Eli Manning Wants to be Highest-Paid NFL QB, and He Just Might Get It

We all want to be appreciated. New York Giants QB Eli Manning has won two Super Bowls, but he’s rarely considered one of better QBs of his generation, mostly because his stats leave a lot to be desired. When was the last time Eli Manning was considered one of the five best QBs in the NFL?

Never?

Even though Manning has two Super Bowl triumphs – including one over the greatest team the League has seen in over a decade, the previously-unbeaten Patriots – he’s always lived in the shadow of his older brother Peyton Manning, who has one ring and often seems to come up short against Bill Belichick.

Over the weekend, the Chargers gave QB Philip Rivers – ironically, Rivers was traded for Eli Manning when the latter pouted after being drafted by San Diego and refused to go – a lucrative contract that will pay him $99.75 million over the next five years, the most in the NFL. (Yes, more than Russell Wilson.)

Eli Manning is 34 (he turns 35 in January). He’s looking for a new deal from the Giants, and according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Manning wants to be the highest paid QB in the NFL. Unreasonable, right?

On the surface, it sounds like an absurd request. Eli Manning is a career 59 percent passer! Every few years, he seems to be among the NFL leaders in interceptions! He’s had a boom or bust postseason career. He routinely makes silly, rookie-level mistakes. He’s a statue and took a lot of sacks two years ago.

Here’s the problem: What’s the alternative to Eli Manning if you’re the Giants?

Answer: There isn’t one. There are a dearth of quality young NFL QBs right now, which is why the Bengals had to give average Andy Dalton a fairly large deal and zero-playoff-trips Ryan Tannehill big money.

The Giants options are thin: Punt on Eli and hope that you can find a quality young QB to go with elite WRs Victor Cruz and Odell Beckham. Unless you’re ready to go after someone’s backup, or you feel supremely confident about backups Ryan Nassib or Ricky Stanzi. [Shudders.]

This one’s simple: Like the Seahawks had to do with Wilson, you have to pay Eli Manning big bucks. I don’t know that they have to give him a lengthy Rivers deal – is Manning really going to leave the team he’s been with his entire career at this stage? I don’t see it – but it has to be in the ballpark.