Former Giants Star Lawrence Taylor Weighs in on Eli Manning’s Hall of Fame Future

Eli Manning has retired from the NFL and there has been a debate about him being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Manning has played well in the playoffs, but his career numbers have a few questioning his worthiness of reaching Canton, Ohio. Giants legend Lawrence Taylor shared his thoughts on Manning while he was in Miami for Super Bowl LIV and he’s all about him being a Hall of Famer.

“He’s won two Super Bowls,” the linebacker said on Radio Row per the New York Post. “He may not be a first-ballot. But is he a Hall of Famer? Of course. Played too many games.

“He’s done too many good things. He’s been the best of the Giants for too many years. He will get into the Hall of Fame. And if he goes in the first ballot? I’d be surprised, but he will get there if he doesn’t go in the first (time).”

Manning finished his career with 57,023 passing yards, 366 touchdowns, 244 interceptions and a 84.1 passer rating — not very strong numbers compared to Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers, but he led the Giants to two Super Bowl victories and he’s one of five players in NFL history to win Super Bowl MVP multiple times.

“I hope that I’ve represented the organization in the way that you wanted me to from my first day to my last,” Manning said during his retirement press conference. “For most of my life, people have called me Easy. Believe me, there is nothing easy about today. Wellington Mara always said, ‘Once a Giant, always a Giant.’ For me, it’s only a Giant.”

Another supporter of Manning getting into the Hall of Fame is his brother Peyton. Even though Peyton might be biased in the debate, he doesn’t think it’s a debate at all.

“To me, it’s the time to look back and reflect,” Peyton said. “Everybody else wants to look ahead and have this debate — and I understand it’s just the world we live in, but I know Eli doesn’t think like that, and I don’t think like that either. I certainly have my strong feelings and opinions on it, that when you’re the Super Bowl MVP twice against the greatest dynasty of all time — the New England Patriots [with] Tom Brady and Bill Belichick — and you join a list that includes Terry Bradshaw, Bart Starr, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Eli Manning as the only [two-time] Super Bowl MVPs, that kind of — I don’t really know what that term ‘Drop the mic’ is, but I guess if there was one, if I had a mic … there really is no ‘Yeah, but’ after that.”