One day after Derek Jeter was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, a New York football icon announced that he was hanging up his cleats. And no one was surprised that Eli Manning is retiring after 16 years with the Giants. The writing had been on the wall since last season, and it became even clearer this year as he sat on the bench while rookie Daniel Jones played.
Eli made it clear that it wasn't easy. He wasn't happy as a backup, but he also didn't want to play anywhere else, so he really had no choice other than retirement. And he knew that. The New York fans knew it, too, and it really is great that Eli was able to get that perfect sendoff after leading the Giants to a home win in his final start, letting the MetLife Stadium crowd say goodbye to a franchise icon.
Almost immediately after the announcement, the Great Eli Manning Hall of Fame Debate began. It's a debate that's going to continue for the next five years, and probably beyond that. He's not the sure-fire, I-don't-even-need-to-think-about-it first-ballot guarantee that his brother is. But you know Eli's gonna be in the discussion. As he should be.
The highlights are obvious, and they're the things that are going to boost his candidacy. Two Super Bowl wins, with a fourth-quarter comeback in each. There are only 12 quarterbacks with multiple Super Bowl victories as a starter. Among those who are eligible, only Jim Plunkett isn't in the Hall of Fame (and I think he should be). Beyond that, Eli's one of only five players in history to be named Super Bowl MVP two or more times. Three are in the Hall of Fame, the fourth is Tom Brady.
Then there's the durability/reliability. Eli Manning made 210 consecutive regular season starts, plus 12 more in the playoffs. At quarterback! Only Brett Favre and the man he was traded for, Philip Rivers, have longer streaks in NFL history. Consider that. He started every game for 13 years starting in the middle of his rookie season. That's a remarkable run of stability, especially in the pressure-cooker of New York.
And let's not forget the fact that he's the Giants' all-time franchise leader in virtually every passing category. The Giants are one of the NFL's marquee franchises. They're the third-oldest team in the league, having been around since 1925! And the argument could be made that Eli Manning is the best quarterback in franchise history. John Mara already said he'll be inducted into the Giants Ring of Honor, and it's not a stretch to think his No. 10 will be retired, too.
Yet Eli-haters are quick to point out their reasons as to why they believe he's NOT a Hall of Famer. Frankly, I've always had a problem with that. Why are you nitpicking and trying to make an argument against somebody? He won two Super Bowls and was the face of a franchise for 15 years. Clearly he was better than merely "average." If he was, there wouldn't be any debate about his Hall of Fame candidacy. It would be nonexistent.
I actually got into a back-and-forth with someone on Facebook about that very topic. The argument being used was that Eli was never a "top five" NFL quarterback, as if that's somehow some sort of disqualifier. No, Eli Manning wasn't ever considered a "top five" quarterback. Nobody's saying he was! You know what, though? Nowhere in the Hall of Fame bylaws does it say that a player must be considered among the "top five" at his position in order to be eligible for the Hall of Fame!
Especially when you consider that Eli Manning was contemporaries with Brady, Brees, Rodgers, Roethlisberger and his brother, guaranteed future Hall of Famers all, as well as guys like Rivers and Wilson who are putting Hall of Fame-worthy careers, it's reasonable to think that potentially as many as eight (or more) quarterbacks playing in this era could end up with busts in Canton. So to say Eli wasn't one of the "top five" quarterbacks in the NFL during his career isn't exactly a knock. Quite the opposite, actually. It shows just how many great QBs have played in the NFL in the 2000s.
Another knock that people try to use against him is his career record and the fact that the Giants have only made the playoffs twice in the last 11 seasons (although, it should be noted they went 10-6 and missed the playoffs in 2010). As much as people wanted to, I'm not sure how much blame can really be assigned to Eli Manning for the Giants' struggles over the past few years. He's been stuck playing on some bad teams with no offensive line and no wide receivers (yet he had to throw because they were always behind, hence the interceptions). He could only do so much with what he had to work with!
It's true that it's been all or nothing with the Giants over the past 15 years. Outside of the two Super Bowl runs, Eli Manning never won a playoff game. However, five of the six non-Super Bowl playoff wins came on the road, including both NFC Championship Games. And, it's worth noting that the two Super Bowl-winning teams entered the playoffs as the 4-seed (at 9-7) and the 5-seed (at 10-6).
Frankly, a lot of the judgment about Eli Manning and his career is based on how it ended, which seems a little unfair. As recently as 2015, there was little to no debate about whether Eli deserved a place in Canton. And, yes, he absolutely struggled towards the end. But that's true of pretty much everyone who's ever played professional sports. They can't all get the storybook ending.
When the time comes, the voters will look at Eli Manning's entire career, not just the ending. And that entire body of work makes a pretty compelling argument for him to be giving a speech while wearing a gold jacket in August of 2026.
Will he? That's a question for the voters. And I have no doubt some of them will ignore the two Super Bowl MVPs and dwell on those negative stats. Ultimately, though, he likely will end up in Canton. Whether it's in his first year on the ballot or further down the line, Eli Manning deserves a place in the Hall of Fame.
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