Eli Manning Gave a Humble Response to Missing Hall of Fame for Second Year

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 inductees were announced on Thursday night, and Eli Manning was notably one of the players not chosen for selection this year. This is the second year in a row in which he missed out on making the Hall of Fame despite being a finalist.
Manning doesn’t seem upset about the voting results, though. He spoke with Front Office Sports this week and gave quite the humble response about him being omitted from making the Hall of Fame again.
“For me, it’s an honor to be included in that mix of people, some of the greatest athletes and football players of all time,” Manning said. “The fact that I didn’t get in this year does not change how I feel about my career. I love my teammates, my coaches, the fanbase in New York, winning those championships. I wouldn’t change a thing if it meant getting in sooner or getting in one day. I’m at peace in it, and if one day I get in, it’ll be amazing to join that fraternity. But, it’s one of those things that I’m not sitting up losing sleep about it.”
2-Time Super Bowl winning QB @EliManning opens up about missing the Hall of Fame for the second straight year. pic.twitter.com/LgWWiJDhMA
— Front Office Sports News (@FOS_News_) February 8, 2026
Manning is expected to be included in the modern-era list of potential inductees again next year, so we’ll see if he finally makes the Hall of Fame, or if he’ll have to keep waiting. Of course, there's no guarantee the two-time Super Bowl champion with the Giants will make it at all.
This year’s Hall of Fame voting made many controversial headlines, specifically after Bill Belichick was not selected on his first ballot to join the ranks in Canton. It’s possible the Hall of Fame voting process will be changed moving forward as the committee is set to mull over some adjustments before next year’s induction.
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Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.
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