Eli Manning is starting for the New York Giants once again on Monday night when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles, and many believe that will be the beginning of a farewell tour for the veteran quarterback. Manning, however, may be viewing it as an audition.
People close to Manning believe he wants to keep playing in 2020 and compete for a starting job somewhere, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. Since he’s in the final year of his contract with the Giants and the team appears to be committed to Daniel Jones as its quarterback of the future, Manning will be looking for a job outside of New York if he opts against retiring.
Manning will likely want to join a contending team if he does decide to continue his playing career, and it’s unclear how many opportunities there will be for him. The Chicago Bears are one possibility if they decide to move on from Mitchell Trubisky, and Raanan also mentioned the Tennessee Titans. However, Ryan Tannehill has played extremely well since taking over for Marcus Mariota and appears to have convinced the Titans he can be their starter beyond this season. Chicago has been mentioned as a possible landing spot for Cam Newton, who would likely be viewed as a much better option than Manning.
There’s a reason Manning was benched in favor of Jones. His skills have clearly declined in recent years, which makes sense for a player who will turn 39 in January. Unless he lights it up on Monday night and in any other starts he might get in New York this season, Manning may have a tough time convincing a fringe team that he is the missing piece they need to get over the hump.
We previously heard of some reasons Manning might be inclined to remain in New York, but the Giants can’t offer him anything other than a backup job. While you can understand why he’s not interested in that after playing for so long and winning two Super Bowls, finding a job as a starter somewhere else probably will not be easy for him.
