Eli Manning is not selected for Pro Football Hall of Fame at first poll

New Orleans – The Debate on Eli Manning and Pro Football Hall of Fame will last at least one 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 on Thursday night as part of the NFL Honours Show three days before the Super Bowl.

2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class included chargers tight end Antonio Gates, Vikings and Chiefs Pass Rusher Jared Allen, Packers Wide Receives Sterling Sharpe and Eagles Corner Back Eric Allen.

Manning has been one of the most discussed candidates for the Hall of Fame for many years. He won two Super Bowls with New York Giants, but never won an MVP, only made four Pro Bowls of 16 years and never led NFL in any major passing category than interceptions.

Manning, which makes it the group of 15 finalists in modern times in his first year with eligibility, can be a good sign for him in the future. He and all Giants fans who have argued for his admission to the Hall of Fame will have to try again in 2026.

Manning did not seem bothered by the possibility that he could be passed over this time.

‘It would be a great honor’

Manning is in New Orleans for the Super Bowl Week and presumably for the possibility that he could be chosen for the Hall of Fame.

He talked about what it would mean if he was to get the call.

“It would be a great honor to be in that group, in the Hall of Fame, the people who played the game and played the game in the right way,” Manning told Yahoo Sports Thursday, hours before the announcement of the 2025 hall in fame class . “What it would mean to me, my family, my teammates, the organization of Giants … When you go to the Hall of Fame, it’s not only you, the guys around you become part of it too.”

That call didn’t come. But Manning had a complicated case for the Hall of Fame, unlike his brother Peyton, a non-doubt choice of first-voting election in 2021.

Eli Manning will have to wait a year. The Hall of Fame has made others wait, especially Terrell Owens, which was passed twice before he was elected. Manning said it wouldn’t bother him if he got on the first ballot or down the road.

“I don’t know if it matters what year you are coming in,” Manning said.

Eli Manning’s inheritance

Manning’s argument for the Hall of Fame begins and ends with two games.

Twice, at the end of the 2007 season and again in the end of the 2011 season, won Manning’s Giants Super Bowl over Tom Brady and New England Patriots. Both times the Manning Super Bowl MVP was.

In the Super Bowl XLII, Giants drew one of the biggest disturbances in NFL history and knocked a Patriots team that was 18-0 that went into the game. Manning led a drive in the last two minutes to win the game, highlighted by the famous “helmet trap” by David Tire.

Each quarterback that won two Super Bowls as a starter eligible for the Hall of Fame has already been introduced other than Manning and Jim Plunkett. Without these two titles, Manning would probably not be close to the Hall of Fame consideration.

While the Super Bowls carry most of the weight in the case for Manning, his followers will point out that his 57,023 passing yards and 366 pass the touchdowns every rank 11 all the time. On the constantly passing yardage list, Manning is right in front of John Elway, Warren Moon and Fran Tarkenton, all of which are in the Hall of Fame.

The argument against Manning is that although he led these two Super Bowl victories, he was never considered the best quarterback in the NFL or even in the conversation. His career carer is only 84.1. And while he had the two big playoffs, he didn’t win an endgame in any of his other 14 NFL seasons.

Missing this year can hurt Manning with other quarterbacks such as Drew Brees and Philip Rivers, who are justified to the Hall of Fame in 2026. For now his wait continues.