On Thursday, the world will find out who the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame members will be. Will Giants quarterback Eli Manning be among them?
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Retired New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning will soon find out if he has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Mike Tanier, who took a temperature check of a half dozen members from the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee, doesn’t paint an optimistic picture of Manning’s chances.
Tanier spoke with six of the 50 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee before their annual meeting, which took place in mid-January. The initial feeling was that it could go either way, with some voters even going so far as to question Manning’s worthiness for inclusion into the Hall of Fame and others questioning whether he was first-ballot worthy.
“I hope there’s not much conversation,” one voter told Tanier, adding, “It’s ridiculous to spend time on him. He’s not going to get in this year."
“I think he’s a Hall of Famer, eventually,” said another. “If we are talking seven or eight years from now, and we’re talking about putting Eli Manning in the Hall of Fame for two Super Bowl MVPs and creating some of the greatest moments in the game's history, I’ll buy that. That’s cool. But don’t try to tell me that he is one of the greatest quarterbacks of his generation.”
December 30, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) throws a pass against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter of an NFL game at MetLife Stadium. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
According to Tanier's report, the change in the voting process and the large backlog of candidates are among the many factors that could doom Manning's candidacy.
In past years, the voting committee discussed the candidates and then voted to narrow the Hall of Fame pool from 15 players to 10. After reducing the pool to ten, the committee voted again to select a top five. Those five players were that year’s Hall of Fame class.
Starting this year, however, a second ballot narrowed the ten candidates to seven. Then, selectors were to pick five players from that group. A player must appear on 80% of those final ballots to reach the Hall of Fame, theoretically reducing the number of potential inductees.
“I think it’s inevitable that we’ll get three or four-man classes over the next couple of years,” one selector explained. “And that’s just going to make it harder on everybody.”
“Get back to me in five years,” said another when asked if Manning is a Hall of Famer. “Seriously, we got a lot of guys to get into the Hall of Fame. And he can wait.”
Tanier also points to the stacked finalist class that could keep Manning out of this year's class.
Players such as Panthers linebacker Luke Keuchely, Ravens offensive lineman Marshall Yanda, and Ravens defender Terrell Suggs are likely to be a part of this year's class.
Other borderline Hall of Fame players have been stuck on the ballot for years, such as receivers Torry Holt (Rams) and Reggie Wayne (Colts), who have been on the ballot for six straight years, former Panthers receiver Steve Smith, who is in his fourth year of eligibility, and former Chargers tight end Antonio Gates.
Then some older players are still waiting for their chance at being inducted, such as Cowboys defensive back Darren Woodson, Eagles/Saints/Raiders defensive back Eric Allen, and Patriots/Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri.
Then there's Manning's case. The Louisiana native finished his career ranked seventh all-time in completions (4,895), passing yards (57,023), and touchdowns (366) at the time of his retirement. He ranks 11th in all categories as of today. He also has two impressive Super Bowl runs and wins under his belt.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 will be unveiled publicly on February 6 during the NFL Honors program presented by Invisalign.
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Published Feb 5, 2025|Modified Feb 5, 2025
EVAN ORRIS
Evan Orris is a 2022 graduate of Indiana University. In college, he covered the Indiana Hoosiers football and men’s basketball teams for the Daily Hoosier and Hoosier Huddle. Evan also wrote for FanSided, the New York Post, and NBA.com. During his time with the Post, he covered the New York Giants and the New York Jets.