The New York Giants are reportedly "motivated" to get a new deal done for long-time franchise signal-caller Eli Manning, potentially prior to the kickoff of Giants training camp in August. Per Ralph Vacchiano of NYDailyNews.com, there will be a strong push to get something with Manning's contract done "sooner rather than later." It seems there's no clarity at present just how close or far apart the two sides are, but a pre-training camp deal isn't out of the question.
Vacchiano's report follows another from Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggesting that the Giants and Manning were hopeful of getting a deal done either prior to or in the early going of training camp.
Manning, 34, is entering the final year of a seven-year, $106.9 million contract extension he signed in August of 2009. The deal will pay him $17.5 million in 2015, just off the average annual value, about $20 million, of contracts for most franchise quarterbacks.
Manning's agent, Tom Condon, told the Daily News last month that he believes Manning should be paid like an elite signal-caller and, further, that his feeling was that the Giants and GM Jerry Reese would eventually pay up for a player in Manning who has already won the franchise two Lombardi Trophies.
"The quarterbacks always get done," Condon told the News. "And the Giants are not a skittish team. So it's not one of those things where they get nervous or they jump around or anything like that. You know you're going to go in and it's going to get done. I'm sure at the appropriate time it'll happen."
Manning set career-highs and Giants franchise records in passing attempts (601), completions (379) and completion percentage (63.1). At the helm of an offensive group that includes All-World wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and schemed by Ben McAdoo, Manning led New York to 367.2 yards per game and a total of 5,875 net yards - the fourth-most in Giants history.
Despite the already prodigious production, Manning indicated in late March that he was expecting even bigger things from himself and the offense in Year Two under McAdoo.
With Victor Cruz set to return from injury, Beckham looking to build on a Pro Bowl-worthy rookie year and Manning and the Giants reportedly talking contract, things are certainly looking up for a Big Blue team that fell well short of expectations last year.
