves only Jackson (and potentially the Bills’ Josh Allen if he wins another in the coming years to join that list).
Second, Jackson’s dual-threat stats are unparalleled.
Jackson is already the career leader in rushing yards by a quarterback with 6,522, well surpassing Michael Vick’s 6,109 (with Vick playing 27 more games). Jackson’s 56.2 rushing yards per game is in a class of its own among QBs (with Vick next at 42.7). His 35 rushing TDs is tied for ninth all-time by a QB.
Meanwhile, Jackson has 22,608 passing yards and an incredible ratio of 187 touchdowns to just 56 interceptions.
Of the six other quarterbacks with at least 4,000 rushing yards, Wilson has the most passing yards at 46,966 with Steve Young next at 33,124 (and Allen already at 30,102).
And Jackson is still just 29 years old!
He’ll surely surpass 40,000 passing yards barring catastrophic injury while continuing to add to that already record-setting rushing total.
9B. Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen
Allen and Jackson are such different players and yet statistically warrant being mentioned together.
Because when it’s all said and done, Allen will likely end up second on that all-time list for rushing yards by a quarterback. He’s already sixth at 4,721 while holding the top mark for career rushing TDs by a QB with 79.
Like Jackson, Allen is in the middle of his prime heading into his age-30 season. In the last six seasons, he won an MVP, finished second in the voting once, third in the voting twice and fifth another year.
Allen enters 2026 as the betting favorite for MVP by most sportsbooks, including BetMGM and FanDuel, with Jackson a close second.
Like Jackson, Allen is also missing a Super Bowl, but he’s played in two AFC championship games (running into the Mahomes-Chiefs buzzsaw both times).
Allen has 30,102 passing yards, 220 TDs and 94 INTs despite rarely having a great receiving corps around him. But 2026 has the potential to be a career year for the QB with the Bills adding wide receiver DJ Moore via trade and Joe Brady elevating from offensive coordinator to head coach.
Allen is arguably the best quarterback in the game right now, and there’s almost no scenario in which he doesn’t land in the Hall of Fame.
10. San Franciso 49ers OT Trent Williams
Williams enters his age-38 season with 204 games played, and if he logs a full 17-game season in 2026 he’d move into the top 25 list for career games played by an NFL offensive lineman. It would take him three more seasons to crack the top 10 (244 games and up), which seems unlikely, but Williams showed last season he is still one of the better left tackles in the league.
The 4th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft by Washington, Williams earned his 12th Pro Bowl selection last season and was voted second-team All-Pro. Overall, he has earned three first-team All-Pro honors and two second-team nods.
The 12 Pro Bowl picks ties Williams for ninth all-time among all players and tied for the second-most by an offensive lineman behind only Bruce Matthews’ 14. Given that he just signed a contract extension through the 2027 season, it’s possible he could match that mark.
Williams has a spot waiting for him in Canton.
Honorable Mentions
Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt, San Francisco 49ers WR Mike Evans, Indianapolis Colts OG Quenton Nelson, Pittsburgh Steelers CB Jalen Ramsey, Minnesota Vikings S Harrison Smith (who has yet to decide if he’s playing in 2026 or retiring).
