Eli Manning has been named one of 15 player finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026. This is the second time in two years of eligibility that the former New York Giants quarterback has been a finalist.
Manning was left out of the Class of 2025 when only four players — defensive end Jared Allen, wide receiver Sterling Sharpe, cornerback Eric Allen, and tight end Antonio Gates — were voted in.
Retired NFL columnist Gary Myers, one of the committee members, had this to say about the Manning decision a year ago:
“In the interest of full transparency, I voted for Eli Manning and spoke up for him at our meeting. I believe Manning beating the Patriots twice in the Super Bowl with two-minute drives and being named Super Bowl MVP each time, along with currently being 11th all-time in touchdown passes and yardage, presents a convincing resume,” Myers said. “To get selected in the future, the voters must get past that Manning was never All-Pro or regular season MVP and realize he played when those spots were not so available, playing in an era with Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees. Eli’s record was just .500, but Dan Fouts was only two games over .500, and Warren Moon was only one game over .500 — but neither made it to the Super Bowl. In fact, Moon never made it to a conference championship game. Fouts and Moon were each first ballot Hall of Famers.”
Manning was dropped from consideration a year ago when the Hall of Fame voting committee trimmed the finalists from 15 to seven before their final vote.
Manning’s path to being a finalist again may have been eased by Philip Rivers’ decision to return to playing for the Indianapolis Colts. Rivers forfeited his 2026 eligibility by being added to the Colts’ roster.
Manning’s path to being part of the Class of 2026 may be blocked by Brees, as well as by the belief many voters seem to have that Manning’s often pedestrian regular seasons preclude him from being Hall of Fame worthy.
Up to five Modern-Era players may be elected each year, each requiring an 80% yes vote.
Modern-Era Finalists – Class of 2026
- Willie Anderson, OT
- Drew Brees, QB (first year eligible)
- Jahri Evans, G
- Larry Fitzgerald, WR (first year eligible)
- Frank Gore, RB (first year eligible)
- Torry Holt, WR
- Luke Kuechly, LB
- Eli Manning, QB
- Terrell Suggs, Edge
- Adam Vinatieri, K
- Reggie Wayne, WR
- Kevin Williams, DT
- Jason Witten, TE (first year eligible)
- Darren Woodson, S
- Marshal Yanda, G
Four players — Anderson, Holt, Kuechly, and Vinatieri — advanced automatically after finishing among the final seven in last year’s voting.
Manning by the numbers
Regular season
- Manning is the only player in Giants’ history to play 16 years with the team. He played in a Giants record 236 games, including 234 starts. The 234 starts are the fourth-most total by a quarterback with one franchise
- Manning started 210 consecutive games from Nov. 21, 2004, to Nov. 23, 2017, the third-longest streak by a quarterback in NFL history. Only Brett Favre (297) and Philip Rivers (224) had longer streaks.
- Manning never missed a game because of injury.
Passing stats
- Attempts: 8,119 (11th all-time)
- Completions: 4,895 (11th)
- Yards: 57,023 (11th)
- Touchdown passes: 366 (11th)
Postseason
- Overall record: 8-4
- Super Bowl titles: 2
- Super Bowl MVP awards: 2
- Holds record for most passing yards in a single postseason (1,219 in 2011)
- Manning is one of six players to win multiple Super Bowl MVP awards. The others are: Tom Brady, 4; Joe Montana and Patrick Mahomes, 3; Terry Bradshaw and Bart Starr, 2.
Franchise records
- Passing attempts: 8,119
- Completions: 4,895 (Postseason: 242)
- Yards: 57,023 (Postseason: 2,815)
- Touchdown: 366 (Postseason: 18)
- Most 300-yard passing games: 51
Giants Hall of Famers
Here are all of the Hall of Famers who had the bulk of their NFL accomplishments with the Giants:
- Morris Badgro
- Roosevelt Brown
- Harry Carson
- Ray Flaherty
- Benny Friedman
- Frank Gifford
- Mel Hein
- Sam Huff
- Tuffy Leemans
- Tim Mara
- Wellington Mara
- Steve Owen
- Bill Parcells
- Andy Robustelli
- Michael Strahan
- Ken Strong
- Lawrence Taylor
- Emlen Tunnell
- Arnie Weinmeister
- George Young
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