Eli Manning was in the news earlier in February when his Hall of Fame snub gave way to major debate. NFL legend and former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is among those who weighed in on the decision.
The two-time Super Bowl MVP didn’t receive enough votes to make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first try, despite taking down Tom Brady twice on the sport’s biggest stage.
Drew Brees Was Surprised Eli Manning Didn’t Make Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2025 class was announced at the NFL Honors in New Orleans. It included Antonio Gates, Jared Allen, Sterling Sharpe, and Eric Allen, leaving Manning on the outside looking in.
The results surprised Brees, who will be eligible for Canton next year.
“There are so many great players on that list that didn’t make it,” Brees told RG. “I was surprised there were only four guys. It feels like over the years it’s been at least five or six. When I look at that list, there are so many guys that deserve to be Hall of Famers. I think it’s only a matter of time before all these guys are [inducted].”
He acknowledged that many deserving players missed out, but he believes Manning’s time will come.
“I think all those guys will get it at some point.”
Brees also made sure to shout out his former Chargers teammate, Antonio Gates.
“Antonio Gates, I think about as a former teammate, if there was a first-ballot guy, I would have thought it was him, and he didn’t get in last year,” Brees said. “He leads every category for tight ends in history.
“ I’m so happy for him, I’m so excited for him. I remember when he first came to the league. He comes into the league as a tight end, but hadn’t played in four years, put his hand in the dirt, like, this was foreign to him, right? But you just felt like this guy’s got something.”
Manning, meanwhile, is taking the setback in stride. The New York Giants legend addressed his omission on “Good Morning Football.
“I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be my night, and I understand that,” Manning said. “I’m totally at peace. It’s not gonna change my outlook on my career.”
Eli Manning on HOF "snub" to @JamieErdahl on @gmfb OT: "I had a feeling it wasn't going to be my night, and I understand that. I'm totally at peace. It's not gonna change my outlook on my career and how I feel about it."
— Jeremy Bergman (@JABergman) February 7, 2025
The quarterback remains one of the most debated Hall of Fame candidates due to his mixed regular-season résumé—he was never an All-Pro, made only four Pro Bowls, and finished with a 117-117 career record. However, no one can deny his postseason heroics and two Super Bowl MVPs. He wished the best to all four legends who were inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“I’m excited for those guys that got in. All of them were so deserving … and (I’m) happy for them. I texted a few of them, the guys that I knew,” Manning said.
According to The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov, Manning wasn’t even close to induction this year, with voters favoring Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri as stronger first-ballot candidates.
2-time Super Bowl champion @EliManning talks @saquon's rookie season and Coach Spags in the big game 🤩 pic.twitter.com/bjQScQLpXg
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) February 7, 2025
Manning may have to wait, but his enshrinement remains possible. During the same interview, Brees also opened up about the state of his former team and whether they should enter a rebuild.
Brees Weighs In On the State of the Saints
The Saints haven’t reached the playoffs since Brees retired in 2020. They finished with an abysmal 5-12 overall record in 2024 and fired their head coach Dennis Allen in the middle of the season.
The Saints recently hired Kellen Moore as their head coach, and with the change in leadership, some shuffling is guaranteed on the field, too. However, Brees isn’t entirely supportive of a rebuild.
He blamed the Saints’ dismal 5-12 record on the injuries and said it derailed their momentum after starting the season strong. The Saints finished 22nd in PFN’s Offense+ metric in 2024, despite the missed time.
“[They are] not rebuilding or anything. I think we have good pieces in place on both sides of the ball to take the next step and really be a contender,” Brees said. “I think we showed what we could be like last year, especially those first few games where we were totally healthy.
“Unfortunately, after that, we were decimated due to injury and were not a healthy team. It was just hard to recover. Once you’ve lost all of your playmakers on offense.”
The Saints started their season with back-to-back landslide victories against the Carolina Panthers and the Dallas Cowboys before injuries took them off the tracks.
They were without key contributors including Erik McCoy, Chris Olave, Taysom Hill, and Derek Carr several times through the season.
Injuries certainly impacted the Saints’ 2024 season, which is further evidenced by the fact that they won five of the 10 games when Carr played and lost every other game.