Eli Manning has come out against a report suggesting he wants to be the highest paid player in the NFL, saying that the reports are not true and that he never said those words and this comes as the Giants and Manning have been working on a new contract extension. The Giants are also hopeful that Victor Cruz and Odell Beckham will play on Saturday against the Jaguars in the preseason.
Manning is coming into the final year of his contract this season and reports have both the Giants and Manning looking to get a new deal done. Reports came out earlier in the week that Manning was looking to be among the highest paid players in the NFL, but at practice in training camp, the quarterback disputed those claims. According to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, Manning said that it "never came out of his mouth" and he did not say that to his agent.
Manning added that his agent did not make that demand and that Manning's father, Archie Manning, was reportedly "upset" that the report came out. Manning has taken some flak in the past after being asked about if he was "elite" or not and when he said yes (answering a question honestly) many in the media came out to attack him. Manning has won two Super Bowl games and has established himself as one of the most durable players in the NFL during his career with the Giants.
The Giants have their second preseason game against the Jaguars this weekend and according to NJ.com, the team is expecting Odell Beckham to play, but Cruz likely will be out with a minor calf injury. Cruz is looking to start practicing fully soon with the team after his knee injury last season, while Beckham has been dealing with a sore hamstring. Cruz is set to start Week 1, as the calf injury is not considered serious. The Giants also could sign Manning to an extension and lower his cap number this year, which would free up space to sign a lineman.
According to the Daily News, the Giants have looked at both Jake Long and Evan Mathis on the free agent market after dealing with injuries on the OL. The Giants can sign Manning to an extension before the season and if that doesn't work, the team has time to get a deal done. The Giants have the franchise tag as a back pocket option if things don't work out, as both sides are reportedly looking to stay together for the future. Manning is coming off of one of his best seasons and while there is no urgency to sign Manning now, things could get tougher fi the Giants wait.
The team runs the risk of Manning having another good season and if that happens, his leverage would be higher in asking for more money. Of course Manning risks the inverse, as he could have a bad year and not be in as good of a position to negotiate, but at the end of the day, the Giants want to keep Manning and Manning wants to stay with the Giants. The team is hoping to get a deal done before the season starts. Aaron Rodgers is the highest paid player in the league by yearly salary.
