Willie Anderson snubbed from Pro Football Hall of Fame but is automatically a finalist for 2026 class

There is a silver lining.

On Thursday night’s NFL Honors, we learned the latest group of inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Cincinnati Bengals fans were hoping to see Bengals Ring of Honor member Willie Anderson inducted.

This year’s class includes Antonio Gates, Jared Allen, Sterling Sharpe and Eric Allen. Unfortunately, the voters left Anderson on the outside looking in.

Anderson is undoubtedly one of the best right tackles in modern NFL history. Many credit his play to shining a light on the importance of right tackles in a league that fawned over the elite left tackles in the game. Anderson was a 1996 Pro Football Writer’s Association, earned First Team All-Pro honors three times, and was selected to four Pro Bowls.

Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com noted that even though Anderson didn’t get the nod this year, he automatically makes next year’s Modern Era finalists of 15 for the fifth straight year. This is due to Anderson being in the top seven of the voting for the 2025 class.

Anderson has been eligible for 12 years now, and with each passing year, the calls from Bengals fans in support of him will only grow louder.