Eli Manning is just beginning the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame debate

Is Eli Manning a Hall of Famer?

Perhaps. Maybe not. But although the former New York Giants quarterback did not receive an All-Pro selection after the two surprising Super Bowl victories against the so-called Evil Empire led by Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, he 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 to fuel the most intense debate that awaits the 49 voters who will determine the Class of 2025 in January.

Full disclosure: As a member of the selection committee, this is not an attempt to influence fellow voters. I look forward to the passionate discussion.

But oh, brother.

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Another question: Is Darren Woodson a Hall of Famer? The former safety won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s and was a first-team All-Pro selection four times. He is the franchise’s all-time leading tackler. And Woodson is in his 17th year^Th year of eligibility, which puts him so close to entering the deep senior pool, which is what happens when former players don’t get in after 20 years as a modern-era prospect.

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

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 selections and seven All-Pro selections. But Thomas didn’t make it to the final. Kuechly did. Hmmm. Kuechly’s push would one day lay the foundation for fellow All-Decade linebacker Bobby Wagner, who is still playing. We’ll see.

Also left off 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 straight time as the latest version of a wide receiver shutdown is much harder than beating press coverage.

Of course, highlighting omissions does not diminish the worthiness of the finalists. Still, it underscores how competitive the process is for placement in many of the Hall of Fame slots.

The ultimate prize, as the legendary Deacon Jones once explained, is that enshrinement in Canton creates a team from which you can never be cut. Still, for some undeniably worthy candidates, surviving the bronze medal battle can be a tall order.

The new roster once again includes former wideouts Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne, who return as six-time finalists, while former defensive lineman Jared Allen returns as a five-time finalist with 136 career sacks. Former right tackle Willie Anderson is a finalist for the fourth time. Jahri Evans and Eric Allen are finalists for the second time, but there’s a twist: Evans, a respected former guard, is in his third year of competing. Meanwhile, Eric Allen, a former cornerback whose 54 interceptions rank 21st^st of all time, is in his 19th birthday^Th Year of eligibility. The clock is ticking.

Antonio Gates is also back, as a finalist for the second time. Since he scored 116 career touchdowns, the most of any tight end in history, it’s fair to wonder why the former Charger wasn’t selected in the first round last year. I would guess that the PED suspension (four games, 2015) hurt Gates, although a similar blemish didn’t stop Julius Peppers from being a first-round pick. It can be difficult to understand this.

Maybe it’s just a numbers game. And timing. I mean, Michael Strahan was only selected in the second round, while Brian Urlacher was selected in the first round.

A pattern appears again and again: the recency bias. Of the 15 finalists, five are first-ballot candidates: Manning, Kuechly, Terrell Suggs, Adam Vinatieri and Marshal Yanda. I’m not saying some (or most) aren’t worth it, but what’s the rush?

On the other hand, if I am a candidate, there is a rush because the influx of new candidates next year and the year after that will bring another round of recency bias.

The moral: If Hall induction doesn’t happen quickly on a particular candidate, good luck. There are only a limited number (or so few) slots each year. Yes, it might be difficult to get in. It’s not the Hall of the All Good. But it can still be so subjective.

Great stats, Pro Bowl selections and All-Decade status certainly boost any candidate’s chances. But when there are several other candidates with similar symbols of success, it can be difficult – or at least much harder – to distinguish the best from the greatest of all time.

This is my 27th^Th year as a selector. It was a tremendous honor to be taken so seriously. When I was invited by the Hall to join the committee, I thought it would be easy.

Not quite. And not just because of the election campaign that accompanies the trial.

Sure, it was easy to vote for some of the straightforward tips. I will never forget the “discussion” about a candidate when Ira Miller, the selectman presenting the case, stood and announced to the room, “Ladies and gentlemen, I present Joe Montana.”

Then Ira sat down. That was the discussion.

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

Still, most candidates are vetted in extensive discussions – and sometimes intense debates – during our marathon selection meeting before the new class is unveiled on Super Bowl week. For example, as great as Lawrence Taylor was, his induction into the Hall of Fame didn’t come without some serious back and forth.

There’s bound to be a heated discussion with Manning. He comes from the pinnacle of football and has beaten the Patriots twice in the big game, but it is a team game and an individual honor. It doesn’t matter that Manning took advantage of the NFL’s draft system to avoid the Chargers and land in the Big Apple. That’s not a factor for Hall. However, the fact that he was never one of the best quarterbacks in the league is actually a factor.

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

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

Recency bias or not, Plunkett was never discussed in the room as a finalist. However, there is a possibility that he will be mentioned in connection with the Manning case.

Let the debate continue.

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Eli Manning is just beginning the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame debate

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