Should former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible for induction in 2025?
One Hall of Fame voter says, “No.”
Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk was a guest this week on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas to talk about the Eli Manning Hall of Fame debate. Williams, who has a Hall of Fame vote, says she will not vote for Manning on the first ballot.
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Here’s a video of the full segment, via 105.3 The Fan on YouTube:
Here’s a transcript of the pertinent part of the conversation (emphasis added):
Williams: I think [Eli Manning] eventually goes in [the Hall of Fame]. I don’t think he’s first ballot. I think that’s the next battle.
Host: And your vote would be eventually for Eli? Just not first ballot?
Williams: I’m not there yet. Probably eventually, but I don’t think he’s a first-ballot guy. I mean —
Host: Alright, Trey, keep her on. Keep her on. Don’t hang up.
[laughter]
Williams: You know, I don’t think he’s a first-ballot guy. And after that, maybe? I’ll have to see what the presenter says and how he says it. It has to be convincing to convince me. I mean, two Super Bowls. I get it. But, you know, there’s other players who won Super Bowls who aren’t their year. I can look at the Pro Bowls and All-Pros and All-Decade teams and all of that, and it’s not there. Now, the numbers are great. He’s top 10 in just about everything, I think. But numbers now have gone up, and I don’t know if we can base everything just on numbers. You know, somebody — and I don’t know who the person was who said it, I heard it really early on when I got on the committee in 2007 — but use your eyes. You know? … When I watched Eli play in those Super Bowls, I thought he was a Hall of Famer. When I watched him play all of his other games, I’m not so sure he was.
Manning has one of the most polarizing cases for Canton of all time. If all you knew about him was that he went No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft, spent 16 seasons with one franchise and won two Super Bowl MVPs, you’d think he was a lock for the Hall of Fame.
Instead, we know Eli’s legacy is much more complicated.
Factors Working in Eli’s Favor for HOF Induction
The biggest factor working in Manning’s favor will always be his two Super Bowl MVPs. He is one of just five players in NFL history to accomplish this feat, and the fact that they both came against Tom Brady helps bolster this factor even further.
For the complete air-tight case, I highly recommend you watch this video I put together for CBS Sports following Manning’s retirement.
A couple intangibles people usually forget while debating Manning’s Hall of Fame credentials are his ironman streak of 210 consecutive games started (third longest in NFL history for a QB) and his 2016 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. These accomplishments don’t explicitly describe his excellence on the field, but they did contribute significantly to his level of fame.
And that’s what we’re arguing here, right? It’s called the Hall of FAME.
Factors Working Against Eli’s HOF Induction
It’s true that Manning rarely separated himself into the elite category during his career. He never made an All-Pro, he was only a four-time Pro Bowler, and he never won a playoff game outside of his two Super Bowl runs.
Manning detractors will point to those facts, as well as his career win-loss record of 117-117 and his 224 career interceptions. The funny thing is, you have to be pretty good in the first place to even start that many games or have the opportunity to throw that many interceptions. Just ask Brett Favre, who holds the all-time record for career interceptions (336) and entered the Hall of Fame on the first ballot without even a debate.
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Hall of Fame Voter: Giants QB Eli Manning Shouldn’t Be First-Ballot Inductee