Phillip Rivers was enjoying his retirement, coaching football, and spending time with all his kids. Now, he is back on an NFL practice field getting ready to potentially start a game for the first time in five seasons. His decision to unretire may impact one former Miami Dolphins great.
Richmond Webb is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is expected to reach his final season of eligibility in 2027, making this year the penultimate opportunity to get elected.
A finalist last year, Webb missed the opportunity to get included in the 2025 class, but now, his competition may dwindle by one.
Richmond Webb may only compete against 24 other candidates for the HOF in 2026
If Rivers stays on the Colts' practice squad, he would remain eligible for this year's class. A first-year eligible finalist, Rivers is a hot-button topic of debate as to whether or not he deserves to go into the HOF on a first-time ballot.
It's a lock that Drew Brees is elected this year in his first year of eligibility. Larry Fitzgerald also makes a lot of sense in his first year as well. The HOF voters can elect as many as 8 players and a minimum of four. There are no other "locks" for this year's class; however, it is widely believed that Bill Belichick will be one of them.
Belichick is eligible as a coach, and Bob Kraft is also eligible. It's a tough class this year, but Webb more than deserves his shot at immortality. A member of the All-1980s team, Webb was the anchor who helped keep Dan Marino upright.
Webb was so good that he managed to hold HOF DE, Bruce Smith, to just 3.5 sacks in the 14 games they played each other. Smith has repeatedly said that Webb was one of the greats he played against.
The classes won't get much easier for Webb after this year. Ben Roethlisberger, Adrian Peterson, and Rob Gronkowski are all first-time eligible next season, in addition to the finalists that do not make it this year.