Eli Manning’s ‘hurdles’ to Pro Football Hall of Fame are ‘significant,’ says voter | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

Former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning may not be inducted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

A Pro Football Hall of Fame voter told ESPN’s Jordan Raanan that the “hurdles are significant” for Manning to be voted into the Class of 2025.

However, Raanan noted that “the general consensus seems to be that Manning will eventually enter the Hall, even if not this year.”

Manning is one of six first-year Modern Era prospects named to the list of 25 semifinalists released last Wednesday. The list will be narrowed down to 15 finalists later this year and candidates must receive 80 percent approval from the selection committee before they can be hired.

According to Raanan, Manning’s lack of All-Pro nominations and his career regular-season record of 117–117 “hurt in the eyes of several voters.”

According to Raanan, another obstacle to Manning’s freshman candidacy is that he never completed a regular season as the undisputed best quarterback in the sport. Manning finished a campaign no higher than sixth in quarterback rating, and was rated among the top 10 quarterbacks just four times in 16 seasons.

He also never ranked first in the NFL in touchdowns, passing yards, passing touchdowns, completion percentage or yards per game, but led the league in interceptions in 2007, 2010 and 2013.

“It was noted several times during our straw poll interviews that Manning led the NFL in interceptions three times during his career and was 12th all-time in that category with 244 when he retired,” Raanan wrote.

Ultimately, Manning will likely still be inducted into the Hall of Fame for his postseason record, where he is one of 12 quarterbacks in NFL history to win multiple Super Bowls and one of six players to win multiple Super Bowl MVPs won.

Jim Plunkett, who won two Super Bowls and one Super Bowl MVP with the Oakland Raiders, is the only eligible quarterback with multiple championships not in the Hall of Fame.

Like Manning, if the 2025 vote doesn’t go his way, Plunkett could still end up receiving a gold jacket in a later year of eligibility. He was one of 60 players named in the second round of voting for the Class of 2025 senior category.