New York Giants legend Eli Manning was handed over for the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame in his first 12 months of eligibility and now feels additional away from immortalization than he was simply 24 hours in the past.
Not solely was Manning snubbed, however he didn’t crack the highest 10 in voting.
Per @daringantt (https://t.co/1AVVyjinlc), Eli Manning didn’t make the minimize when the category of finalists was minimize from 15 to 10. https://t.co/jsZm7cfo5W
— Giants Movies (@SNYGiants) February 7, 2025
Nevertheless preposterous which will appear, it’s a tragic indictment of what might be to return. Manning doubtless stood a greater probability at enshrinement in 2025 than he’ll have over the subsequent a number of years.
Manning was the one quarterback among the many 2025 finalists and can now face a flurry of incoming QB expertise, together with Drew Brees and Philip Rivers in 2026, Ben Roethlisberger and Cam Newton in 2027, and Tom Brady and Matt Ryan in 2028.
Aaron Rodgers will even be a shoo-in Corridor of Famer 5 years after his retirement.
The logjam will solely worsen as different all-time greats come up for enshrinement. Exterior of the quarterback place, we’ll see Adrian Peterson, Frank Gore, Larry Fitzgerald, Jason Witten, J.J. Watt, and Aaron Donald turn out to be eligible over the subsequent a number of years.
This doesn’t bode effectively for Manning or his candidacy if voters didn’t even view him as high 10 in a weaker class.
And it’s not a Michael Strahan state of affairs the place he’s snubbed in 12 months 1 and enshrined in 12 months 2. Manning is now trying down the street at a protracted wait — probably 5 to 6 years earlier than he’s thought of the highest eligible quarterback.
The irony is that Manning carved out his Corridor of Fame profession by besting the likes of Rodgers, Ryan, and Brady within the largest video games. He has extra Tremendous Bowl victories and Tremendous Bowl MVPs than any of the opposite upcoming candidates, and has had larger postseason success than any of them not named Brady.
However it doesn’t seem like Manning will get the Troy Aikman remedy. The bar has been raised for him, and he now faces extra scrutiny and competitors than some other Corridor of Fame quarterback who has come earlier than him.
It might take time, however Manning will finally topple that big, too. And in the long run, he’ll discover his rightful place in Canton.
