Former Giants DE Justin Tuck Advocated for QB Eli Manning's Hall of Fame Candidacy

The debate over whether the two-time Super Bowl-winning QB should make it to Canton is one that one of his former teammates thinks should be put to rest.

Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Former New York Giants legend Eli Manning before a game between the New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images

As former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning continues to inch closer to etching his name in football immortality in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the pushback surrounding his candidacy is something he just can’t shake off. 

Manning, the two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback and Super Bowl MVP for the Giants from 2004 to 2019 achieved the next step in his quest for a gold jacket and bust in Canton, Ohio, last month when he was named as one of the 50 modern-era players and eight first-year eligible players to advance to the next round of selection for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025. 

The legendary gunslinger has made it this far in his first year on the ballot and is one of two modern-era quarterbacks left for consideration, along with former Titans great Steve McNair. He is also one of two former Giants players still in the mix with former running back Tiki Barber, whose candidacy fell just short last year. 

From his last name to his professional resume, Manning seems destined to join his older brother, Peyton, in the hall of football greatness. However, some critics have pointed to some of his more dismal numbers, such as his .500 winning percentage, lack of MVP, and All-Pro honors, among a few, to make the case against his first-ballot entry. 

The conversation seems ridiculous when one considers the bevy of other stats that jump out of the page from Manning’s resume. Those are the ones that his former teammate and Giants defensive end Justin Tuck, during an appearance on The Pivot podcast, believes should really be in focus when discussing his legacy. 

“Yes, he is a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” Tuck said. “Outside of the stats, which I believe the stats back up that notion, if you think about his longevity, his yards, his touchdowns, his Super Bowls and Super Bowl MVPs, I think that alone says put him in, and it answers the question.”

Manning’s catalog of statistical feats has it all and was built upon his durability and sharp throwing at some of the most critical moments in his career. He finished his tenure in New York with a 60.3% completion percentage for 57,023 passing yards, 366 touchdowns, and 244 interceptions, the former holding him in the NFL’s top 10 until Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford nudged him down to 11th earlier this season. 

Beyond the most tangible stats, Manning was considered a history-making arm who is still talked about in Giants lore. He is tied for the league record for the longest touchdown pass, 99 yards, and was the author of two of the greatest catches in Super Bowl history, one of which put the icing on the sole loss of a nearly undefeated New England Patriots team in Super Bowl 42. 

Manning also had many unforgettable performances in the waning moments of the fourth quarter, when he seemed to just turn it on and become surgical as a passer. He ranks 16th in fourth-quarter comebacks overall, with 27, and 10 of them came in the years he took home the Lombardi Trophy. 

It wasn’t always easy. For his 16-year career, Manning had to endure the toughest sports environment in the country, which praised him when he was elite and criticized him to the point of wanting to bench him. This did happen once and ended his streak of 210 consecutive games as a starter when the Giants were woeful in all but seven of his seasons.

Yet, it all comes together for a career that wasn’t top of all time but deserves to be recognized for more than just the obvious numbers amassed on the gridiron, and that is the message supporters of the quarterback will press until his nomination. 

“I don’t think people take into consideration how hard it is to live in Peyton Manning’s shadow and then come out and build your own name in the biggest and broadest market there is in the world,” Tuck said.

“Also, the things around his leadership. He wasn’t a loud leader, but when you think about him, showing up and being at that facility day in and day out. Maybe the first person in and the last person to leave every day for 16-17 years…just the model of consistency, I think, adds to that list.”

When it’s all said and done, there is a chance Manning might not make it on the first ballot, but he will get there for accomplishing some of the most notable victories and crafting some of the biggest upsets in sports. 

He was a pros pro who never wore out in his faith in the Giants organization, even when they tested it, and his commitment to reliability is tough to come by in the modern-day NFL.

Sure, the number of trophies in the case is an important factor that defined the greatest quarterbacks he aspires to join in the halls of Canton next summer, but Manning showed that greatness can come in many different forms of expression, which he displayed on and off the field with his demeanor and charitable work for even the smallest, most wide-eyed Giants fans who looked up to him. 

For some reason, one could always feel comfortable with Manning in the Giants' huddle and knew there was potential for something great to happen with the ball in his hands. They could believe in the best possible outcome, and now the current organization is striving to get back to that feeling at a time when the quarterback position is up in the air and hasn’t met the same level of play. 

The hope is that they can find it soon, but seeing that they have had it for nearly two decades speaks to the importance of the draft selection they made back in April 2004 and how it changed the timeline of their franchise. Few teammates know better than Tuck and that Manning deserved to cap it off with a gold jacket in front of the entire Giants faithful.

“I got to see that dude work every day for almost 11 years, and so I don’t even understand why it’s a question,” Tuck said.

“Outside of the fact that a lot of people try to compare him to his brother, and Peyton was unworldly, I think Eli is a tier right below him…what he did for us as long as he did it in this city to win those Super Bowls and in the fashion, he helped us win. I don’t understand why it’s even a question.”

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