Eli Consistent, Worth the Money
Posted by Chester Eng | Posted in NFL | Posted: August 6, 2009 at 1:46 pm
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According to the Associated Press, Eli Manning has agreed to a six-year, $97 million dollar contract extension. Under this new deal, Eli will be guaranteed $35 million and keep him with the Giants through 2015. Adding on to the $9.4 million he will receive in the final year of his rookie contract, Eli will be set to earn a grand total of $106.9 million over the next seven years. For comparison, brother Peyton’s annual salary is $14 million and Tom Brady’s is $10 million. Since Eli is set to become one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the NFL, there is already some debate and about the Giants’ decision to give elite money to someone who most would agree is probably second-tier quarterback at best. Right now, Chargers general manager A.J. Smith must be dreading the day when he will sit down with Philip Rivers, who is also entering the final year of his original rookie deal, and negotiate a new contract that might end up being even larger than Eli’s.
Upon evaluating Eli’s body of work since he made his much anticipated debut into the NFL as the number one overall pick in 2004, I have no doubt that Giants general manager Jerry Reese has spent his money wisely by locking up Eli with this massive long term deal. In a time when teams have had trouble just finding someone to line up under center week in and week out, Eli has done everything that any team could possibly ask for out of its franchise quarterback, especially one who has been under as much scrutiny as Eli has for his entire career.
Though his frustratingly erratic play and mediocre numbers would say otherwise, Eli has proven to be a model of consistency ever since he became the Giants’ full time starter in 2005. Over that stretch, he has started every game (71 consecutive games and counting), won two NFC East titles, and made the playoffs every season. Despite his ho-hum demeanor and frazzled facial expressions when adversity strikes, Eli has also shown that he is without a doubt one of the best two-minute quarterbacks in the game today. When the clock is ticking and the Giants are in need of a score, Eli has more often than not stepped up, made clutch plays, and led his team to vict
ory. Having watched him for his entire career, I can say that certainly Eli has the same clutch playmaking ability we have come to associate with brother Peyton, Tom Brady, and Brett Favre. The game seems to slow down for Eli when he is in the no-huddle offense that requires him to make quick decisions. To prove my point, there is no need to look further than the 2007 playoffs.
Who could possibly forget how Eli led the Giants to one of the most improbable championships in the history of sports after winning three straights road playoff games as the underdog and then toppling the heavily favored juggernaut that was the 2007 New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII with a playoff run and two-minute drill for the ages? This alone justifies the Giants’ decision to break the bank for their quarterback. He has withstood all of the lofty expectations that come with being a Manning, the pressure from the ferocious New York media, and even criticism from his own teammates, when Tiki Barber openly questioned his leadership abilities, referring to the way he ran offensive team meetings as “laughable.”
Eli Manning is a stud who has delivered the goods and will certainly continue to do so. Not many other NFL quarterbacks can say the same. He has met every challenge that has faced thus far in his five-year career and found success. Only his play and the Giants’ record this season will tell how Eli will produce under yet another obstacle in his career: the replacement of his top two weapons, Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer, with a group of receivers that does not have a clear cut go-to guy quite yet. After all, Eli’s numbers faded and so did the Giants after Plaxico shot himself in the leg at a New York nightclub. Just like other major New York athletes can attest, just ask A-Rod, Eli might as well get used to hearing his contract mentioned in association with everything he does for the rest of his career.
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i think it’s good that the giants have secured eli for the long term and he deserves it for what he’s done the past two seasons.
but we’ll see if he’s worth all this money during the season. he needs to show that he can win without burress and without a great receiving corps (who are yet unproven). and if last year is anything to go by, i hope he develops some understanding with nicks and barden real fast.
While I understand that it is a good idea to lock him up for a long time, I think that the amount of money it is for is a little excessive for both sides. Firstly, the Giants should not be paying Eli that much money because he isnt that great of a player. He is now the second highest paid QB and he is most definitely not even a top 5 QB. On Eli’s side, I find it to be a bit selfish. I understand his desire to be paid for what he deserves, but with the amount of money the team has tied up in him, it reduces the amount they can pay other players. That is why you see guys like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady taking less money than they are worth, because they want to play for a championship caliber team.