This offseason has already seen Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger get a nice contract extension while Peyton Manning is taking a pay cut. Philip Rivers is announcing his intentions to play out the final year of his contract while Drew Brees is facing trade rumors. The life of a veteran quarterback has been interesting in 2015 and Eli Manning is no exception. Entering the final year of his current contract, the New York Giants appear comfortable letting the quarterback hold off on an extension.
According to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com, the Giants and Manning are not close on terms of a new contract and the franchise is very comfortable letting the quarterback play out this season before starting negotiations again. Head coach Tom Coughlin and owner Steve Tisch confirmed that while Manning will be playing his entire career in New York, an extension is proving tricky to finalize. Speaking at the NFL Annual Meeting, John Mara said it is an ongoing process.
"We'd certainly prefer to do it before the season, but if it doesn't happen, we're still going to line up and play," Mara said, via the New York Post. "Ideally, we'd like to get him signed to a long-term contract. But whether that happens or not, who knows? You want to get him signed, but you want it to be at the right price. Ideally, we'll get something done. But whether it happens or not, I don't know."
Manning is slated to earn $17 million in the final year of a six-year contract worth $97.5 million. Negotiations on a new contract could be complicated by the current quarterback market. The Giants star likely wants something more than the five-year, $99 million deal Roethlisberger signed. However, the Giants do not seem thrilled to shell out that kind of money this offseason. They have their franchise tag which could end up being what Manning gets hit with if negotiations stall out.
All of the contract drama surrounding Manning brings up the question of whether or not the Giants are planning on drafting a quarterback this season. As of right now, the future of New York would be in the hands of Ryan Nassib. He is a relatively unknown and does not exactly inspire much confidence in the fan base. By the time New York would even consider getting a quarterback, the top prospects will be gone. They would be let with players like Brett Hundley, Bryce Petty and Garret Grayson who could all turn out to be quality options for New York.
Drafting a young prospect does not indicate the Giants are ready to move on from Manning. It simply says that Manning is 34 and not young anymore. The Giants would be wise to get a quality option to develop for the future while the draft pool at the position is considered strong.
