As first-round quarterbacks traded for each other during the 2004 NFL Draft, Eli Manning and Philip Rivers have spent 14 seasons being compared in debates about whether the Giants or Chargers got the better end of the deal.

The discourse won't end when their playing days are done, either.

Manning and Rivers will receive Pro Football Hall of Fame consideration when they become eligible for induction five years after their retirement. Both have accomplishments that would make them worthy of the sport's most prestigious honor.

MORE: Which QBs are Canton-bound next?

Manning is one of only five players to ever win two or more Super Bowl MVP awards. Three of the others (Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana and Bart Starr) are in the Hall. The fourth, New England quarterback Tom Brady, is a future first-ballot lock for enshrinement.

Rivers can't boast of such postseason success — he has appeared in just one AFC title game in five playoff trips — but that may be more a function of not having the kind of defensive support Manning enjoyed when the Giants defeated the Patriots in Super Bowls 46 and 42. Rivers also has compiled a more impressive body of work statistically with a higher winning percentage (55.8 percent to Manning's 54 percent including the postseason), completion percentage (64.4 percent to 59.9 percent) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (320/160 to 326/219).

But while there is plenty to laud from both players, Manning and Rivers have enough flaws that neither is guaranteed a spot in Canton. How the 2017 season has unfolded isn't helping their causes, with talk that the 36-year-old Manning and 35-year-old Rivers are declining with little hope of regaining their old form.

All of this ultimately will be discussed by the Hall’s 48-member selection committee. Sporting News spoke with eight voters on the condition of anonymity about whether they would be inclined at this point to give Manning and/or Rivers a Hall nod.

The answers not only varied, but they provided insight into the different methodologies used by Hall selectors when casting their ballots.

Voter 1:

"I am very probable on Eli at this point. Both Super Bowl (wins) are important. But it’s not only getting there. It’s being the MVP of both games and leading his team against what I think were some pretty great teams in his era. He's an easy choice for me right now, but I always reserve judgment to change. "For the same reason, I probably would not vote for Philip Rivers. His numbers are fantastic and certainly better than some guys who are in the Hall. But I prescribe to the theory that the No. 1 task of quarterbacks is to win. I know he had some winning seasons and playoff appearances but not enough to justify going into the Hall in my book."

Voter 2:

"I always give the caveat that I have to hear whole case and what experts in the league say about the nominee. But my initial inclination on Eli is no. I know winning two Super Bowls is big, but that's not everything. Look at Dan Marino. He never won one and was a far better player than Eli is. "It's Eli's overall body of work. There were just too many bad years and mediocre years. He played great in both title runs but his overall body of work is just not good enough. "Rivers is a tougher call. I'm more open to being swayed on him than Manning, but I'm a little skeptical. His overall record is not much better than .500 (Note: Rivers has a career .558 winning percentage including the playoffs.) That matters a lot. "I just think, 'What if we switch him with Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers? Would the Chargers be more like the Patriots and Packers or would the Patriots and Packers be more like the Chargers?' But without anything definitive, it would take some convincing from people in the league — scouts, GMs and coaches — for me to vote for him."

Voter 3:

"Honestly, I wouldn't vote for either of them. Manning after 2011 has done nothing. In fact, he’s got a 49-58 starting record (including playoffs) since then. He's led the league three times in interceptions. He has never led the league in touchdown passes. You want that consistency of excellence you find in other quarterbacks like Tom Brady or (Manning’s) brother Peyton. "Eli has never been an All-Pro. The same for Philip. If you’re not an All-Pro, you’re not one of the best of the best. Philip has been to just one conference championship game. He’s one of the toughest guys going and a really good quarterback, but look at the last eight years. He’s 52-66 as a starter. He’s led the league in interceptions twice. And he hasn't had a better season than 9-7. "Some people say you shouldn't penalize a guy because of the team he's on. Great players lift their teams and make the players better around them. How many Hall of Fame players did Tom Brady play with? Usually, they were a bunch of doorknobs. "Whether fair or unfair, we measure quarterbacks and coaches differently in the (voting) room if they’ve won a championship. Eli has two but you look at the rest of the resume and it’s pretty ordinary. Plus, two Super Bowls aren't going to automatically get you in the Hall. "Jim Plunkett has two and he’s not in. George Seifert, Jimmy Johnson, Tom Flores and Mike Shanahan won two Super Bowls as coaches and they're not in the Hall, either. I think there's got to be more than that."

Voter 4:

"It's very likely I would vote for Eli because he won two Super Bowls. As for Rivers, I'd have to sit back and look at his numbers, but I'd have to give him some pretty good run because I'm a little sensitive to great quarterbacks that don't win the big one. "I don’t think that should necessarily be a defining thing. With Eli, though, it is, and I think his passing numbers were good enough."

Voter 5:

"I’ll likely vote for Eli, just probably not on the first ballot. He's going to be a real interesting guy to discuss. He's got two Super Bowl rings and he's got three or years where he just wasn't very good. That's going be the thing. "I think there are boxes you have to check in being a first-ballot Hall of Fame guy where you can stand up and say (to voters) someone like, ‘Peyton Manning’ and sit back down (without debate needed). That's why I didn't vote for Terrell Owens on the first ballot because of the baggage he has but last year I did vote for him. "With Eli, it's such a mixed bag. When he was good in those playoff runs he was really good He’s also aided by a couple of unique highlights in those Super Bowls. But I don’t think Eli rises to that (first-ballot) level for me. "Rivers is sort of like Carson Palmer and Ken Anderson and quarterbacks like that. The problem we're going to have with Rivers is (voters) sort of lowered the bar — and I hate to use that phrase because they were great players — when Warren Moon and Dan Fouts got in. Neither won a championship (in the NFL), but their body of work was so statistically overwhelming. To me, that’s where Philip is. He's never taken a team to that next step. I'd be surprised if Rivers gets in only because you can argue more for Ken Anderson. "There’s the Hall of Fame and the Hall of Very, Very Good. Philip is sort of in the back bungalow of Very, Very Good. What’s bad is people will look at that as a knock on the guy. It shouldn’t be. But not everyone who’s very, very good should be in the Hall of Fame. Unless Rivers does something really remarkable before his career ends — which doesn't look it’s going to happen — I don't think he's going to get in."

Voter 6:

"I like the rings for Eli. But the overall body of work? I don't know if it’s there. I’d be on the fence with that one. "I like the stats for Rivers. He’s in the Dan Fouts/Warren Moon club for me. Warren at least won a championship in Canada but he hadn't won in the NFL either. I’m on the fence with him, too. "I feel sorry for Philip. They haven’t put a great team around him in a while. That's not his fault. They were great when Marty (Schottenheimer) was there as head coach. If they don’t screw it up in the (2006) playoffs against New England maybe they win that (Super Bowl). But that didn't happen. "I take the one that’s got the rings."

Voter 7:

"Winning two Super Bowls does get you automatic consideration, but it seems there were years in there where it has been like, ‘Gosh, is this really the guy who won the Super Bowl?’ because he struggled so much. That gives you pause. "My initial inclination on Eli is to say no. I lean more toward having a high standard for the Hall of Fame, especially at quarterback. If it’s not a no-brainer I have some real hesitancy about it. I tend to think you know if a quarterback is a Hall of Famer or not. You don't have to think about it that much. I’d have to think about Eli a lot. "It's kind of the same thing with Philip. He's had some great seasons. He’s going to have incredible numbers but not the playoff or Super Bowl success. I have a similar inclination to say no. Carson Palmer at the end of his career is going to have great numbers, as well. Is he a Hall of Fame quarterback? No."

Voter 8: