Feb. 16, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET

Retired New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning was denied entry to the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the second consecutive year. He was one of 15 modern-era finalists again, but failed to gain enough votes for entry.

One has to wonder when — or even if — Manning will ever get into the Hall. There is a lot of bias among the voting populace, enough to form a wall of resistance against him.

New England people hate him. He beat the great Tom Brady twice in the Super Bowl. They don’t give him any credit. They chalk it up to luck. Manning was named MVP in both games. Right now, Eli is the only two-time Super Bowl MVP eligible for the Hall of Fame who has yet to gain entry.

Philadelphia residents aren’t fans, either. Eli had two Super Bowls in his back pocket before they even had one as a franchise. He beat them in many a key spot as well. They have no respect for him.

Dallas fans and pundits don’t care much for Eli, either. He beat them in the 2007 NFC Playoffs in Dallas, a huge upset to end a season that perhaps was the Cowboys’ best chance to reach the Super Bowl over the last 30 years. Manning also beat the Cowboys in the inaugural game at AT&T Stadium, ruining Jerry Jones’ party again, and then signed his name on the wall in the locker room to commemorate the moment.

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The facts are that Manning ended his career as a .500 quarterback (117-117), and many see him as the NFL’s top nepo baby. He will always be Archie’s son, Peyton’s brother, and soon, Arch’s uncle to most football fans.

Eli has been omnipresent on television since his retirement in 2020. That has both helped and hurt him. He still has multiple lucrative endorsements, his ESPN Monday Night Football show with Peyton, and his own show on YouTube and Giants.com.

He is on TV more than any ex-player, except maybe for Peyton. He is still relevant, and voters tend to want to show how smart they are and end up bypassing the obviously deserving candidates for lesser-heralded ones.

Getting down to brass tacks, Manning was very good many times when he needed to be. He was also underwhelming far too often, but who wasn’t? He was always available for the Giants, an ironman, and was the model citizen every team wishes they had.

Manning’s best chance to get into the Hall may have just been missed. The iron has been burning hot for him in his first two years of eligibility, and he still failed to get in. The next few years could bring more of the same for the man who played the most games in the 101-year history of the New York Giants.

The Class of 2027 contains several strong first-year eligibles such as Ben Roethlisberger, Rob Gronkowski, and Adrian Peterson. Then, other modern-era finalists failed to get in this year, in Marshall Tanda, Terrell Suggs, Willie Anderson, Torry Holt, Frank Gore, Darren Woodson, and Reggie Wayne, who will draw votes away from Eli.

2028 brings another challenge. Brady is a cinch, and J.J. Watt, Matt Ryan, and A.J. Green will be the first-timers seeking induction. Add those to the leftovers from 2027, and the voters will have plenty of other options to choose from other than Eli.