Hall of Fame chances for the 20 best NFL quarterbacks entering 2019
By Brad Weiss
Eli Manning
- New York Giants (2004-present)
Heading into the 2004 NFL Draft, the word around the Eli Manning camp was that he would not play for the then-San Diego Chargers, who held the rights to the No. 1 overall pick.
When it came time for San Diego to pick, they selected the Ole Miss quarterback, but traded his draft rights to the New York Giants for North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers and two other draft picks.
Since being traded to the Big Apple, Manning has become the best quarterback the big city has ever seen, and that includes the legendary Joe Namath for the New York Jets. Manning has led the Giants to two Super Bowl titles, winning the game’s Most Valuable Player award both times, while displaying incredible toughness under center.
In fact, Manning is one of the more durable players to ever play the game, as he has not missed a start due to injury in his career. He was benched in favor of Geno Smith during the 2017 season for a game, but outside of that move, he has started ever game for the Giants since taking over for Kurt Warner during his rookie season.
Overall, Manning has the resume to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Being that he is NFL royalty, you could definitely see him getting in on the first ballot. He has thrown for over 55,000 yards, 360 touchdowns and when you think of everything he has accomplished under the bright lights of New York City, he has been very impressive over the last 16 NFL seasons.