New York Giants – Eli Manning
Honorable mentions: Phil Simms
There’s a ton of debate about what to do with Eli Manning during the twilight part of his career. The New York Giants have struggled in the win column, with just one winning season since 2012. With top-10 NFL Draft pick Daniel Jones joining the franchise this past spring, the odds are good that we’re seeing the last days of him as a starter.
But even if the ending isn’t a happy one, there’s still no taking away from what Manning has done in New York since 2004. He’s thrown for over 56,000 yards and 361 touchdowns, while never missing a game due to injury throughout his entire career (he was benched for a game in 2017 for seemingly no reason).
And although he’s a bit wild with the ball at times (he led the league in interceptions three different times), the former No. 1 overall draft pick still was a four-time Pro Bowler who at his high point was one of the top passers in the game.
Ultimately though, Manning’s career and legacy will come down to a pair of postseason runs in both 2007 and 2011. Starting in the NFC Wild Card game, Manning was just about flawless, winning four straight games to win the Super Bowl both times.
Each title win came against the juggernaut New England Patriots, including ending their perfect season in the title bout at the end of the 2007 season. Without the younger Manning brother, Brady would have eight Super Bowls by now.
There are debates about whether Manning is Hall of Fame-worthy at this point, with those two postseason runs being the biggest argument for him. But I think his durability and overall statistics will give him a slight nod to get that gold jacket in the end. But one thing’s for sure – he’s by far the best Giant to ever throw the ball.