Seven former Buffalo Bills are among the 128 players nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In their first years of eligibility, running backs Frank Gore, Marshawn Lynch and LeSean McCoy were nominated for induction into the 2026 class. Guard Ruben Brown, linebackers London Fletcher and Takeo Spikes and defensive back Troy Vincent were also nominated.
A screening committee will reduce the candidates to 50 in October and the full 50-member selection committed whittling it down to 25 and 15 before voting on the final class before the Super Bowl in February.
Quarterback Drew Brees and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald are among the nominees in their first year of eligibility. Other first-timers include quarterback Philip Rivers, tight end Jason Witten and center Maurkice Pouncey.
Four players are guaranteed in the final 15 after being finalists last year: offensive tackle Willie Anderson, receiver Torry Holt, linebacker Luke Kuechly and kicker Adam Vinatieri. Quarterback Eli Manning and receiver Reggie Wayne are also nominees again.
Gore played the 2019 season for the Bills, rushing for 599 yards and two touchdowns. He ranks third all-time with 16,000 yards and 20th with 81 touchdowns after 16 seasons with five teams, mostly the San Francisco 49ers.
Lynch, a 2007 first-round pick of the Bills, ran for 2,765 yards and 17 touchdowns in Buffalo from 2007-2010. He became a four-time Pro Bowler after being traded to the Seattle Seahawks, finishing with 10,413 career yards and 85 touchdowns.
McCoy was a three-time Pro Bowler in Philadelphia before being traded to the Bills and making three more. During his four seasons in Buffalo from 2015-2018, McCoy ran for 3,814 yards and 25 touchdowns, catching 175 passes for 1,334 yards and five scores. He finished his career with 11,102 yards rushing and 73 touchdowns, while catching 518 passes for 3,898 yards and 16 scores.
Brown was a nine-time Pro Bowler, making eight of them with the Bills — to go along with four All-Pro selections — from 1995-2003. He is tied with Philadelphia’s Maxie Baughan for the most Pro Bowl selections without being in the Hall of Fame.
Fletcher played for the BIlls from 2002-2006, amassing 730 tackles and 14 ½ sacks. He played 16 seasons with three teams and made four Pro Bowls late in his career with Washington.
Spikes’ career was derailed by an Achilles injury in Buffalo, but still managed to play 15 seasons. In Buffalo from 2003-2006, Spikes made 311 tackles, seven interceptions, seven sacks and six forced fumbles. He went to his only two Pro Bowls with the Bills and was a first-team All-Pro in 2004.
Vincent is the NFL’s current executive vice president of football operations, but he was a five-time Pro Bowler with four teams over 15 seasons. He played for the Bills from 2004-2006, moving from cornerback to safety, making five interceptions in 24 games.
Additionally, the committee will also consider three senior players, one coach and one contributor. A list of 162 senior players was released earlier this month, with eight former Bills nominated.
Quarterback Jack Kemp, offensive tackle Stew Barber, defensive tackle Tom Sestak, linebackers Cornelius Bennett and Darryl Talley, cornerback Butch Byrd, safety George Saimes and special teamer Steve Tasker were on the list.
Kemp was a two-time AFL championship game MVP and a seven-time AFL All-Star, the most All-Star games or Pro Bowls by a quarterback not in the Hall of Fame. Sestak is a member of the AFL All-Time Team and was a finalist for the NFL 100 team.
Saimes was a five-time AFL All-Star and a member of the AFL All-Time Team. Byrd was also a five-time AFL All-Star and his 40 interceptions are still the most in Bills history, 55 years after his final game with the team.
Tasker, a seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time first-team All-Pro, was a semifinalist for the Hall of Fame eight times.