Eli Manning has basically said he has no interest in returning to the New York Giants as a player next season, but the door is open for him to remain with the organization in another role.
Giants owner John Mara said during an appearance on WFAN’s “Moose & Maggie” show this week that he recently sat down with Manning, and the 39-year-old has not yet made any decisions about his future. While Mara is open to having the veteran quarterback return to the team as a player, Manning said recently that he does not want to back up Daniel Jones. However, Mara is also interested in the two-time Super Bowl champion potentially moving to another role within the organization.
“I’ve mentioned to him the possibility of thinking about other roles in the organization, and he’s just undecided right now,” Mara said, via Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. “The season just ended recently, and he needs to take some more time and think about it. And I told him there’s no time limit on that. We’ll talk whenever he’s ready to sit down and talk again.”
It’s unclear what role Mara has in mind. Manning could take on some job with the football operations department if he wants to be more involved, or the Giants could simply make him an “ambassador” of some sort just to keep up appearances. If Manning wants to keep playing, however, he will likely pursue a starting job elsewhere.
Manning looks like he established a nice relationship with Jones, especially when you see the way the two partied together after a game. But Manning has made a ton of money in his career, and there’s no need for him to collect another paycheck while sitting on the bench.
