Super Bowl 2026: New York Giants Great Eli Manning Gets Blunt On Pro Football Hall Of Fame Snub, Gives Final Prediction For Big Game

New York Giants great Eli Manning said it doesn’t bother them that he missed the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the second consecutive year. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

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If you think Eli Manning is peeved about missing the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the second consecutive season, you should probably think twice.

The two-time Super Bowl champion and two-time Super Bowl MVP missed the cut for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with reports indicating that the New York Giants great wasn’t even close to making it.

Things won’t get any easier next year as Manning’s fellow 2004 draft selection Ben Roethlisberger and Adrian Peterson become eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Despite the snub, the 45-year-old Manning isn’t bothered by it.

“I really don’t, I don’t think about it,” said Manning in a one-on-one interview. “When I think about my time with the Giants, it’s all positive stuff and it’s about friendships and relationships with players and coaches and ownership and winning championships and the fans and what it meant for me. It was unbelievable and I cherish those memories and those moments and the friendships that I still have with those guys.

“If I never get in the Hall of Fame, it’s not going to change anything,” Manning continued to say. “I’m not gonna be bitter or mad or upset, and if I do get in, it would just be an unbelievable honor to be associated with some of the great athletes and football players ever. But it’s not going to change my outlook or my approach to how I feel about the game of football.”

While Manning doesn’t have the statistical accomplishments or records that others from his generation have, such as Drew Brees, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year, he still ranks in top 11 in passing touchdowns and yards for his career.

Furthermore, Manning started for 16 seasons with the Giants and has the third-longest streak for consecutive games started by a quarterback in NFL history. The four-time Pro Bowler never missed a start due to injury.

Manning will be paying close tabs to Super Bowl LX, which will see the team he beat twice in the big game, the New England Patriots, take on the Seattle Seahawks. Manning predicts that the Seahawks will defeat the Patriots, citing their playmakers on the offensive side of the ball such as Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Njigba won Offensive Player of the Year after posting 119 catches for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns.

“I think both defenses are really good and playing really well and and so with that, I think it’ll be low scoring,” said Manning of Super Bowl LX. “Both quarterbacks have the ability to rise to the occasion. I think you’ll see some scoring before halftime, a two-minute drive and get a score. You’ll see some scoring to answer the bell, you go down 10, one team does, the other team will come down and score.

“The fourth quarter, we’ll see some scoring back and forth a little bit,” Manning continued to say. “But I think Seattle they’re just so good on both sides of the ball, just playmakers. They run the ball, they play great defense. They hit the play action, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a game changer, so I think they’ll end up winning this game.”

Eli Manning Talks About King’s Hawaiian Partnership And Ultra-Soft Merch Line

Manning is once again partnering with King’s Hawaiian leading into Super Bowl LX, this time for their limited-edition, ultra-soft merch line. The merch line is obviously inspired by the fact that King’s Hawaiian is known for their soft rolls.

“Everybody kind of knows that that fan who comes through the tailgate goes to the big game,” said Manning. “Maybe they’re not most interested in the competition of the game, but they’re really more interested in the food. I think that’s what King’s Hawaiian is celebrating, that fan. It’s OK. We can all be honest, you really can’t beat a slider on Sunday watching the big game. That’s really the winning ticket, no matter what is the food is, especially with King’s Hawaiian and their soft rolls.”

King’s Hawaiian ultra-soft merch line.

King’s Hawaiian

Manning further details why the merch line stands out.

“It’s celebrating kind of that fan,” said Manning. “We have some merch and some swag that you can get on kingshawaiian.com. They even have some little kind of some sayings written on the sleeve, where as you’re kind of eating, you can kind of look down there and have some football terminology and some quotes you can say that kind of makes it seems like you know what’s going on in the game – but really you’re just focused on the food.”