Public enemy No. 1 for Los Angeles Chargers could go to Hall of Fame on first ballot

Travis Wakeman

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Public enemy No. 1 for Los Angeles Chargers could go to Hall of Fame on first ballot image

When the 2025 Hall of Fame class is enshrined in Canton, it could easily be a bittersweet day for fans of the Los Angeles Chargers. 

Those fans could (and should) see Antonio Gates go into the Hall of Fame, but they could also see the man they still despise to this day, Eli Manning, join him. Manning was of course drafted with the No. 1 overall pick by the Chargers in 2004 but after refusing to play for the team, he was traded to the New York Giants. 

It all ended up for the best as the Chargers netted Philip Rivers in that deal, but Manning's refusal to play for the Chargers, a decision he's never really fully explained, keeps him on the bad side of most Chargers fans to this day. 

Eli Manning eligible for Hall of Fame in 2025

There will be an argument as to whether or not Manning deserves to go in on the first ballot and some will say he didn't have a career worthy of the Hall of Fame at all. But Adam Rank of NFL.com makes a compelling case here and if we're honest, he will go in at some point without much doubt. 

Though it has now been two decades, the disdain towards Manning hasn't worn off within the Chargers fanbase. He went on to win two Super Bowls in New York while Rivers never played in one. 

To this day, the image of Manning holding up a Chargers jersey with an unhappy look on his face after publicly stating that he didn't want the team to draft him, will never sit well in San Diego, Los Angeles or anywhere else the Chargers are celebrated. 

After 20 years, it's probably best to let bygones be bygones, but if Manning stands up on the podium in Canton next August accepting his place in the Hall of Fame, he will likely be booed by Chargers fans just as loudly then as he was on April 24, 2004. 

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Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman Photo

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.