Former Viking Kevin Williams is a Hall of Fame finalist for the first time

Kevin Williams is a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist.

Finally.

One of only five eligible players in NFL history with an All-Decade honor and five first-team All-Pro selections who is not in the Hall of Fame, Williams is among the 15 modern-era finalists that will be considered for the Class of 2026, the Hall announced Dec. 30.

“It’s disbelief, excitement, honored to make it this far, all of the above,” said the former Vikings defensive tackle. “I didn’t know about the All-Pros and the All-Decade and all that. But when you put it that way, man, what are they waiting on, right?”

Williams is the only first-time finalist for 2026 who is not in his first year of eligibility. He has been eligible for six years but had not even been a semifinalist until this year.

“This is freaking awesome,” said Jared Allen, Williams’ former Vikings teammate and a member of the Hall’s Class of 2025. “This is a massive step for Kevin. He deserves it.”

Williams is joined by four who are finalists in their first year of eligibility. Two are considered heavy favorites to become first-ballot Hall of Famers: quarterback Drew Brees and receiver Larry Fitzgerald Jr., the Minneapolis native and Holy Angels graduate who played all 17 seasons with the Cardinals and ranks second in NFL history in receptions (1,432) and receiving yards (17,492), and sixth in receiving touchdowns (121).

The 50-member selection committee, which includes this reporter, may elect up to five modern-era players for the Class of 2026. Each player must receive 80% of the vote.

The selection committee will vote separately on five others in the seniors category (quarterback Ken Anderson, running back Roger Craig and defensive end L.C. Greenwood), coaches category (Bill Belichick) and contributor category (owner Robert Kraft). A minimum of one and a maximum of three can be elected from these combined categories.

Williams’ case gained momentum this year as Allen reached the Hall in his fifth year of eligibility. Being one of only five players not in the Hall of Fame that made All-Decade and five All-Pros helped sway selectors. Williams made All-Decade in the 2000s and earned five first-team All-Pros in his first seven seasons after the Vikings selected him ninth overall in 2003. The other four are:

“I heard of Kuechly, but never heard of the other guys,” Williams said. “They must have been great players.”

Williams played 11 of his 13 seasons with the Vikings before finishing with a year in Seattle and a year in New Orleans. He had 63 sacks, 113 tackles for loss, five interceptions, 73 passes defensed and four touchdowns.

Williams is one of 22 defenders on the NFL’s Team of the 2000s. All but four are in the Hall of Fame. The only one with more than five first-team All-Pro selections is Hall of Famer Ray Lewis with seven. Four other defenders on that team of the 2000s had five first-team All-Pro selections: Ed Reed, Derrick Brooks, Zach Thomas and Brian Dawkins. All are in the Hall of Fame.

Williams gets his first real crack at joining them as early as 2026.