Peyton Manning Brothers

Peyton Williams Manning is now a retired quarterback who used to play in the NFL not too long ago. Of course, this 5-time NFL MVP really does not need any introduction for even if one is a casual football fan, I’m pretty sure that the name Peyton Manning is well known to everyone. The Manning family as a whole is in fact a very popular NFL family and is affectionately considered as the best quarterback family to have ever played the game. Leading the charge was Peyton’s father - Archie Manning who in his 14 seasons was a two-time Pro bowler.

With Archie Manning playing in the league, it was a no-brainer for his sons to follow in his footsteps. They were exposed to the game since their birth and each one of the three brothers took to football with great aplomb. Peyton, who is the middle brother turned out to be the most successful in the family, but his younger brother Eli also had a stellar career himself.

Peyton’s accolades in the NFL are so impressive that it makes one wonder how he managed to win only two rings. With all the talent that he had and playing the role of quarterback, it feels as if he fell short by 1-2 more Lombardi trophies. He played a majority of his years with the Indianapolis Colts having been the backbone of their offense for 14 seasons before finishing his career playing 4 seasons with the Denver Broncos.

With more than 70,000 passing yards, and 539 passing touchdowns, Peyton ranks third in the all-time passing yard leaders list as well as touchdowns just behind Drew Brees and Tom Brady in both categories. Even so, with all the awards, success, and fame that Peyton has garnered throughout his entire NFL career, his brothers are also equally respected and admired.

Cooper Manning

Cooper Archibald Manning is the oldest of the three brothers. Cooper is an entrepreneur and a television personality. He is the host of ‘The Manning Hour’ which is a TV show on Fox Sports. He is also the senior managing director of investor relations for AJ Capital Partners. This is a private real estate company that has its base in Nashville and its business is to own and operate lodging accommodations.

Did Cooper Manning play in the NFL?

Although Cooper never made it to the NFL, it is not due to his inability to play the game. He was very good at football from his high school days. He had an excellent senior year as a wide receiver at Isidore Newman School where brother Peyton was his quarterback. After completing high school, Cooper committed to joining the University of Mississippi, which was the same University his father attended.

As luck would have it, Cooper started feeling a numbing sensation in his fingers and toes during practice sessions in the summer even before college had started. After getting himself diagnosed, the doctor told him that he had a condition of spinal stenosis which basically means his spine was narrowing and therefore pinching his nerves. Put in a difficult situation, Cooper decided to end his playing career on an immediate basis in order to prevent any further damage.

All three Manning brothers share such a great vibe and are so close to each other that Peyton Manning continued to wear his brother Cooper’s jersey number 18 throughout his NFL career.

What does Cooper Manning do?

Earlier in his career, Cooper was a partner at Scotia Howard Weil, an energy investment boutique that has offices in the cities of Houston and New Orleans. When Super Bowl XLVII was coming up in New Orleans, he was a host of a segment on ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ and the segment was called ‘Manning on the Street’.

FOX NFL Kickoff hired Cooper to be part of their broadcast team in September 2015 and in 2016 he joined the executive team at AJ Capital Partners as he was given the role of principal and senior managing director of investor relations. The company is in the business of real estate and it mainly focuses on building hotels and resorts.

Since 2021, Cooper has also been hosting the College Bowl along with his brother Peyton. Whenever Cooper has time on his hands, he is also providing support and inspiration to his kids and helping them achieve their football dreams.

Cooper Manning’s Net Worth

By far out of the three brothers, Cooper Manning is the least richest brother given the fact that he never got a chance to play in the NFL. In spite of this, he has still managed to earn himself a small fortune as his net worth is estimated to be somewhere in the region of $13-15 million. He has amassed this fortune as an entrepreneur, and managing director at AJ Capital Partners as well as his host duties which he undertakes in his spare time.

Cooper Manning’s Wife and Kids

Cooper Manning married his wife Ellen Heidingsfelder in 1998 and the couple have been going strong ever since. By profession, she is a lawyer and graduated from the University of New Orleans School of Law. Ellen was born in New Orleans to parents Charles Heidingsfelder and Dota Heidingsfelder. Unfortunately, her mother passed away in 2020. Her father was a dentist and a philanthropist. She had two sisters Molly and Jane as well as a brother Charles Jr. who died at a young age.

While studying law, Ellen was a member of the school’s volleyball team. She was a great player and helped the team win numerous trophies which included the 1986 state title for which she was also awarded the MVP.

Cooper and Ellen have three kids of their own, one daughter and two sons. All three children have inherited their parents' passion for sports. Daughter May Manning plays volleyball while both of their boys play football. May, who is the oldest sibling, also won an MVP award when she led her school to the state title just like her mother.

The youngest brother, Heid Manning has also taken to football. He is an offensive lineman and plays for the Isidore Newman football team. It is the same school where almost everyone in his family has gone.

Heid’s older brother Arch Manning plays as a quarterback for the University of Texas. He is considered as the next generation of Manning quarterbacks to take the field in the NFL. Currently, Arch is a freshman in college and has been doing good things on the field. If he can lead the Texas Longhorns to good results then he should easily get selected in the NFL draft in a few years.

Eli Manning

Elisha Nelson Manning, commonly known as Eli is the younger brother of Peyton and just like his father and brother Peyton, he too was able to realize his dream of making it big in the NFL. Although Eli is not considered to be of the same level as Peyton, he has still managed to win two Super Bowls himself while claiming the Super Bowl MVP awards on both occasions. Eli who was drafted as the number 1 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft by the then San Diego Chargers (Los Angeles Chargers) ended up trading him within an hour to the New York Giants. Eli played out his entire career with the New York based outfit.

Earlier, Eli played college football for Ole Miss. With over 10,000 passing yards and 84 passing touchdowns, Eli had great productivity over his 4-year college career. In his senior year, he also picked up the Maxwell Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Going into the NFL draft, Eli was touted by many to be the number one pick.

Eli Manning’s claim to fame can be the two Super Bowl victories he won, and they are even more spectacular as both wins came against the Tom Brady led New England Patriots which was the best team in the league at that time. Eli Manning holds the NFL record for the most passing yards in the postseason in a single season with 1,219. He is also tied with the longest passing touchdown in the history of the NFL with a 99-yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz.

As for the Giants’ franchise, Eli holds a long list of records throughout his 16-year NFL career. When he called time on his illustrious career, the Giants honored him by inducting him into the Giants Ring of Honor in 2020 and also retired his number 10 jersey.

What is Eli Manning doing now?

Post his highly successful NFL career, Eli has remained busy with various activities. In 2021, Eli along with Peyton joined the ESPN network as analysts. On an alternate broadcast ‘Manningcast’, the brothers called 9 games in the season. They had segments with celebrities from entertainment, politics, and sports all the while watching the game together. Eli also hosts ‘Eli’s Places’ for ESPN+ where he visits the most well-known college football institutions to understand the reason behind why college football is so much of a sensation in the country.

Eli Manning’s Net Worth

As of now, Eli Manning has a net worth of approximately $150 million. He has earned the most amount of his money from lucrative football contracts and brand endorsements. During his peak, he was making around $18 million annually just through his NFL salary. Throughout his tenure in the league, Eli has signed 3 big contracts with the Giants and was one of the best-paid players in the game at that time.

In addition to his salary, Eli has also made a considerable amount of money via brand endorsements from brands such as Nike, Toyota, Visa, DirecTV, Hublot, and Gatorade. His endorsements earn him around $8 - $10 million per year.

Eli Manning’s Wife and Kids

Eli Manning is married to Abby Mcgrew. She is a native of Nashville, Tennessee. She has two sisters and was born to American writer Tom McGrew. There is no information regarding her mother. Abby graduated from the University of Mississippi with a degree in family and consumer sciences. However, later on, she decided to pursue fashion design in New York. She was working for the designer Pamela Roland in New York.

The couple first met in 2002 when both of them were studying at the University of Mississippi. Together they spent almost 6 years dating before getting married in 2008 in attendance of family and friends in Los Cabos, Mexico. Eli and Abby are parents to three girls and one boy.

Their firstborn is daughter Ava Manning. Ava was born in 2011. Studying in sixth grade, Ava loves cheerleading. Since she has been a long-time football fan due to her famous father, she has taken up cheerleading and is one of the cheerleaders for her school’s football team. After Ava, the couple welcomed their second daughter, Lucy in 2013. Lucy is also interested in sports like her family and older sister.

The Mannings encourage their kids to pursue any sport of their liking and at the moment swimming and lacrosse are where their interests lie. Next up is their youngest daughter Caroline. She is also into football, but her real passion is hockey. In September 2022, Caroline had her first hockey practice and dad Eli was there to egg her on. The youngest sibling is Charles Manning. Even at this small age, he has started practicing football with his father.

The Manning Bowl

The Manning Bowl is a term that was coined when Peyton and the Indianapolis Colts took on Eli Manning-led New York Giants for the first time on September 10, 2006. The game was of particular interest as it was a rare occurrence in which two quarterback brothers faced off against each other. Over the course of their careers in the NFL, there were three such occurrences of the Manning Bowl and all three games were won by Peyton.

The entire Manning family as a whole right from grandparents Archie and Olivia Manning to all the grandkids is one big, happy family. While they all might be living in different cities across the United States, they have always found time to come together and celebrate each one’s successes whether it is on the football field or off it.