Eli Manning is without a doubt the greatest QB in NY Giants history. He holds almost every single important passing record, while winning two out of the four Super Bowls the organization has been able to record.
However, in the greater realm of the entire NFL, there are still some questions about whether Manning is a Hall of Famer or not. Despite these questions, there are very few doubts in our mind that Manning is not only a Hall of Famer, but a first-ballot one at that.
Manning has far too many historical moments, records and head-turning stats to not be considered a first-ballot Hall of Famer. In all honesty, the arguments for him to not be one are quite… interesting, to say the least. With that, here are three reasons why Manning should be welcome to Canton with open arms in 2025 when he’s eligible.
3. Top 10 in most NFL passing records
Take away Manning’s Pro-Bowls, Super Bowl wins/Super Bowl MVPs and you’re left with a QB who is still Top 10 in almost every passing category. In the all-time NFL rankings, Manning is ninth in passing yards, 10th in passing TDs, and ninth in passes completed. This alone gives you an argument to put him in the HOF.
While overtime, Manning will likely fall down the all-time rankings, it is still worth noting that when he retired, Manning was Top 10 in most of the important passing stats. For those of you who like to say, “well he threw too many interceptions,” here are some Hall of Fame QBs with more INTs thrown than Manning:
YA Tittle, Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Johnny Unitas, Fran Tarkenton, George Blanda and Brett Favre. We’re not saying that Manning is necessarily better than any of these QBs. However, when bringing up interceptions thrown you must look at some of the other players in the HOF who tossed more than him.
Manning has superior stats to QBs who were better than him due to a difference in era. To still be Top 10 in all of these stats is extremely impressive given how poor his teams were at times throughout his career. This is one example of why Manning should be HOF-bound.