Eli Manning, 39, the two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback for the New York Giants, is to set to retire.
Manning, who spent all of his 16 years in the NFL with the Giants, controversially joined them in 2004.
He was originally selected first overall pick by the San Diego Chargers. This was in spite of his insistence he did not want to play for them.
He was quickly traded to the Giants, however, in exchange for Philip Rivers, whom New York had selected with their fourth pick.
He went on to lead the Giants to Super Bowl triumphs in the 2007 and 2011 seasons, both of his victories coming against the powerhouse New England Patriots. The Giants first win came as arguably the greatest upset in Super Bowl history. The Bill Belichick-coached, Tom Brady-lead Patriots had gone undefeated in the regular season and were strong favorites.
Manning’s career a subject of great debate
Despite twice winning the Lombardi Trophy, Manning has remained one of the more divisive figures in the NFL, with the merits of his career the subject of great debate as his skills have declined in the latter years of his career.
The Giants, however, are in no doubt as to where he stands in the history of their storied franchise.
Says Giants president and CEO John Mara, “For 16 seasons, Eli Manning defined what it is to be a New York Giant – both on and off the field.
“Eli is our only two-time Super Bowl MVP and one of the very best players in our franchise’s history. He represented our franchise as a consummate professional with dignity and accountability.
“It meant something to Eli to be the Giants quarterback, and it meant even more to us. We are beyond grateful for his contributions to our organisation and look forward to celebrating his induction into the Giants Ring of Honour in the near future.”
Praise too from Giants chairman Stev Tisch
Giants chairman Stev Tisch added, “We are proud to have called Eli Manning our quarterback for so many years,”
“He was driven to always do what was best for the team. Eli leaves a timeless legacy with two Super Bowl titles on the field and his philanthropic work off the field, which has inspired and impacted so many people. We are sincerely thankful for everything Eli has given our team and community. “
Giants head coach Tom Coughlin also had high praise for Manning. “It was an honor and privilege to coach Eli, he said.
Here goes “a great, great Footballer”
“The guys that had the opportunity to play with him know what it’s like to be with a guy with as much talent, as much grit and as much determination. Here goes the retirement of a great, great footballer.”
Controversially benched for one game in 2017, Manning started every game of a 2018 season in which the Giants finished with a 5-11 record. He started the first two games of 2019 before being benched for rookie Daniel Jones.
An injury to Jones forced Manning back into the line-up for two further starts and he followed a defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles with a victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 15 to finish with 117 wins and 117 losses.
Manning will end his career with 57,023 passing yards in 8,119 passing attempts. 4 895 passes were completed, 366 with touchdowns. He also scored seven rushing touchdowns.
No one did it better than ???????? #ThankYouEli pic.twitter.com/8PZCGMlnG9
— New York Giants (@Giants) 22 January 2020