Eli Manning was only a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback in his 16-year NFL career, all with the New York Giants. He also didn’t come close to being named All-Pro or winning MVP.
But that likely won’t matter for his Pro Football Hall of Fame case. Eli Manning should still join brother Peyton Manning in being enshrined in Canton as a headlining member of the Class of 2025.
Peyton was a no-brainer first-ballot inductee in 2021. He went to 14 Pro Bowls, was first-team or second-team All-Pro 10 times, and took home five regular-season MVPs. The lone accolade that he and Eli both shared for their careers was being part of two Super Bowl-winning teams.
That’s also where Eli has the upper hand on Peyton: He won Super Bowl MVP twice with the Giants in relation to Peyton’s one with the Colts. It might seem like two big successful playoff runs in New York shouldn’t add up to the Hall, but Eli has a special case.
Here are five reasons why, despite several average or shaky seasons from 2004-19, the younger Manning will get his own bronze bust.
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Eli Manning won his two Super Bowls against Tom Brady’s Patriots
The Giants, with Manning starting at QB, won Super Bowl 42 over New England in a massive upset of an undefeated team, 17-14. That seemed like a one-time, all-time fluke until Manning’s Giants also won Super Bowl 46 over New England, a minor upset over the same team, 21-17.
The Giants’ defense under Tom Coughlin contained Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense, playing a huge part in the victories. Both times, Manning was able to outplay the GOAT QB in crunch time, with some help from receivers David Tyree and Mario Manningham, among others.
Brady ended up as the winning QB in seven of his 10 Super Bowl trips. Manning was key in causing two of those losses before Eagles supersub Nick Foles joined the exclusive club in Super Bowl 52.
Super Bowls are won and lost by a complete team, but the QB has the greatest pressure and is under the brightest spotlight in each game. Eli Manning’s case is most defined by those magical moments.
Eli Manning was one of the most durable QBs in NFL history
Peyton was pushing to break Brett Favre’s ironman record (321 consecutive QB starts, including playoffs), but the neck injury that caused his transition from the Colts to the Broncos put an abrupt end to that. He ended up with 227 consecutive starts, third all-time behind Favre and contemporary Philip Rivers.
Eli, before being benched in favor of Geno Smith in 2017, made 222 consecutive starts, ranking fourth right behind Peyton. Rivers, Eli’s 2004 first-round draft mate, got up to 252 before his career ended.
Eli Manning was durable and reliable, posting productive numbers even if he was well short of an elite QB. In the end, he was benched for performance by a fickle coach, Ben McAdoo, to stop the streak. If not, he would have passed Peyton.
Eli Manning helped himself plenty off the field during his Giants career
Manning didn’t win MVP, but he did win the NFL’s most prestigious individual award, Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, in 2016. Manning was a pillar in his big market community, and even though the New York media ripped into him at times, he was steadfast and steady with his personality. Eli’s stoicism on the field created some meme-worthy facial expressions, but it also served him well as a respected leader in all of his endeavors to make his team and city better.
Manning didn’t have the same statistical accomplishments and championship haul as Derek Jeter, but he had the same New York stature as a revered and beloved athlete, going back to legends such as Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Joe Namath. Manning was the face of the franchise for Giants fans, and just as important, he left a strong impression on the many big-time NFL media members who covered him throughout his career.
Eli Manning helped himself plenty off the field after his Giants career
Manning has always been a commercial darling, and that went through the roof once he got his first Super Bowl ring in 2012. He crossed over to hosting “Saturday Night Live” while still active in the league.
Now, he’s prevalent with his own YouTube interview show and collaborating with his brother on ESPN ventures via Omaha Productions, led by the popular “Monday Night Football” Manningcast. He was hilarious in old DirecTV spots with Peyton. He is fun and funny on top of being classy. His comedy has led to a spinoff of “Chad Powers.”
Eli has succeeded in becoming a crossover celebrity like his brother. He channels the star power of Namath in his own modern way. That was undoubtedly a big factor in getting Namath into Canton despite his generally mediocre numbers and record outside of guaranteeing a Super Bowl 3 victory for the Jets.
Eli Manning is a reminder of how much winning a Super Bowl means for a QB
The Pro Football Hall of Fame debates on who gets inducted often have little to do with milestone stats like career passing yards, touchdowns, and the rest. The biggest Canton calling card in the Super Bowl era for a QB is — you guessed it — winning the Super Bowl.
Along with Eli, Bart Starr, Roger Staubach, Bob Griese, Terry Bradshaw, Jim Plunkett, Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, John Elway, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and Patrick Mahomes are the other QBs who have started and won two or more Super Bowls. Every previous member of that club is in the Hall of Fame or will be (Mahomes), except for the one who should be (Plunkett).
Len Dawson, Johnny Unitas, Steve Young, Brett Favre, and Kurt Warner are one-ring Hall of Famers. Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers will be Hall of Famers. Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford might be Hall of Famers.
That’s well more than half of the winning starting quarterbacks in Super Bowl history. With just one ring in this modern passing boom era, Eli Manning would be Joe Flacco — pretty solid but not Hall of Fame-worthy. But he has two, and that’s almost worth free, no-hassle admission into the Hall.
Eli Manning getting voted in while in his hometown of New Orleans, where his father Archie played for a long time, adds one more reason to think he will join Peyton very soon rather than later.
