As a Giants fan in my youth I Consistently get asked on the Hall of Fame candidacy of Eli Manning… Four people most responsible for turning the NFL into the business behemoth it is today: Tom Brady. Peyton Manning. Eli Manning. Roger Goodell. Growth of the league. NFL revenue
2000: ~$4 billion
2025: ~$23 billion ~ 475% increase For perspective: Walmart revenue
2000: ~$165 billion
2025: ~$680 billion
~ 312% increase NFL became an absolute economic monster during the Brady-Manning era, and Eli was at the center of two of the most important Super Bowls in league history. If you want to argue strictly from regular-season that Eli isn't a Hall of Famer, fine. All-Decade Team: No
Pro Bowls: 4
All-Pro: 0 Not a traditional Hall of Fame résumé. One of only six players in NFL history to win multiple Super Bowl MVP awards. The company he keeps on that list tells you everything about the magnitude of what he accomplished. And ultimately, the Hall of Fame argument doesn't matter much to me. On the Mount Rushmore of modern New York athletes. In the post-integration era, my three are Eli Manning, Jeter and Messier. The 4th is open for debate. Eli is more revered by Giants fans than Lawrence Taylor. LT was arguably the greatest defensive football player who ever lived. But Eli became the face of the franchise for 16 years, represented New York with class, never created drama, never missed a start because of injury, and twice delivered championships by beating the defining dynasty of his generation. Stopped the Patriots from completing the first 19-0 season in NFL history. You cannot tell the history of the NFL without Eli Manning. I'll take immortalized in New York—the biggest Global market—over recognition by self-aggrandizing gatekeepers of the Hall of Fame.