Brian Urlacher pushes for London Fletcher in Pro Football Hall of Fame

The Pro Football Hall of Fame revealed the 2026 class on Thursday night at NFL Honors. Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Roger Craig, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri are the newest members.

Unfortunately, another year has passed, and former Washington linebacker London Fletcher has again missed the cut. Fletcher was one of 52 semifinalists named back in October, but didn't make the list of 15 finalists in December.

At Super Bowl week in California, one Hall of Fame linebacker pleaded for Fletcher's inclusion into the Hall.

Brian Urlacher, who played in the same era as Fletcher, spent 13 seasons in the NFL and retired after the 2012 season. He was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and was inducted in the class of 2018. Urlacher spoke with former Washington cornerback Fred Smoot and made a passionate plea on Fletcher's behalf.

"So, I feel like London should've been in a long time ago," Urlacher said. "You look at his stats, you got me, Ray (Lewis), these are the guys I'm comparing to, Patrick Willis, he just got in. He's a Hall of Famer, man. You look at his numbers. He has like a million tackles. I played against him, I watched him play, he should be in the Hall of Fame. I don't know why he doesn't get more play. It's frustrating. He should be in. There's no doubt."

Urlacher wasn't done speaking up for Fletcher.

"It pisses me off," he said before marveling about how many games Fletcher played in his career.

Two hundred and some games without missing a game, guys don't do that."

It's remarkable that Fletcher continues to be shut out of the Hall of Fame. Fletcher and Joe Jacoby have been passed over for years. Brian Mitchell should also be in, too.

Why do voters continue to overlook Fletcher? So much is made of All-Pro nominations and Pro Bowl bids, which is really unfair. Lewis often received those accolades, as did Urlacher, and Fletcher was nowhere near as flashy a player. He was also a former undrafted free agent, whereas Lewis, Urlacher, Willis, and Kuechley were all former first-rounders.

Here are just a few of Fletcher's honors:

• 2,039 career tackles, one of three players to ever reach 2,000 (Bobby Wagner joined in 2025)
• 256 consecutive games played. He never missed a game at his position.
• Only one of 5 players in NFL history to play in 250 or more games.
• Four-time Pro Bowl selection
• Super Bowl champion
• 23 interceptions, 39 sacks

Fletcher belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and it's nice to see a peer strongly advocate for him.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Urlacher wants Fletcher in Hall of Fame