Former Browns linebacker Clay Matthews Jr. is one of the 52 names being considered for one of the three Finalists spots from the Seniors category for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2026.
To be considered, each person in the Seniors category could have appeared in a professional football game no more recently than the 2000 season.
Matthews began his NFL career with the Browns in 1978 after the Browns drafted him 12th overall, where he played 16 seasons through 1993. He was a part of the 1985 that reached the playoffs and featured a trip to the AFC championship. He was also a part of the same stretch where the Browns reached the players for five consecutive seasons, including three AFC championship games.
Members of the Seniors Blue-Ribbon Committee, who also serve on the full Hall of Fame Selection Committee, will reduce the list of 52 candidates to 25, then again to nine, in balloting that will occur over the next several weeks. They then will meet virtually to discuss those nine Semifinalists and will choose three Finalists for the Class of 2026.
