Say what you want about New York Giants legend Eli Manning — the former four-time Pro Bowler knows how to take the heat, as he showed after being called “overrated.”

A list surfaced online of the “Top 10 Most Overrated NFL Players of All-Time.” Manning was on the top of the list, beating out the likes of Joe Namath, Bo Jackson, Frank Gore, Troy Aikman, Michael Vick, and his former teammate, Odell Beckham Jr.

While some may take offense to it, Manning took an optimistic approach to it. Giants fans and players, including Lawrence Tynes, stood up for him, but Manning took it on the chin. “It is good to be #1,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

He saw it after his former teammate, Tynes, defended him. Tynes wrote, “You can call him whatever you want[,] but you must all call him: 2x Super Bowl Champion [and a] 2x Super Bowl MVP.”

Pro Football Talk's official account also weighed in, commenting, “What a stupid ass list.” Someone else commented, “If you're gonna do it, be the best.”

Is Giants' Eli Manning overrated?

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Eli Manning, who may return to the team as an owner, after a New York Giants game against the Dolphins.
Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.

Ultimately, lists like this should not affect Manning. He has been retired for five years, and his playing days are behind him, so there's nothing he can do to change people's perspectives of him.

Some may point to his .500 regular season win percentage. He went 117-117 in his career, though he ended his career with a win over the Miami Dolphins in 2019.

However, he was named to four Pro Bowls, and he won two Super Bowls over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Not many quarterbacks can say they have done that.

During his two playoff runs, Manning threw 15 touchdowns to just two interceptions. He also threw an NFL record 1,219 yards during the 2011 run to the Super Bowl. That same year, he broke the records for the most pass attempts (163) and completions (106) in the playoffs.

In 2025, Manning was not elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He may get in eventually, but it will be at least another year.

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