Will Eli Manning retire with the New York Giants?

Eli Manning is in the midst of a comeback year. Well, sort of.

Manning’s 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions aren’t going to help him win league MVP, but Manning has certainly improved from his deplorable 2013. Despite a starting slow out of the gate, Manning has played pretty well this year, as I predicted, and I don’t think it’s fair to give him all the blame for the Giants’ unfortunate record.

With so many injuries and poor play, Eli Manning typically needs to play a near perfect game for the Giants to compete with good teams. Against the Dallas Cowboys, the Giants had a lead and were driving to score again, until an errant Eli Manning pass was intercepted in returned for a big gain. Against the Seattle Seahawks, the Giants were tied until Manning heaved a regrettable pass that was intercepted by Earl Thomas. Eli Manning was almost non-existent against the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Giants lost 27-0.

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Against the San Francisco 49ers, Eli threw five interceptions, but Eli usually has one game a year in which he’s rendered useless, and it’s crazy to say I wasn’t overly surprised.

The season is over for the New York Giants, as their playoff hopes were dashed in the loss to Dallas. So with thoughts of the offseason already creeping in, the Giants front office needs to decide what its long-term plans for Eli Manning are.

Manning’s contract is set to expire after next year, and he’ll likely want to get a deal done before his contract actually expires. It’s a bit of a conundrum because of how much of the team’s salary Eli takes up. According to ESPN, Manning commands 17 percent of the Giants’ salary.

Eli’s next contract will likely be the last contract of his career, and he’s been open about stating his desire to retire with the team that drafted — I mean, the team that traded to get him in the 2004 draft — and his desire to stay is justified.

For those that are clamoring for a new quarterback in New York, it’s probably not going to happen until Manning hangs up the cleats. Eli is a good quarterback, and finding another franchise quarterback isn’t an easy thing to do. Just ask the Washington Redskins.

Releasing Manning is highly unlikely, so the Giants can either let him play out the final year of his contract, which costs the team $19.75 million next year, or they can extend him and create some cap room. However, the issue with extending Manning’s contract is that the Giants are then committed to Manning, who will be 34 next year, for the long-haul. Giants’ owner John Mara believes Manning still has a lot of football left in him. “We still think he’s in his prime and has a lot of good years left,” Mara said, via Tom Rock of Newsday. “It lefts the whole franchise when you have a quarterback who can play at that level.”

With the front office behind him, I don’t think there’s any reason why the Giants don’t give Eli say, a five-year contract extension, thus guaranteeing he ends his career in (big) blue.

That’s not to say the cogs around Manning are safe, though.

There will be changes made in the offseason, as head coach Tom Coughlin’s job is in jeopardy, and defensive coordinator Perry Fewell will most likely be fired. New offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo is safe, which could help contribute to the team’s decision to move forward with Manning under center. Manning has proven that he can succeed in the new, west-coast style of offense. Manning has been mostly efficient operating under the new offense, and his completion percentage of 62.3 is tied for the second best of his career.

For people that argue Eli’s stats should be better, just relax. Manning doesn’t have the talent around him this year, and 2,833 yards and a quarterback rating of 88 is pretty solid for what he’s working with. This year, Manning has had to carry the team on his shoulders like he did in 2011, except this time the team just isn’t good enough.

Odell Beckham Jr. is going to be a star, as I’ve already said, but the players not wearing number 13 aren’t helping Eli make it back to any Super Bowls. Rueben Randle has talent, but his chemistry with Manning has always been subject. Preston Parker is as inconsistent as they come, and it seems like whenever he does something good, he also does something bad. The offensive line has been like a revolving door, and at times like a swinging door, allowing defenders to easily rush Manning.

Victor Cruz will be back from his injury next year and that will help the offense and Eli’s production. However, improvements still need to be made. Getting some more offensive line depth as well as another wide receiver would benefit Eli Manning immensely. Although Manning is now 33 years old, the Giants still need to build around him.

Let’s face it, Eli Manning is a quarterback capable of winning Super Bowls. He’s the leader of this team, and he can help elevate the play of his teammates.

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