Eli Manning's HOF candidacy is complicated: Are two Super Bowl rings enough?

[Editor's note: Eli Manning was not elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the Class of 2025 , his first year of eligibility. This story originally ran in 2023.]

It once seemed inevitable that Eli Manning would have a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. When he won his second Super Bowl title and second Super Bowl MVP, he was just 32 and coming off his best NFL season. It seemed like there was much more to come.

Now, more than a decade later, three and a half years after the long-time New York Giants quarterback was nudged into retirement, Manning’s path to Canton is not so clear. With a little less than two years until he’s eligible, there appear to be more than enough members of the 50-person selection committee who are at least skeptical of his chances. Some think he shouldn’t go in on the first ballot. Some think he’s not a Hall of Famer at all.

"I think potentially it is a tougher sell than some others," said Newsday columnist Bob Glauber, a Hall of Famer himself who will be tasked with presenting Manning to the committee in 2025. "If you mention Dan Marino, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Tom Brady, you just have to say their name and it’s over. With Eli, you have to show that his numbers and his accomplishments are up there with the best of them.

"I think that they are. But I think this will be a long discussion."

It might even last for years.

This is the reality of Manning’s Hall of Fame candidacy. He has numbers and accomplishments that will make him a no-brainer for the Hall for some. He’s still in the top 10 all-time in passing yards and touchdowns. He played in 210 straight games, never missing one with an injury in his 16-year career. And he’s got those two Lombardi trophies along with the two MVP