“His career was mediocre”: NFL analyst drops eye-popping take on Eli Manning after missing first-ballot Hall of Fame

Eli Manning’s omission as a first-ballot Hall of Famer comes as no big surprise to at least one NFL analyst.

On Friday’s edition of Breakfast Ball, host Danny Parkins had a brutally honest and perhaps unpopular assessment of the former New York Giants quarterback.

Eli Manning, to me, was an unbelievable big-game quarterback, and he had 2 crazy Super Bowl runs. Everything else about his career was mediocre, according to Parkins.

Many had projected Eli and Peyton Manning would be the first brothers to be enshrined in Canton, with the latter receiving the honor in 2021. While Eli could still get the call in future years, the Manning boys won’t be making history after Sterling Sharpe was inducted on Thursday, joining brother Shannon Sharpe in the hall.

The panel believed that when you examine Eli’s regular seasons in the Meadowlands, the voting was quite justified not to name the Louisiana-born QB to the hall. Based on voting they added that it didn’t seem like he was particularly close to getting in this year.

Eli Manning, who played his entire 16-year NFL career with the Giants, has had his number retired by the franchise and was also inducted into the club’s Ring of Honor.

Why will Eli Manning make the Hall of Fame?

While the Hall of Fame wasn’t to be for Eli in 2025, there’s a good chance he’ll get his statue enshrined in Canton sooner rather than later.

The primary reason the former first overall draft pick out of Ole Miss gets in, according to the team at Breakfast Ball, is what he accomplished in the post-season. The younger Manning was a part of perhaps the biggest upset in Super Bowl history when his Giants stunned the undefeated New England Patriots in the big game back in 2008. Eli proved it was no fluke four seasons later, leading the Giants to another Super Bowl triumph over Tom Brady and the Patriots in 2012.

For his part, Eli was the Super Bowl MVP in both of those victories, while he also made the Pro Bowl four times. The Walter Peyton Man of the Year winner in 2016 also holds the NFL record for the longest pass play in league history, finding Victor Cruz for a 99-yard score on Christmas Eve 2011 in a 29-14 victory over the New York Jets.

Eli Manning co-hosts the Manningcast with brother Peyton, an alternative show during Monday Night Football.