Eli Manning retiring, plans to announce news on Friday

Eli Manning is calling it a career.

The New York Giants quarterback plans to retire and will officially announce his retirement on Friday. The Giants shared the news in a post on their team website.

Manning played 16 years in the NFL, winning a pair of Super Bowls and being named MVP of both victories. He recently turned 39 and has not looked good enough to hold down a starting quarterback job in the league any more. After making it clear that he wasn’t interested in being a backup, he may have seen the writing on the wall.

While Manning’s Hall of Fame credentials will likely be debated for years to come, there’s no denying that he’s been an exceptionally important athlete in New York sports history and one of the Giants’ great quarterbacks. He was also one of the most reliable quarterbacks in the league, never missing a start due to injury. His retirement certainly marks the end of an era in both Giants and NFL history.