The New York Giants and quarterback Eli Manning have been discussing a potential contract extension throughout the offseason, and are hoping to get things done before the season. According to a report from NFL.com, the Giants are hoping to get a contract done with him either before training camp or early on during training camp.
Needless to say, getting a new deal done before the season would be the best way to go. Manning likely won’t want the distraction of discussing a new contract too long after training camp gets underway, which puts a bit of pressure on the Giants. They definitely don’t want to play with fire and lose their quarterback, although there is very little chance that he would be interested in leaving New York at this stage in his career.
Manning played in a new offense last season for the first time in a long time, and got off to a bit of a slow start. After he got used to everything, he ended up putting solid production across the board.
During the 2014 season, Manning threw for 4,410 yards, 30 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. His interception number was much better than the 27 interceptions that he threw during the 2013 season. Manning looked like much more of a threat in the new offense, and there are high expectations for him heading into the 2015 season.
At 34 years old, Manning doesn’t have a lot more football left in him before he is forced to retire. He hasn’t shown major signs of aging, but there have been small issues that have been caused by age. New York knows that they likely will only have him for another three or four seasons, and anything after that is far from guaranteed.
It will be interesting to see what type of numbers the new contract will be for. Manning is definitely worth a fairly rich contract, but he doesn’t sit among the elite quarterbacks in the NFL.
All of that being said, the two sides should see talks heat up over the next couple of weeks in order to meet their desired time frame. Manning and the Giants have worked very well together throughout the years, and have found ways to keep each other happy. That will happen once again in this situation, and Manning will get a new deal done that should lock him up for the remainder of his career in New York.
