Eli Manning is just the start of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s debate in 2025

On January 2, 2025By Littum

Is Eli Manning a Hall of Famer?

Perhaps. Maybe not. But despite earning zero All-Pro selections to go with the two upset Super Bowl triumphs against the so-called Evil Empire led by Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, the former New York Giants quarterback is a finalist in his first year of eligibility.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame unveiled the list of 15 modern-era finalists over the weekend, with Manning’s presence likely fueling the most intense debate facing the 49 voters who will decide the 2025 class in January.

Full-disclosure: As a member of the selection committee, this is not an attempt to sway fellow voters. Looking forward to joining the passionate discussion.

But oh, brother.

Another question: Is Darren Woodson a Hall of Famer? The former safety won three Super Bowls during the 1990s with the Dallas Cowboys and earned four first-team All-Pro selections. He is the franchise’s all-time leading tackler. And Woodson is in his 17th^th eligibility, putting him as close to entering the deep senior pool that happens when former players don’t get in after 20 years as a modern contender.

See, it can be so difficult. Rodney Harrison won two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, is one of two players in NFL history with 30 interceptions and 30 sacks. He was a finalist the past three years. But he didn’t make the final 15 this time.

Earl Thomas won one Super Bowl, appeared in another with the Seattle Seahawks and, like Luke Kuechly, was a first-team All-Decade selection, earning seven Pro Bowl bids and seven All-Pro selections. Still, Thomas did not advance as a finalist. Kuechly did. Hmmm. Kuechly’s advancement should set the table one day for fellow All-Decade linebacker Bobby Wagner, who is still playing. We’ll see.

Also missing the cut from the list of 25 semifinalists: Richmond Webb, an All-Decade left tackle who protected Dan Marino’s blind side; James Harrison, two-time Super Bowl champion and former NFL Defensive Player of the Year; Hines Ward, again, for the ninth year in a row, as the latest version of a wide receiver logjam is much tougher than beating press coverage.

Of course, highlighting omissions does not diminish the dignity of the finalists. Still, it underscores how competitive the process is to settle on many of the Hall of Fame slots.

The ultimate prize, as the legendary Deacon Jones once explained, is that getting drafted in Canton is making the team you can never be cut from. Still, surviving the gauntlet to get bronze busts can be so challenging for some undeniably worthy contenders.

The new slate once again includes former wideouts Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne returning as six-time finalists, while former defensive end Jared Allen returns as a five-time finalist with 136 sacks. Willie Anderson, the former right tackle, is a fourth-time finalist. Jahri Evans and Eric Allen are second-time finalists, but here’s a twist: Evans, a highly regarded former guard, is in his third year of eligibility. Meanwhile, Eric Allen, a former cornerback whose 54 interceptions rank 21st^St of all time, is in his 19^th eligibility year. The clock is ticking.

Antonio Gates is also back for a second time as a finalist. With his 116 career receiving touchdowns being the most of any tight end in history, it’s fair to wonder why the former Charger wasn’t a first-round pick last year. I would suspect that the PED suspension (four games, 2015) hurt Gates, although a similar mistake didn’t prevent Julius Peppers from making the first ballot. It can be confusing to understand.

Perhaps it is simply a numbers game. And timing. I mean, Michael Strahan wasn’t drafted until his second year of eligibility, while Brian Urlacher was a first round pick.

One pattern keeps returning: News bias. Of the 15 finalists, five are first-ballot candidates: Manning, Kuechly, Terrell Suggs, Adam Vinatieri and Marshal Yanda. Not to say that some (or most) aren’t worthy, but what’s the rush?

Then again, if I’m a candidate, there’s a rush because the influx of new candidates next year and the year after will bring another round of recent bias.

The moral: If Hall induction doesn’t happen quickly for a given candidate, good luck. There are only so many slots (or so few) each year. Yes, it is supposed to be difficult to enter. It’s not the Hall of the Very Good. But it can still be so subjective.

Great stats, Pro Bowl selections and All-Decade status certainly boost the cases of any candidate. But when there are several other contenders with similar achievement symbols, it can be a wash – or at least much harder to separate the best from the all-time greats.

This is my 27th^th year as a chooser. It has been a huge honor, taken so seriously. When I was invited by the House to join the committee, I thought it would be easy.

Not quite. And not only because of the campaign legacy with the process.

Of course, it has been easy to cast votes in some of the inconsequential choices. I’ll never forget the “discussion” of a candidate when Ira Miller, the selectman who presented the case, rose and announced to the room, “Ladies and gentlemen, I present Joe Montana.”

Then Ira sat down. That was the discussion.

Other candidates with similar short presentations: Bruce Smith. Jerry Rice. Dan Marino. Emmitt Smith. Deion Sanders. Ronnie Lott.

Still, most of the candidates are scrutinized with deep discussion—and sometimes intense debate—during our marathon selection meeting before the Super Bowl week unveiling of the new class. As great as Lawrence Taylor was, for example, his Hall of Fame call didn’t come without some serious back and forth.

There is sure to be a heated discussion with Manning. He comes from football royalty and killed the Patriots twice in the big game, but it is a team game and individual glory. Too bad Manning gamed the NFL draft system to avoid the Chargers and land in the Big Apple. It is not a factor that Hall considers. That he was never one of the league’s best quarterbacks is a factor, though.

If Manning is a Hall of Famer, what about Jim Plunkett?

Plunkett—ironically, the No. 1 overall pick in 1971, one spot ahead of Eli’s father, Archie—also won two Super Bowls with the Raiders.

But recency bias or not, Plunkett has never been discussed in the room as a finalist. Chances are, however, that he will be mentioned in the context of the Manning case.

Let the debate continue.