New York Giants legend Eli Manning a Hall of Fame semifinalist

Retired New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time since his retirement in 2019.

It’s the first year Manning is eligible and there have been calls for him to be a first-ballot Hall of Fame entrant to the most prestigious community in the NFL.

Hall of Fame voting has been underway for some months, and they’ve narrowed the field down to 17 semifinalists, including six first-time ballot players. Those six are Manning, Luke Kuechly, Terrell Suggs, Earl Thomas, Adam Vinatieri, and Marshall Yanda.

Manning, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, played for the Giants from 2004-2019, and under the tutelage of Tom Coughlin, led the team to two Super Bowl victories.

Manning completed over 60 percent of his passes for 57,023 yards, 366 touchdowns, and 244 interceptions.

By the end of next month, the Modern-Era Players category will be cut to 15 finalists. Reduction voting is still occurring in the Seniors, Coach, and Contributor categories as well.

There will be a group of 20 finalists over the four categories, and while there’s no set number of enshrinees, the Hall of Fame bylaws stipulate four to eight new members will be selected.