Eli Manning, Giants agree to 4-year, $84 million extension

The New York Giants and quarterback Eli Manning have agreed in principle to four-year contract extension, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Manning and the team settled on an $84 million extension that included a no-trade clause, which had been a holdup in contract talks between the two sides, said ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. Manning will sign the deal later on Friday, according to the report.

Manning said Tuesday that he hoped to get the contract done before the first regular season game.

“I’m not a big fan of keeping negotiations going during the season,” he told the Boomer & Carton show. “I’m hoping that if this thing is going to get done, it’s going to get done very quickly.

“I would think both sides would want to do it that way and not have these talks continue on.”

Although Manning said earlier in the offseason that he was “comfortable” playing out the final year of the six-year, $97.5 million extension he signed in 2009, the Giants wanted to ensure their longtime quarterback would remain a steady presence for the team. While he may have been comfortable, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that Manning wanted to be paid more than any quarterback in the game, including the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers.

Manning, though, denied those reports.

“The reports are all wrong,” he told the New York Daily News. “I don’t know where they’re getting their information from. So I just kind of laugh at it.”

Fortunately for Manning, this extension is coming at a time when other quarterbacks have seen significant paydays. Eight different quarterbacks are making an average of at least $20 million per season, with Rodgers at the top with $22 million. That list also includes two players from Manning’s draft class in Ben Roethlisberger ($21.85 million average) and Philip Rivers ($20.812 million average).

Rivers was the most recent to get an extension, and with it he also received a massive $65 million guaranteed. Both of these guys were set up as solid measuring sticks for Manning, who has had similar stats over the years and has led his team to a pair of Super Bowl trophies, something Rivers has never been able to do.

Manning has been an integral part of the Giants’ organization since he was the top pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. He guided the team to Super Bowl victories during the 2007 and 2011 seasons and has started all 16 games for 10 consecutive seasons. The 34-year-old has been incredibly durable and his stats are consistently high.

In recent years he’s had a few struggles, notably in 2013 when he threw 18 touchdowns and a massive 27 interceptions. However, he followed that season up by completing 63.1 percent of his passes for 4,410 yards, 30 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 2014, his first season under new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo.

Both sides should be happy with the incoming deal. The Giants will get to keep their franchise quarterback for the long haul, and Manning will be paid on par with the top quarterbacks in the game.