Eli Manning Could Soon Join $100 Million Quarterback Club

After last season, football fans had to quickly prepare to be part of a world where Eli Manning and David Tyree were responsible for the most memorable play in many Super Bowls.

In a two-year span, both of the brothers Manning were Super Bowl champions, and both did it with playoff runs that had to be considered unpredictable. Peyton finally beat the hated Patriots before winning his big game, while Eli outplayed Brett Favre in the cold at Lambeau to get his shot at a championship against the unbeaten Patriots.

While Eli Manning was unable to lead his Giants to a repeat this season, despite an 11-1 start and home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs, he may be on the verge of joining his older brother in another exclusive club.

The New York Daily News reports that Manning is due to receive a huge contract. By "huge", I mean "over $100 million".

Manning might even end up being the highest-paid member, as several NFL sources said his next deal could be worth a league-high $15 million per season. That would be an average of $1 million more than his brother Peyton is making on the seven-year, $98 million deal he signed with the Indianapolis Colts in 2004.

Based on interviews with several agents and personnel people, Eli Manning appears to be in line for a seven- or eight-year contract worth $110 million-$120 million with $40 million in guarantees.

You can argue the merits of such a deal until you're blue in the face. The reality is that Manning has what only five other current NFL starting quarterbacks have. He has a ring.

That's a great negotiating ploy for a player, because he's in pretty exclusive company thanks to last season's title.

Detractors will scream about Manning's poor performance against the Eagles on Sunday, and they'll probably note that Manning wasn't exactly tearing up the Patriots defense in the Super Bowl until the final drive. Since Plaxico Burress had that little accident, Manning and the Giants have been a shell of their former selves.

But the bottom line is that, in this market, the Giants have two very clear choices with no gray area. They either pay Manning what they know the market will say he's worth, or they hope Manning wants to be a Giant so badly that he ignores more lucrative offers from other teams when he becomes a free agent.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

1-14-2009 @ 4:31PM

dimckll said...

Manning is worth $2-3 million tops. His stats put him in the Top 10 in QB in one category, the rest he sits at 16th or so. If the Giants make him such a lucrative offer, they are putting all their fragile eggs into one basket.

Tiki could hand the ball off to Jacobs . . . I could overthrow a ball in the Superbowl and allow an athletic receiver (Tyree) to pull it down . . . Carr looked every bit as good, if not better, than Manning when he stepped in late in the season, much after the Giants already clinched the NFC East.

Bottom line is that in a league which imposes caps on salaries to teams, the Giants should not be offering their cross-eyed hero that amount of cash, simply because his last name is Manning.

1-14-2009 @ 11:35PM

Jeff H said...

I think people really miss the core facts on Eli Manning. It is very simple. Eli Manning is a very good QB when the wind conditions are OK. However, he is a terrible quarterback in heavy wind. He doesn't throw a tight spiral and the winds eat those kind of passes up. Unfortunately for him, he plays in the craziest wind tunnel in the NFL. Don't believe me? Look at the Giants during the last 5 years. It's pretty much the same thing! A very good record in the early months, followed by a fizzle at the end of the year. So why did NY win the Superbowl last year? They fizzled toward the end of the regular season, but fortunately they were and excellent road team and they were able to go on a 4 game streak outside of the vaunted Meadowlands. Oh, and that impressive New England game in week 16? Yeah, the wind was unusually calm and Eli was terrific. Everybody needs to stop making generalizations and understand what Eli is all about. If Eli was in a controlled environment like Peyton, he'd be a 30 TD guy. Anyways, I'm not making excuses for the guy. He is what he is: a very good QB who can't handle Northeastern winter winds. So yes, I agree that he isn't worth $120 million because of the reasons I stated. But his career will actually take off when the Giants move into their new retractable roof stadium.

1-26-2009 @ 4:41PM

fmucheergirl said...

AMEN BROTHER!!! Especially about Carr, I dont understand why we spent the whole season in obvious need of a passing game(which eli is not producing) when we had Carr warming the damn bench all season! The first game that Eli's interceptions outnumbered his completed passes, he should have been replaced. period.

1-14-2009 @ 6:16PM

Randy said...

After the last couple of games he had, and especially the loss to the Eagles, he should give about 10 million BACK to the team.

1-14-2009 @ 6:46PM

Adam said...

Eli is above average (I guess), but is not a $100 million QB. All he did was have a good stretch of games in the playoffs and SB, and outside those games he's just ok.

1-14-2009 @ 7:31PM

jack said...

I am a long time giant fan...Eli has one good season,is he worth that much? Hell no! Get the TEBO kid from florida.

1-14-2009 @ 9:13PM

t said...

I think David Carr could be every bit the QB Eli is, with an offensive line that kept him upright. In his Houston days Carr got so beat-up he got gunshy. Poor guy never had a chance to succeed. His stats were stil fair, even without any talent around him.

Eli, on the other hand, has had very good teams around him since day one(including quality RBs, which Carr NEVER had) and is stil a middle-of-the-pack QB.

Unless the NYG are willing to risk the near-future of their franchise, i'd think twice about making such a commitment to Manning before seeing what their other #1 pick-quality QB is all about.

Carr could very well be a Brady, or at least a Cassell-in-waiting after having time to recuperate and being on a decent team. For that matter, the Hefty Lefty (Lorentzen, former Giants QB) was pretty good, but never got a shot because of Eli.

A last name doesn't turn him into a franchise-grade QB.

1-14-2009 @ 10:54PM

Dave said...

Hey "T",
Are you David Carr's mistress? David Carr's Offensive line in Houston was a lot better than he made them look: Carr couldn't read a defense if it came to him as an audio book!!!

Couple that with the way he held the ball so long that getting sacked was inevitable!!! Why do you think Carolina let him go after just one season. Matt Schaub didn't lead the league in sacks and he had the same Offensive line as Carr.

Your California boy looks like an opossum stairing at truck headlights every time he drops back in the pocket. NFL defenses are just too complicated for his rose-colored mind.

Give Manning the money or someone else will, but don't forget, an inexperienced draft pick will have to learn to read defenses just like David Carr.

1-14-2009 @ 9:41PM

peter o said...

Eli has but two things going for him: His last name and the puffery and over-exposure afforded by being in the country's larget media market. At best, he's an average QB, readily replaced (and until that last pass in the SB last year), eminentaly replacable. Without their deep threat (Plaxico), the Giants looks like a 9-7 team with Manning, maybe even 11-5 with ____ (I wont mention specific names here but I'll bet the reader can supply 4 or 5 equivalent if not superior replacements). He is, in other words, a media creation and if his name weren't Manning, he be someone's backup.

1-15-2009 @ 1:58PM

JOHN said...

BOTH MANNING ARE NOT WORTH THE PAY THEY ARE PLAYING FOR.HIGH PAY IS HURTING THE SPORT.

1-14-2009 @ 11:20PM

Ed said...

I'm a die-hard Giants fan and big fan of Eli Manning and like most people, at first I was like theres no way Eli is worth that much. But let's take into consideration a few things. Eli Manning is a MANNING and that is a huge burden by itself. Then you add the fact that the plays in New York where the crazy media is always there breathing down you back and the fans here(myself included) expect nothing but production and wins. You also have to facter in the fact that Eli plays in East Rutherford where the weather(bitter cold and horrible swirling winds), especially late in the season, is brutal for QBs. And of course like the article points out, Eli has a Super Bowl ring and a SB MVP to go with it. Considering all these things, I would say that Eli IS worth the new expensive contract he's inevitably going to get in the near future.

donthate said...

peter your crazy. eli is the in the most fair weather sports town in the world. every media outlet in the world (including the hometown papers) have and continue to kill this kid since he's been in the league. because he doesnt date bimbos or model clothes with a blue steel face on he's gets shit on. face facts, 4 years with eli 4 years in the playoffs and 1 championship. 4 seasons over 3,000 yds, 20+ TDs, 10 4th quarter comebacks etc., etc. As far as Plax, name one great quarterback that doesnt have a big play reciever. As a matter of fact most have 2 and a big time tight end! The Giants most stacked offensive lineup had Shockey, Burress and Tiki. Good but not exactly the fantasy league team Romo inherited. (and still hasnt won meaningful game but thats another story). Im not comparing the two but as good as brady is, at the end of the 06-07 season even he couldnt make his recievers any better. The team went against there fundamental strategy and bought tons of wideout talent. Stop hating, hang up your farve jersey and go blue!

1-15-2009 @ 6:56AM

rbloc16845 said...

I think that Eli is worth the at least he is a team player unlike that loud mouth brother of his who think's that he the only one on that team all that he think's is about is himself.

1-15-2009 @ 8:21AM

mssolange said...

Unfortunately the new stadium will not have a retractable roof. It was shortsighted and too expensive to do it.

1-15-2009 @ 8:47AM

Jim said...

If he didn't play in over hyped New York and he got payed what he was really worth he would be lucky to get 2 million a year as a backup quarterback on any other team. New York overrates all their players.

1-15-2009 @ 9:41AM

droz65 said...

I HAVE to agree with most of you...All very good points...Espcially the Meadowlands wind gust factor effect on Eli's weak throws...Funny how the majority of McNabb's spirals zipped thru the gusts of wind. Eli hasn't yet proven to me that he is consistent enough, either. Nor, worth the burden of denting any team's franchise purse salary cap...I mean, don't get me wrong, he manages a game very well and has most to do with checks at line of scrimmage putting us in better scoring opportunities, and he did play extremely well last post season. He also plays decent, for the most part, overall throughout any season, and the fact that he did help us make the playoffs 4 years in a row (NFL RECORD). Along with doing it in less the time it took his brother Payton's career with Indie. But, Eli being worth THAT much money?? I just don't agree. And, I strongly believe that if you placed Eli in the open free agent market, for example, he'd reaize that many other owner's of teams would disagree he's worth that much, too.

1-15-2009 @ 9:56AM

Granted Eli is NOT a great quarterback. The good Giant teams historically have not always been successful with a great quarterback. Remember Phil Simms? Real good, but NOT great.

1-15-2009 @ 10:03AM

I will say this, Eli has proven that if you build good players around him, he has what it takes to be a champion...Not too many QB's out there, whether them never having that good team surrounding them or just having too many talented selfish immature bums (HINT HINT) surrounding them, have done what Eli has in what little time he's been behind center....And, mind you all out there that think you know about my GIANTS, or Eli, other than the Steelers Big Ben, whom can admit was surrounded by a good team with great defense, power running game and accomplished a championship in his rookie year, is the ONLY other QB of recent times that has in a short time out of their growing pain years to have done what Eli has. And, mind you, neither had the luxury of being tutored by veteran QB's, which is usually the protocol for the NFL maturation steps for a rookie QB...Eli was thrown to the wolves in his FIRST year after Coughlin prematurely gave up on Warner....First team Eli had to face in week 9 of his rookie season??? Yep..The Eagles!! And, an Eagle team that was pretty much a contention playoff team in the beginning of the millenium. We went 5-11. So, for all of you that THINK you know...SHUT UP...Because you really don't know!! By the way, Eli later went to the playoffs the next year and the following 3 years, and, well, you know the rest...
SUPERBOWL XVII!! Did I mention MVP??!!
Oh, and, this season EVERYBODY and their mother swore we were an obvious fluke to go 3rd or 4th in division this season, never making the playoffs....Well, even after losing Shockey, Strahan, Osi, Buress, as well as a few other contributors to free agency, we return for major championship contention winning division, obtaining first seed, etc..Even though, due to an unfortunate one game sudden death elimination playoff performance against a very hot, hungry, determined, psuedo-2007 SUPERBOWL NY GIANTS Eagles team, we failed to repeat...Partly due to an admittable, per Eli himself, poor performance by Eli at home within the gusty winds of the Meadowlands.

1-15-2009 @ 10:05AM

VERY TRUE, DAVE!!!

1-15-2009 @ 10:46AM

donthate - to answer your question - McNabb doesn't, and never has had, a top receiver . . .

| 1 | 2 | Most Recent | Next 20 Comments