When the 2019 regular season ended, it was almost a foregone conclusion that veteran quarterback Eli Manning would not be back with the New York Giants in 2020. That only left a question of whether he would come back for another year with another franchise or would he retire altogether.
Paul Schwartz of the New York Post says “all signs indicate” that Manning, 39, is headed for retirement.
“The grind is behind him. Eli Manning can now be a suburban New Jersey Gentleman Farmer, doting on his wife and four children, starting a new and more leisurely chapter of his life, at 39 years old. There is no compelling reason for him to don a helmet ever again, and all signs indicate he is headed for a quiet and deserved retirement.
. . .
There was a sense around him as the season wound down that he realized this was his last go-round. Eli is usually the sharpest guy in the room, and he will not be the last to know when his time is up. He will, however, be the first to know when the time is right to exit the stage.”
Recent reports have suggested that the Giants would welcome Manning back as the backup to Daniel Jones, but Manning doesn’t want to do that, and the team doesn’t think it’s a great idea for to do wither, per Schwartz.
Manning has earned $252.3M in his career — the most ever for an NFL player — and he has captured two Super Bowls.
Manning has remained completely out of the spotlight since the end of the 2019 season, but that will change when he’s introduced at the NFL Honors Award Show as the winner of Bart Starr Award.
His decision is expected to come sometime after that.
