If you are sick of hearing this question, we can't blame you. For the second straight season finale, the question about Manning's future again dominated Week 17, and the answer is the same this year as it was last season, "we'll see."
Manning is entering the final year of contract next season, and is said to count $23.2 million against the Giants salary cap. The Giants could recoup $17 million of it if the release him this off-season.
It is a heady decision that General Manager David Gettleman has to make, and one that is going to be incredibly polarizing.
Moving Manning has not been easy for this team. In fact it cost the previous regime their jobs.Last season, coach McAdoo had to bench Manning after the quarterback refused to sit the second half of the Raiders game so they could see how the other quarterbacks on the roster (at the time Geno Smith and Davis Webb) would do. Because Manning refused to sit, McAdoo elected to bench him, starting Geno Smith instead.
The decision proved deadly for McAdoo and General Manager Jerry Reese, as the two of them were roasted by New York sports talk radio for weeks on end. Nobody wanted Manning to go, even though it was becoming obvious that father time was robbing Manning of his gifts.
Instead, McAdoo and Reese took the blame and were promptly fired. In came Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur, and both vowed commitment to Eli Manning as their quarterback for 2018. They drafted Saquon Barkley, signed Nate Solider to sturdy the offensive line, and made it clear they intended to compete.
As we know the season was basically over before it started. A 1-7 start doomed the Giants as the limped to the finish line at 5-11. While Manning played well this year, throwing for over 4,000 yards, and cutting down the turnovers to just 11 interceptions, there is a sense that the team has to move on.
The question is is now the time?
Asked about Manning and his future, Shurmur said he believes in Manning still, and would like to have his players back for 2019. That doesn't mean it will happen of course.
The Giants are not exactly in position to find a quality starter in this year's draft. Not after Oregon's Justin Herbert, whom the Giants heavily scouted this year, opted to return to Eugene for his senior year.
That means signing a veteran. Names like Ryan Tannehill, Joe Flacco and Teddy Bridgewater are the likely veterans that will hit the market this year. Will the Giants release Manning only to turn around and sign a 33-year old Flacco, who really isn't any better or worse than Manning is?
It's an awkward situation to be in. But it's the situation the Giants find themselves in with a popular two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback, who at times has shown signs he still has something in his right arm.
The only thing that is certain is Manning's days in New York will eventually come to an end. We just don't know when.
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