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Humor, memories and emotional moments: What stood out from NFL Hall of Fame speeches

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The Pro Football Hall of Fame officially welcomed five new members to football immortality Saturday.

After longtime New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was denied the nod by voters earlier this year in his first year of eligibility, the Class of 2026 became one of the most widely discussed Hall of Fame classes in recent history. The class featured five individuals, all players. Quarterback Drew Brees, linebacker Luke Kuechly, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and kicker Adam Vinatieri were the modern-era inductees, while running back Roger Craig was selected as a senior inductee in his 28th year of eligibility.

Brees, Kuechly, Fitzgerald and Vinatieri all gave speeches live on stage while Craig was present but had his speech delivered with a prerecorded video in which he revealed he’s been diagnosed with dementia. The speeches included many walks down memory lane, light-hearted humor and emotional moments. Here’s what stood out from each player as they took the stage to receive their golden jackets:

Drew Brees, QB

Draft: 2001 second-round pick (No. 32 pick)

Playing career: 2001-2005, San Diego Chargers. 2006-2020, New Orleans Saints

Career highlights: Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP. First-Team All-Pro in 2006 and two-time Offensive Player of the Year. Thirteen Pro Bowl selections. Led the NFL in passing yards seven times, completion percentage six times, touchdown passes four times and passer rating twice. First-ballot Hall of Famer.

From the speech: Brees was the last member of the Class of 2026 to deliver his speech, and it was the longest of the afternoon. In the 25-minute speech, Brees spoke about the key role that his upbringing played, both on and off the field with his family and coaches, in his success. Brees also spent time reflecting on his time in New Orleans, where he spent the majority of his NFL career.

“It doesn’t take you long to realize what makes New Orleans so special,” Brees said. “New Orleans has been through a lot, to the point where, in some cases, the feeling was that we may have lost everything. It may never come back the same. Storms teach us that our greatest treasures aren’t the things that we own. They’re the people we love and the way we show up for one another. It reminds us to hold our loved ones a little closer, to love a little harder, to laugh a little louder and to never take a single day for granted.”

Luke Kuechly, LB

Draft: 2012 first-round pick (No. 9 pick)

Playing career: 2012-2019, Carolina Panthers

Career highlights: Five-time First-Team All-Pro, Defensive Player of the Year in 2013. Selected to seven consecutive Pro Bowls from 2013-2019 and led the NFL in tackles twice. Helped the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance in 2015. Selected to the Hall of Fame in second year of eligibility.

From the speech: Kuechly spent a lot of time thanking people from throughout his life, including his “first team,” which was his family, as well as various individuals from his football journey. Kuechly also talked about what football brought him and what he misses about it.

“The relationships formed through football are unique,” Kuechly said. “You see each other at your best, and you see each other at your worst. You spend long days together in meeting rooms. You learn how different people communicate, lead and overcome challenges. Over time, teammates become friends and friends become family. That’s why when people ask me what I miss most about football, it’s not one specific game or one specific play. It’s the locker room, which I feel like I have again with you guys (fellow Hall of Famers) up here.

“It’s the conversations that have nothing to do with sports. It’s celebrating together after wins and hurting together after losses. There’s no way to measure what the game of football has given to me, the joy it’s provided and, more than anything, the people I have been so blessed to be around as a result of this game.”

Larry Fitzgerald, WR

Draft: 2004 first-round pick (No. 3 pick)

Playing career: 2004-2020, Arizona Cardinals

Career highlights: Led the league in receptions twice and led the league in receiving touchdowns twice. First-Team All-Pro in 2008. Helped the Cardinals to a Super Bowl appearance in 2008, in which he set records for most receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in a single postseason. First-ballot Hall of Famer.

From the speech: Playing in an era that spotlighted flamboyant wide receivers such as Randy Moss, Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson, Fitzgerald took a more soft-spoken approach and let his play do the talking.

In his speech, Fitzgerald showed more of his personality. He thanked Hall of Fame wide receiver and mentor Cris Carter, while saying he always had better hands than Carter. He thanked Randy Moss, complimenting the fellow Hall of Famer by saying he couldn’t learn anything from Moss because Moss was such a unique talent. He referenced Emmitt Smith’s wrestling skills in the locker room and Kurt Warner’s love for spaghetti, while thanking both for their mentorship.

Fitzgerald thanked many people, from former coaches and teammates. He also honored his late mother, Carol, who passed away from breast cancer in 2003 and his late father, Larry Sr., who passed away this summer. He finished his speech with words of wisdom to his children.

“The one thing I want you boys to remember most from everything you’ve heard: surround yourself with people who tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear,” Fitzgerald said. “Those are the people who actually love you. Copy their examples. And remember, there’s never much traffic on the extra mile in life. Bring others along with you. Don’t just pursue excellence for yourself; help others pursue it, too. That’s the part of this story that matters the most.”

Adam Vinatieri, K

Draft: Undrafted

Playing career: 1996-2005, New England Patriots. 2006-2019, Indianapolis Colts

Career highlights: Four-time Super Bowl champion, known for making clutch kicks, including two in the snowy Tuck Rule Game during the 2001 divisional round and game-winning field goals in two Super Bowls. Three-time First-Team All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler. Holds the record for most field goals made in a career, most consecutive field goals made, most combined regular season and postseason games played and is the league’s career scoring leader. Selected to the Hall of Fame in second year of eligibility.

From the speech: Vinatieri spoke for nearly 20 minutes and delivered a speech that had a little bit of everything. In thanking various teammates from his 24 seasons in the NFL, Vinatieri took playful jabs at legends, such as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. He joked about Drew Bledsoe being the best quarterback in Patriots history, then added he didn’t want to make more jokes about Brady out of fear he would give Vinatieri a “Will Smith” slap, the way he recently did to Logan Paul. He thanked Manning for donating his “gigantic” forehead as the teleprompter for his speech. Vinatieri also joked that Bill Belichick couldn’t make it because he’s judging his girlfriend’s cheerleading competition and that his former teammate Pat McAfee is the “only person who enjoyed holding my balls more than my wife.”

Vinatieri had plenty of sincere moments as well, including ending his speech with an open letter to the sport.

“I want to thank the game of football,” Vinatieri said. “Football, it would be so easy for me to forget to tell you how much you mean to me. If you were sitting here in the crowd today, this is what I would say. ‘I loved you with everything I had. There was a time when I thought I wanted you more than air, but I was wrong. You were the air. You gave me purpose. You gave me direction. You gave me a life I could have never imagined. The beautiful thing about our relationship is that the more that I gave to you, the more you gave back to me. The more I devoted myself to you, the more you rewarded me. The more I committed to you, the more you committed to me.’”

Roger Craig, RB

Draft: 1983 second-round pick (No. 49 overall)

Playing career: 1983-1990, San Francisco 49ers. 1991, Los Angeles Raiders. 1992-1993, Minnesota Vikings.

Career highlights: Three-time Super Bowl champion, Offensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-Pro in 1988. Led the NFL in receptions in 1985, a season in which he became the first player to top 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season. Selected to the Hall of Fame in his 28th year of eligibility.

From the speech: Craig was present in Canton, but he didn’t deliver a speech from the stage. After he unveiled his Hall of Fame bust alongside his son, Roderick Craig, and his longtime teammate and presenter, Jamie Williams, a 10-minute prerecorded video played. Craig spent most of the time reflecting on his football journey, including former coaches and teammates, and his role in the 49ers’ dynasty in the ’80s. At the end of his speech, Craig revealed that he has been diagnosed with vascular dementia. 

“I want people to know this diagnosis doesn’t define me,” Craig said. “I am still Roger Craig. I am still a father, a husband, a teammate, a friend and someone who loves this game and the people who brought it to my life. If sharing my story helps even one family or one former player, then it’s worth it. Football gave me everything.”

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