After a disastrous 2024 for the New York Giants, 2025 could get off to a great start as there’s a good chance that Eli Manning will be voted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility as he’s one of the 15 finalists.
Manning holds every significant passing record in the franchise’s history, and his Iron Man streak and professional behavior on and off the field have made a strong impression on Giants fans of all ages.
But what made him a legend was how he performed when it mattered most as he engineered two dramatic 4th quarter-game-winning drives in Super Bowls XLII and XLVI against the New England Patriots.
With all that said, Manning has his critics, and some feel it was the defense that carried the team to those Super Bowl victories, and that Justin Tuck could have been named MVP for both victories over New England. The topic of whether Manning deserves to be a Hall of Famer has been discussed at great length from the moment he retired following the 2019 season.
Here’s our breakdown of three reasons why he should get in on the first ballot and two reasons why he shouldn’t.
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3 reasons why Eli Manning should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer
Defeated the Patriots twice in the Super Bowl
The biggest feather in Manning’s cap is that he defeated the best dynasty of his era on the biggest stage, put up legendary performances, and was named MVP of both Super Bowls. His escape from a near-sack to complete a 32-yard pass to David Tyree (Helmet Catch) is considered the greatest play in Super Bowl history. Then, four years later, in Super Bowl XLVI, his 38-yard completion to Mario Manningham was as perfect of a throw as you will ever see.
Many feel that Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time, just as many feel Bill Belichick is the greatest head coach ever. But they’re both 0-2 when it mattered most against the former Ole Miss quarterback, as Manning outdueled Brady and found a way to get the better of Belichick’s defense in the final moments of each of those Super Bowls.
Beating the best dynasty in the NFL of the 21st century matters, and when you also consider that every multiple Super Bowl MVP winner eligible for the Hall of Fame is in it, it bodes well for Manning’s chances.
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His 8-4 postseason record
No matter the sport, athletes’ legacies are defined by what they do in the postseason. Although Manning only won playoff games in 2007 and 2011, he made the most of those runs to the Super Bowl, which were legendary.
Aside from defeating the Patriots, Manning defeated other great teams, such as the 15-1 Green Bay Packers in 2011, and defeated three teams in the postseason that had 13 wins during the regular season (2007 Cowboys, 2007 Packers, 2011 49ers). In addition, four of his eight playoff wins were against quarterbacks that have at least one MVP on their resume (Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Tom Brady twice).
What might be most impressive during those playoff runs, was that he won two road conference championship games in adverse conditions against the Packers in 2007 in frigid conditions, and against the 49ers in 2011 in a torrential downpour.
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Finished his career in the top 10 in passing yards and touchdowns
Manning currently ranks 11th all-time in passing yards with 57,023 and 11th all-time in passing touchdowns with 366. At the time of his retirement, he was 10th on both lists. Numbers never tell the entire story of someone’s career, but they indicate how productive and durable he was during his career.
It’s not easy putting up superlative numbers when you play in the swirling winds of Giants Stadium and MetLife Stadium, but number 10 was able to produce. Considering that the NFL has been around for 105 years and Manning ranks 11th in the two most talked-about categories, that is an impressive feat, to say the least.
2 reasons why Eli Manning shouldn’t be a first-ballot Hall of Famer
His 117-117 regular season record
While Eli Manning should be praised for his performances in the playoffs, in the regular season, he was the epitome of average, which is illustrated by his 117-117 regular season record.
Yes, during the second half of his career, the team had a subpar offensive line and injuries them, but an all-time great quarterback is supposed to raise the play of the players around him and guide his team to victory. Just like quarterbacks get the bulk of the credit when their team wins, they have to be held accountable when their team loses.
Following the Giants’ win in Super Bowl XLVI, the team had only two winning seasons in the final eight years of Manning’s career, and in five of those, the team had double-digit losses. Voters may hold the last half of Manning’s career against him during the voting process.
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Was never named to an All-Pro team
There’s no question whether Archie Manning’s youngest son was elite in the postseason, but as far as the regular season goes, that’s a different story. He led the league in interceptions three times (2007, 2010, and 2013), and he was voted to the Pro Bowl just four times in a sixteen-year career.
What stands out the most about Eli’s Hall of Fame candidacy is that he was never voted to an All-Pro team. Some will say this is because he played the bulk of his career alongside great quarterbacks such as his brother Peyton, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Drew Brees.
But if you’re supposed to be an all-time great, you should have been named All-Pro at least once in your career. After all, nobody has ever questioned the Hall of Fame candidacy of the other aforementioned quarterbacks. Which makes some feel that he doesn’t deserve a gold jacket.
Manning will learn about his Hall of Fame fate on Thursday at the NFL Honors award ceremony.
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