Believe it or not, Eli Manning is now worth more than his esteemed brother, Peyton, one of the greatest QB’s in NFL history. Well, technically.
Eli’s new six-year, $97.5 million contract extension he signed yesterday with The New York Football Giants places his annual salary at around $15.3 million, more than $1 million more than the paltry $14.17 million his older brother collects each year. I know what you’re thinking, “100 million for Eli Manning?” He of the hovering floater ball, the questionable decisions and the locker room timidity?
But yet it’s true. We now live in a world where Eli Manning is worth 10 figures. Soak that in for a second. I’ll wait.

Now, the real question: is he worth it? Before you scream “Hell no!” step back and think for a second. What choice did the Giants have?

David Carr?
Former Heisman Trophy candidate and LSU killer Andre Woodson?
Neither backup option is appealing.
Draft his replacement? Considering all the talent the Giants have returning and the upgrades they made in free agency, I can’t see them landing a top-level rookie QB in the 2010 draft.
Sign his replacement in free agency? That’s a crapshoot. Think back to the 2006 offseason, when most analysts thought Daunte Culpepper to the Dolphins was a better signing than Drew Brees to the Saints.

No, the best way to acquire a franchise QB in this day’s NFL remains to draft them, develop them and insert them when game ready. Call it the Carson Palmer model, his fungible elbow notwithstanding. The Giants have followed that model to a T thus far, it just so happens Manning’s turned out to be the worst of the 2004 signal callers drafted in the first round who’s not currently playing in the UFL (sorry, J.P. Losman). And remember, Manning’s refusal to play in San Diego resulted in him being swapped for Phillip Rivers and draft picks that turned into Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding. That’s one Pro Bowler for the price of three.

How Manning stacks up against his 2004 draftmates:

Career Regular-Season Wins as a starter:
Manning – 42
Rivers – 33
Roethlisberger – 51
Advantage: Roethlisberger, partly because he’s started the most games, partly because his defense is AWESOME.

Career Playoff Wins as a starter:
Manning – 4
Rivers – 3
Roethlisberger – 8
Advantage: Roethlisberger, partly because he came into a cushy situation — great defense, solid running game, ganite-solid organization — and partly because he was a big part of the 2005 and 2008 title teams’ playoff runs with a string of big fourth-quarter plays littered throughout.

Career Super Bowl Wins:
Manning – 1
Rivers – 0
Roethlisberger – 2
Advantage: Roethlisberger, partly because of that AWESOME defense, and partly because he made some gutty throws under pressure at the end of Super Bowl XLIII, not to mention in the 2005 playoffs against the Bengals, Colts and Broncos. Against the Seahawks? Not so much.

Career QB Rating:
Manning – 76.1
Rivers – 92.9
Roethlisberger – 89.4
Advantage: Rivers, because he plays the QB position better than the other two. More big plays, fewer interceptions, quicker release.

Overall: Rivers has the stats, and will have the most Pro Bowls. Roethlisberger has the wins, and it’ll probably stay that way as long as he can stay sharp in fourth quarters and his defense remains healthy. Manning? He’s more or less Tony Romo with a few playoff wins — only not as accurate. But he has $100 million in the bank now.