Eli Manning a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2025
New York Giants Eli Manning holds aloft the VInce Lombardi Trophy after his victory in Super Bowl XLVI (46) against the New England Patriots at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on the evening of February 5, 2012. Credit: newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
Some rare good news for the Giants these days: Eli Manning is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.
The 15 modern-era finalists were announced on Saturday. Manning, eligible for induction for the first time this year, will need to collect 80% of the votes and be among the top five vote-receivers to join his brother Peyton as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Manning, Luke Kuechly, Terrell Suggs, Marshal Yanda and Adam Vinatieri are the five first-year eligible finalists. Antonio Gates, Steve Smith Jr and Jared Allen headline the other finalists.
The Hall of Fame’s newest class will be announced Feb. 6 during the “NFL Honors” show held in New Orleans . . . the site of Super Bowl LIX and Manning’s hometown.
Manning played his entire 16-year career for the Giants, holds virtually every passing record in franchise history and led the team to two Super Bowl victories — both over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots — while being named MVP both times. Only five other players have won multiple Super Bowl MVP awards.
But while Manning’s place as an all-time Giants great is indisputable, his Canton candidacy is not a sure thing. He had a .500 record as a starting quarterback, never received a regular-season MVP vote and never won a playoff game outside of his two remarkable Super Bowl seasons.
Adding to his uncertainty is the line of quarterbacks with Hall of Fame credentials who will become eligible in the coming years: Drew Brees and Philip Rivers in 2026, Ben Roethlisberger in 2027, Brady and Matt Ryan in 2028 and Aaron Rodgers five years after his playing career ends. If Manning does not gain admission this cycle he could face years of logjams competing for votes against players with equal or better resumes than his. Manning is the only quarterback among this year’s finalists.
If he does make it in he will become the 23rd person primarily associated with the Giants to receive induction, the first since George Young was selected as a contributor in 2020 and the first player since Michael Strahan entered the Hall in 2014. There are 33 Hall of Famers who have been part of the Giants organization.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
