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Hall of Fame Voters Decide Between Russell Wilson and Eli Manning in SI Poll

By Matt Verderame Sports Illustrated

Updated June 9, 2026 2:11 AM

The Super Bowl. Where Eli Manning had his best moments. Where Russell Wilson had his worst. Where two careers were forever changed.

Last week, Russell Wilson retired after 14 years, including 10 stellar seasons with the Seahawks. Wilson won a Super Bowl in his second season and then was intercepted on the doorstep of going back-to-back, with Malcolm Butler intercepting the most consequential pass in Super Bowl history.

In five years, Wilson will become eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a place Manning hasn't reached in his first two years on the ballot despite winning two titles, including a win in Super Bowl XLII over the previously undefeated Patriots. Now, with Wilson moving into the broadcasting phase of his football life, a question to consider:

Which championship quarterback has the better case for Canton?

In a poll over the weekend with eight voters, the question was: If you had the deciding vote between Manning and Wilson, who would get your Hall of Fame vote?

Five said Wilson, while three went with Manning.

The argument for Wilson is his overall body of work. He's a 10-time Pro Bowler and a second-team All-Pro. Manning went to four Pro Bowls and never sniffed All-Pro consideration. Despite starting in 32 fewer games, Wilson threw for only 13 fewer touchdowns (353 to 366). However, he tossed 130 fewer interceptions (114), compared to Manning's 244. Manning led the NFL in picks three times and is 12th all-time on the list.

Furthermore, Wilson threw for 7.7 yards per attempt, 11.9 yards per completion and ran for 5,568 yards and 31 touchdowns. Manning finished with 7.0 YPA and 11.6 YPC, while rushing for a minuscule 567 yards and seven scores.

And yet, in the playoffs, Manning authored some of the league's most indelible moments.

Despite only reaching the postseason six times in his 16-year career with the Giants, two of his trips were legendary. In the 2007 season, Manning led his fifth-seeded squad to road wins over the Buccaneers, the top-seeded Cowboys, and then the Packers in sub-zero temperatures at Lambeau Field. In the Super Bowl, New York stunned New England, 17–14, with Manning completing arguably the most iconic pass in the sport's history, finding David Tyree's helmet for 32 yards on the game-winning drive.

Four years later, Manning won it all again over the only team to win the Super Bowl with a negative regular-season point differential. Again, Manning defeated Tom Brady's Patriots, this time highlighted by a 38-yard throw down the left sideline to Mario Manningham in the final four minutes.

Meanwhile, Wilson's postseason career is overshadowed by the worst decision and subsequently worst throw in NFL history when considering the circumstances.

After winning a title in the 2013 season over Peyton Manning and the Broncos, the Seahawks went back to the Super Bowl the following year against the Patriots. Trailing 28–24 with 26 seconds left, Seattle faced second-and-goal at the 1-yard line. Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, the ultimate battering ram at 215 pounds, had rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries that night. The previous play saw him rumble for four tough yards, barely dragged down by linebacker Dont'a Hightower.

Yet instead of giving the ball to Lynch, Seattle offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell called for a pick play and an inside throw to receiver Ricardo Lockette. Wilson led him too far, and Butler jumped the route, intercepting the pass and short-circuiting a moment that would have effectively enshrined Wilson into the Hall of Fame three years into his career.

Then there was the end of Wilson's career. In Seattle, Wilson was primarily asked to play complementary football while handing off to Lynch and watching the "Legion of Boom" shut down opposing offenses.

After getting traded to the Broncos, Wilson was awful. Denver went 11–19 in his starts while Wilson was sacked 100 times before being benched by coach Sean Payton for Jarrett Stidham. The following offseason, the Broncos released Wilson, eating a then-record $85 million in dead money to free themselves of his play. Wilson then started 14 forgettable games between the Steelers and Giants before hanging up his cleats.

For Manning and Wilson, their candidacies are the ultimate test of how far the idea of clutchness can take or limit a player.

Manning has no argument as the better quarterback over the course of their careers. He's clearly not. Wilson dwarfs him in most categories, including accolades and numbers. Manning was a good player for a long time. Wilson was also good for an extended period but was great for a stretch as well.

Between 2015 to '20, the prime of Wilson's career, he averaged 4,000 yards per season with 32 touchdown passes and nine interceptions while completing 65.7% of his attempts. Manning's top run came between 2009 and '16, a time in which he earned three of his four Pro Bowl berths. In that span, Manning's average season was 4,198 passing yards with 27 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, completing 61.6% of attempts.

The verdict

Ultimately, Wilson's overall career was better, but will he be the victim of his worst moment and a bad ending, while Manning is buoyed by two legacy-changing throws?

Early returns say Wilson has the edge over Manning in the minds of those who matter most.

But if Manning ends up getting in while Wilson waits, it'll primarily be because of the moments for each on the world's grandest sporting stage.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Hall of Fame Voters Decide Between Russell Wilson and Eli Manning in SI Poll.

This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 2:00 AM.

The verdict

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