Eli Manning

Elisha “Eli” Manning was born on January 3, 1981, in New Orleans, Louisiana, the youngest of three sons of Olivia Manning and former NFLNFLThe NFL (National Football League) is a U.S. professional American football league of 32 clubs. Founded in 1920 as the APFA and renamed in 1922, it is organized into the AFC and NFC, with the season culminating in the Super Bowl.Open the full entry quarterback Archie Manning, both natives of Mississippi.⁠[1][2]

From 1996 to 1999 he attended Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, where he played quarterback and lettered in football, basketball and baseball.⁠[1]

From 1999 to 2003 Manning played for the Ole Miss Rebels at the University of Mississippi, setting or tying 45 records; like his father, he was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity.⁠[1][2]

In college he won the Maxwell Award, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and the SEC Most Valuable Player Award, and finished third in the 2003 Heisman Trophy voting.⁠[2]

In the 2004 NFL Draft the New York Giants selected Philip Rivers with the fourth pick, then traded Rivers, their 2004 third-round pick (No. 65 overall) and their first- and fifth-round picks in 2005 to the Chargers for Manning.⁠[3]

From November 21, 2004, to November 23, 2017, Manning started 210 consecutive regular-season games, at the time second among quarterbacks only to Brett Favre’s 297.⁠[4]

Manning led the Giants to victories over the New England PatriotsNew England PatriotsThe New England Patriots are an NFL professional American football team in the AFC East, based at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Founded in 1959, they began AFL play as the Boston Patriots in 1960 and adopted their current name in 1971. Robert Kraft has owned the team since 1994. The Bill Belichick–Tom Brady era produced six Super Bowl titles, and Mike Vrabel became head coach in 2025.Open the full entry in Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI and was named Super Bowl MVP both times, the only Giants player to win the award twice.⁠[5]

His 1,219 passing yards during the 2011 championship run remained the NFL record for a single postseason as of January 2026; his career playoff record was 8–4.⁠[4]

In 2008 Manning married Abby McGrew of Nashville, Tennessee.⁠[2]

The Eli Manning Children’s Clinic opened in 2009, with the Mannings raising more than $2.5 million to start it. The couple later served as honorary co-chairs of a campaign for Children’s of Mississippi that had raised more than $76 million by 2020.⁠[2]

In 2016 Manning received the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. He was selected to four Pro Bowls during his career.⁠[1]

The Giants went 4–12 in 2019, Manning lost his starting job to rookie Daniel Jones, and his contract expired after the season. In January 2020 he announced his retirement at the Giants’ Quest Diagnostics Training Center.⁠[3][5]

He was the only player in Giants history to play 16 seasons and set franchise records with 236 regular-season games (234 starts) and 248 games including the postseason, never missing a game because of injury. At retirement his 8,119 pass attempts, 4,895 completions, 57,023 passing yards and 366 touchdown passes ranked sixth, seventh, seventh and seventh in NFL history.⁠[4]

Giants president and CEO John Mara said: “Eli is our only two-time Super Bowl MVP and one of the very best players in our franchise’s history.”⁠[3]

In May 2020 Manning joined Twitter (now X) under the handle @EliManning.⁠[5]

In 2021 Manning rejoined the Giants in a business operations and fan engagement role covering business development, marketing, community and corporate relations, original content and fan engagement activations.⁠[6]

The team announced that his No. 10 jersey would be retired and that he would become the 43rd member of its Ring of Honor at a halftime ceremony against the Atlanta FalconsAtlanta FalconsThe Atlanta Falcons are an NFL professional American football team awarded a franchise in 1965 and beginning play in 1966. Founded by Rankin M. Smith and purchased by Arthur Blank in 2002, the team plays at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Its headquarters and practice facility are in Flowery Branch, Georgia.Open the full entry on September 26 of that year. Manning said: “Staying involved with this organization is very important to me.”⁠[6]

Both the Giants and Ole Miss have retired his No. 10 jersey.⁠[1]

Beginning with the 2021 season, Manning and Peyton Manning have hosted Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli, known as the ManningCast, an alternate Monday Night Football telecast on ESPN produced by Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions. The show won the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Live Series in 2022.⁠[7]

On January 10, 2022, the private equity firm Brand Velocity Partners (BVP) announced that Manning had joined as a partner, working on the firm’s growth, sourcing new investments and building value at portfolio companies. BVP acquires and grows consumer businesses; its founding partners are Steve Lebowitz, Drew Sheinman and Austin Ramos.⁠[8]

Before joining, Manning had invested in BVP portfolio company BBQGuys and served as its brand ambassador. He said: “I recognized that BVP is a challenger brand among private equity firms.”⁠[8]

In September 2022 Manning closed his first private equity deal as a partner at Brand Velocity Group, investing in Score Sports alongside other celebrity investors.⁠[9]

In 2024 Manning was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame for football.⁠[1]

In April 2024 ESPN and Omaha Productions reached a long-term, multi-platform media rights extension into 2034, continuing the ManningCast and additional Omaha original content such as Peyton’s Places and Eli’s Places.⁠[7]

Manning was one of 15 modern-era player finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 and again for the Class of 2026.⁠[4]

The Class of 2026, revealed at NFL Honors, comprised Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly, Adam Vinatieri and senior candidate Roger Craig.⁠[10]

In February 2025 the Giants retained Moelis & Company to explore selling a minority, non-controlling stake. Manning had said repeatedly that he wanted to acquire a stake in the Giants.⁠[11]

In April 2025 Manning began assembling a group of investors to bid for the minority stake. In a January CNBCCNBCCNBC is an American business and financial news cable channel launched by NBC in 1989; it merged with its rival FNN in 1991 and since January 2026 has been part of Versant Media Group, spun off from Comcast.Open the full entry Sport interview he had said: “There’s probably only one team I’d be interested in pursuing, and it’s the one I played for for 16 years.”⁠[12]

In July 2025 Manning said in a CNBC interview that he was dropping out of the bid. “Basically, it’s too expensive for me. These numbers are getting very big,” he said. Pointing to conflicts with his broadcasting work, he added: “I wouldn’t be able to talk to the players.”⁠[13]

On July 24, 2025, Manning announced an investment in sports protective equipment maker XTech without disclosing the size of his stake; XTech said he was one of its top five investors. He would act as a spokesperson, make introductions and advise on big-picture strategy.⁠[14]

Founded in 2012, XTech makes its custom-fitted shoulder pads in East Hanover, New Jersey, and was preparing a youth line. Manning said: “I want to help continue that journey as they explore into high school.”⁠[14]

As of July 2025 Manning invested through the private equity firm Brand Velocity Group and through private investments, and was a minority owner of the NWSLNWSLThe National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is a professional women’s soccer league in the United States with 16 clubs in 2026. It stages a regular season, playoffs and the Challenge Cup, while a collective bargaining agreement governs employment relations between clubs and players.Open the full entry’s Gotham FCGotham FCGotham FC is a women's professional soccer club representing the New York–New Jersey region in the NWSL. Formerly Sky Blue FC, it plays at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, and won the NWSL Championship in 2023 and 2025.Open the full entry and TGL’s New York Golf Club.⁠[14]

On November 17, 2025, the apparel brand Flag & Anthem announced that Manning had joined as a brand ambassador and investor. He said: “I’m looking forward to being an involved partner to help them continue to build for the future.”⁠[15]

X: Public account: https://x.com/EliManning (opens in a new window).⁠[5]