Bill Belichick isn’t the only person who might feel snubbed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame this week.
Former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning won’t be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026, The Athletic reported Wednesday. This was Manning’s second year on the ballot, advancing as a finalist in both seasons.
Manning, 45, led the Giants to two Super Bowl titles during his 16-year NFL career. He won Super Bowl MVP honors in both wins, which were each against the New England Patriots. In his first Super Bowl win, Manning led the Giants to a 17-14 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, which prevented New England from having the first 19-0 season in NFL history.
Manning’s second Super Bowl performance was his stronger championship outing, though. He threw for 296 yards and a touchdown in the Giants’ Super Bowl XLVI win over the Patriots, leading New York to another fourth-quarter comeback victory in a Super Bowl.
While Manning quarterbacked two of the most memorable wins in NFL history, his status as a potential Hall of Famer has been one of the most debated among candidates up for induction in recent memory. Beyond Manning’s two Super Bowl titles, his individual accolades weren’t as strong as some of his contemporaries. He was named a Pro Bowler four times, but was never named an All-Pro or led the league in stats like passing yards, passing touchdowns or passer rating.
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Manning was one of the 15 modern-era players who advanced to the final round of voting in December. During deliberations, the 50 voters narrowed down the 15 modern-era finalists down to seven. The voters then picked up to five players from that group to be enshrined into the Hall of Fame, with players needing to receive at least 80% of the vote for induction, as Hall of Fame voter and FOX Sports analyst Eric D. Williams explained.
Belichick and Manning’s Hall of Fame candidacy were determined in separate votes. Belichick, Patriots owner Robert Kraft and the three finalists who were advanced by the senior subcommittee (Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood) were separated from the modern-era candidates in the vote. The 50 voters were tasked to vote for no more than three players from that group for enshrinement as part of the Class of 2026, with each person needing at least 80% of the vote in order to be inducted.
The 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class will be unveiled during the NFL Honors on Thursday, Feb. 3.
