Bill Belichick won’t be the only snub for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2026. News broke Tuesday that Belichick — despite winning eight Super Bowls, including six as coach of the New England Patriots — did not receive enough votes to receive induction into the Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility. Eli Manning, the quarterback that defeated Belichick’s Patriots in two Super Bowls, reportedly isn’t getting inducted this summer, either.
Manning, who quarterbacked the New York Giants from 2004-19, did not receive enough votes for induction in his second year of eligibility, according to The Athletic. He is one of 15 modern-era finalists that includes fellow quarterback Drew Brees, who is expected to be inducted in his first year of eligibility.
While it likely won’t have the same viral reaction as Belichick’s snub, Manning’s exclusion from this year’s Hall of Fame class is nonetheless notable. Manning is just one of six players in history to own multiple Super Bowl MVPs. The three Hall of Fame-eligible players from that select fraternity (Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw and Bart Starr) were inducted in their first year of eligibility. The other two (Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes) will almost certainly receive the same treatment as soon are they are eligible for induction.
Bill Belichick’s snub demands a Hall of Fame reckoning
Jonathan Jones
Manning is one of just two eligible starting quarterbacks with multiple Super Bowl wins that is not in the Hall of Fame. The other is Jim Plunkett, who helped lead the Raiders to upset wins over Philadelphia and Washington in Super Bowls XV and XVIII, respectively.
Manning’s detractors often point to his 117-117 regular season record and 60.3% career completion percentage as reasons to keep him out when there are several quarterbacks in the Hall of Fame whose numbers are similar or worse. Joe Namath, for example, went 62-63-4 as a starting quarterback and had 173 career touchdown passes and 220 interceptions.
Namath’s Hall of Fame bust is mostly due to his role in the greatest upset in NFL history when the New York Jets — an 18-point underdog — stunned the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. Like Namath, Manning also played a key role in one of the biggest upsets in NFL history when he helped the Giants upset the previously undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
And while Namath didn’t throw a single pass during the fourth quarter of his upset win, Manning’s fourth quarter against the Patriots included two touchdown passes (including the game-winner) and an iconic completion to David Tyree that immediately became part of Super Bowl lore.
Four years later, Manning defeated the Patriots again on football’s biggest stage. While it is often forgotten, the Giants’ win that day was largely the byproduct of a brilliant throw from Manning to Mario Manningham that set up the game-winning touchdown.
Super Bowls aside, Manning is one of the greatest playoff quarterbacks of all-time. During the Giants’ two Super Bowl runs, Manning led all postseason quarterbacks in attempts, passing yards and touchdown passes. He had one of the greatest playoff runs in league history in 2011 when he completed 65% of his passes for 1,219 yards and nine touchdowns over a four-game span.
It’s also worth noting that Manning has the third-longest consecutive starts streak in league history behind only Hall of Famer Brett Favre and fellow 2004 draft classmate Philip Rivers. Manning is also 11th all-time in both career passing yards and career touchdown passes.
Despite those numbers, Manning reportedly did not get enough votes to join his older brother, Peyton, in the Hall of Fame this time around.
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