https://sports.yahoo.com/eli-manning-isnt-elected-to-pro-football-hall-of-fame-on-first-ballot-030846304.html
NEW ORLEANS — The debate about Eli Manning and the Pro Football Hall of Fame will last at least another year.
Manning was the most talked-about name among the finalists for the 2025 class, but he was not voted into the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. The class was announced Thursday night as part of the NFL Honors show three days before the Super Bowl.
The 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class included Chargers tight end Antonio Gates, Vikings and Chiefs pass rusher Jared Allen, Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharpe, and Eagles cornerback Eric Allen.
Manning has been one of the most hotly debated candidates for the Hall of Fame in many years. He won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants, but never won an MVP, made only four Pro Bowls in 16 years and never led the NFL in any major passing category other than interceptions.
Manning making it into the group of 15 modern-era finalists in his first year of eligibility might be a good sign for him going forward. He and all the Giants fans who have been arguing for his inclusion into the Hall of Fame will have to try again in 2026.
Manning didn’t seem bothered by the possibility that he might get passed over this time.
‘It would be a great honor’
Manning is in New Orleans for Super Bowl week, and presumably for the possibility that he could be elected into the Hall of Fame.
He talked about what it would mean if he were to get the call.
“It would be a great honor to be in that group, in the Hall of Fame, the people that played the game and played the game the right way,” Manning told Yahoo Sports on Thursday, hours before the announcement of the 2025 Hall of Fame class. “What it would mean for me, my family, my teammates, the organization of the Giants … when you go in the Hall of Fame it’s not just you, the guys around you become part of that as well.”
That call didn’t come. But Manning had a complicated case for the Hall of Fame, unlike his brother Peyton, a no-doubt first-ballot selection in 2021.
Eli Manning will have to wait a year. The Hall of Fame has made others wait, most notably Terrell Owens who was passed over twice before he was elected. Manning said it wouldn’t bother him if he made it on the first ballot or down the road further.
“I don’t know if it matters what year you get in,” Manning said.
Eli Manning’s legacy
Manning’s argument for the Hall of Fame begins and ends with two games.
Twice, at the end of the 2007 season and again at the end of the 2011 season, Manning’s Giants won the Super Bowl over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Both times, Manning was Super Bowl MVP.
In Super Bowl XLII the Giants pulled off one of the greatest upsets in NFL history, knocking off a Patriots team that was 18-0 going into the game. Manning led a drive in the final two minutes to win the game, highlighted by the famous “Helmet Catch” by David Tyree.
Every quarterback who won two Super Bowls as a starter who is eligible for the Hall of Fame has been inducted already other than Manning and Jim Plunkett. Without those two titles, Manning likely wouldn’t be close to Hall of Fame consideration.
While the Super Bowls carry most of the weight in the case for Manning, his supporters will point out that his 57,023 passing yards and 366 passing touchdowns each rank 11th all time. On the all-time passing yardage list Manning is right ahead of John Elway, Warren Moon and Fran Tarkenton, who are all in the Hall of Fame.
The argument against Manning is that while he did lead those two Super Bowl wins, he was never considered the best quarterback in the NFL or even in the conversation. His career passer rating is just 84.1. And while he had the two great playoff runs, he did not win a playoff game in any of his other 14 NFL seasons.
Missing out this year might hurt Manning with other quarterbacks like Drew Brees and Philip Rivers becoming eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2026. For now, his wait continues.
https://sports.yahoo.com/eli-manning-isnt-elected-to-pro-football-hall-of-fame-on-first-ballot-030846304.html
