Eli Manning has two Super Bowl MVP awards in his trophy case, among with some other accolades, but that may not be enough to get him into the Hall of Fame.
The former Giants quarterback played 16 seasons in New York from 2004 to 2019. He led his team to the Super Bowl in the 2008 and 2011 seasons and was the face of the franchise during his tenure there.
However, at least one NFL insider doesn’t think Eli is a Hall of Famer.
Jason LaCanfora of the Audacy Original Podcast “In The Huddle” explained why he thinks Eli Manning is not a Hall of Famer.
“Eli Manning’s not a Hall of Famer for me,” La Canfora said (6:39 in player above). “Maybe my standard’s too high, but with the way this game has changed, the rules, and everything else the last 15 years.”
Quarterback play has gotten better and better over the years with the game as a whole turning into more of a passing league. That’s resulted in quarterbacks putting up more and more yards and touchdowns.
“I just think there are too many seasons where like you can’t go around leading the league in interceptions multiple times and be a Hall of Famer, for me,” La Canfora explained. “I think if he played in a different market it wouldn’t be as much of a conversation. If his last name was different it wouldn’t be as much of a conversation.”
La Canfora acknowledged Eli’s two Super Bowls, but pointed out that there were a lot of seasons in which he looked like an average quarterback at best.
“He’s someone who, in my estimation, … held on a little too long and wanted that job back from Geno Smith a little too much,” La Canfora continued. “Then he went from like a two-to-three year period where you’re like ‘This guy’s really no good,’ to a five or six year period where you’re like ‘This guy’s really not any good.’”
Eli Manning announced his retirement on January 22, 2020. His jersey was retired and he was inducted into the Giants' Ring of Honor in 2021. He will be first eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2025 and there will certainly be plenty of debates up until then.
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