CHARLOTTE — Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly is again a finalist for the Pro Football, but his former teammate Steve Smith Sr. fell short in the latest reduction to 15, which was announced Tuesday morning.

Smith was a finalist for the first time last year, but a combination of rules changes by the Hall of Fame and a strong class of first-year eligibles left him on the outside looking in this year.

That's a disappointing outcome for Smith, but Kuechly will enter this year's deliberations as one of the favorites based on his place in last year's voting.

Kuechly was one of four automatic finalists, as one of the players who made the final seven but were not chosen in 2025. The others in that group are wide receiver Torry Holt, tackle Willie Anderson, and kicker Adam Vinatieri.

The other 11 finalists for the Class of 2026 are Drew Brees, Jahri Evans, Larry Fitzgerald, Frank Gore, Eli Manning, Terrell Suggs, Reggie Wayne, Kevin Williams, Jason Witten, Darren Woodson, and Marshal Yanda.

But a look inside the numbers show how difficult this process is, and why Smith fell short this year.

Kuechly made the cut to the final seven last year in his first year of eligibility, but in the first year of a new system instituted by the Hall's board of directors, only three modern-era players were chosen (down from the usual five).

After the class of 15 finalists was cut to 10 and then seven, voters were asked to vote for five, and those who received 80 percent of the vote made it through, or the top three vote-getters if not enough players got to 80 percent.

(Former Panthers defensive end Jared Allen, tight end Antonio Gates, and cornerback Eric Allen were the three modern candidates selected last year.)

There are 50 members of the Hall's selection committee. That means of the 250 possible ballots cast for the final seven, a player would have to receive 40 to be chosen. If five players got exactly 40 each, then that would leave 50 votes for the other two players, or 25 each.

The seven finalists could conceivably split the ballot evenly and receive 35.7 each (give or take some rounding), leaving all of them short of the 80 percent threshold. The problem isn't that any of these players don't deserve to reach that point; the problem is that none of the players who survive a rigorous, multi-step process to reach the final seven deserve no votes.

If three players get the required 40 each, the other four would be averaging 26.0 votes each. Every vote above 40 cuts into that margin. So if two players were named on every ballot (reasonable in the case of some of these finalists), there are only 150 ballots to divide among the remaining five players (30 each, well short of the threshold). In that situation, the Hall has dictated a minimum class of three modern candidates.

And that mandated narrowing of the class had some visible effects this year.

Finalists from the previous year generally advance the following year, particularly in the days when five modern candidates a year were chosen. But this year, there were 12 leftover finalists from 2025.

So when four first-year eligible players made the final 15 (Brees, Fitzgerald, Gore, and Witten) along with a first-time finalist who was previously eligible (Williams), and 10 holdover finalists, that meant two of last year's final 15 were out in the cold.

Those two were Smith and former Jaguars running back Fred Taylor, a two-time finalist (2024 and 2025).

Considering that holdover receiver finalists Holt and Wayne advanced again, and the similarity (or perhaps superiority) of Smith's resume, that shows how hard it is to make it through this process.

With the addition of Fitzgerald (who is considered a likely first-ballot selection), there wasn't enough room for a fourth receiver in the final group.

Smith is eighth in league history in receiving yards and 12th in receptions. Wayne is 10th in both categories. Holt is 17th in yards and 26th in receptions in a shorter career.

Unlike those two, Smith didn't have the benefit of all-star casts of Hall of Fame quarterbacks. He was also the focus of every opposing defensive coordinator, and did it all for teams that generally preferred to run. The year he won the triple crown, leading the league in catches, yards, and touchdowns (2005), the Panthers ran more often (487 attempts) than they threw (449 passes).

No one's arguing about Fitzgerald's qualifications (he's second on the all-time lists behind Jerry Rice), but Holt and Wayne clearly received an incumbency benefit. This is each of their seventh years as a finalist.

For Kuechly, a second shot at the finalist list could prove fruitful, after many thought he deserved induction in his first year.

In eight seasons, Kuechly was a seven-time All-Pro, a seven-time Pro Bowler, earned defensive rookie of the year honors, defensive player of the year, and went to one Super Bowl. He was named to the All-Decade team for the 2010s.

It's a nearly identical resume to Hall of Fame linebacker Patrick Willis, who was enshrined in 2024 in his third year of eligibility. (Willis also played eight years, made the All-Decade team, and was a six-time All-Pro. He did not win a defensive player of the year.)

Kuechly was also recognized as one of the best in the game, practically his entire career. By making an All-Pro team in seven of his eight seasons (87.5 percent, and the only year he didn't, he was defensive rookie of the year), he has the third-highest percentage of All-Pros to years played in NFL history, trailing just Barry Sanders (10-of-10, 100.0 percent) and Jim Brown (8-of-9, 88.9). The guys he's immediately ahead of on that list are Reggie White (13-of-15, 86.7) and Anthony Munoz (11-of-13, 84.6). However you define elite, that's what Kuechly was during the time he played.

Among the 15 finalists, his seven All-Pro mentions are tied for the most, along with Yanda, who played 13 seasons to Kuechly's eight. Kuechly and Suggs are the only defensive players of the year on the list, while Brees won two offensive player of the year awards.

The Panthers are represented in the Hall by defensive end Julius Peppers (Class of 2024), linebacker Sam Mills (2022), outside linebacker Kevin Greene (2016), and original general manager Bill Polian (2015).

Former Browns tackle and longtime coach/original Panthers team president Mike McCormack (1984), and former Steelers safety/community and player development staff Donnie Shell (2020) are also enshrined for their work with other teams, along with single-year Panthers Reggie White (2006) and Allen (2025).

CLASS OF 2026 FINALISTS

OT Willie Anderson
QB Drew Brees
OG Jahri Evans
WR Larry Fitzgerald
RB Frank Gore
WR Torry Holt
LB Luke Kuechly
QB Eli Manning
OLB Terrell Suggs
K Adam Vinatieri
WR Reggie Wayne
DT Kevin Williams
TE Jason Witten
S Darren Woodson
OG Marshal Yanda

REMAINING 2026 SEMIFINALISTS WHO DID NOT ADVANCE

WR Steve Smith Sr. (2025 finalist)
RB Fred Taylor (2025 finalist)
QB Philip Rivers (became ineligible when he returned to play for the Colts)
OT Lomas Brown
WR Hines Ward
OT Richmond Webb
OG Steve Wisniewski
S Rodney Harrison
S Earl Thomas
OLB Robert Mathis
DT Vince Wilfork