Onto the next deal.
Every time a star player signs a new contract, we always turn our attention to the next big player whose contract is slated to run out soon.
When Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas signed their extensions, we started thinking about Julio Jones and A.J. Green.
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And so it is true with Philip Rivers’ deal now done, we turn our attention and gaze at Eli Manning. With fellow Class of 2004 quarterbacks Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger signed up for the next several seasons, Manning looms as the biggest quarterback whose future is not yet clear.
New York Giants owner John Mara has now said that the team believes he has several good years left and that it wants Manning signed up before the start of the regular season, per the New York Daily News (via WFAN) — and this is not the first time Mara has mentioned such a timetable.
“We're going to try to lock him up,” Mara said. “We're still having discussions with his agent, and our goal is to still try to reach a contract with him, hopefully before the regular season starts or as soon thereafter as possible. There is no deadline on it right now.”
The problem? Manning wants to get paid. Pardon, us PAID.
Here’s the latest from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport:
Eli Manning wants to be paid higher than any QB in the game, more than Aaron Rodgers. via @RapSheet pic.twitter.com/11iul2iq1N
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 17, 2015
Hey, if Russell Wilson can ask for the moon and get every bit of a waxing-gibbous contract (astronomy term), and Rivers can more guaranteed money than anyone in history, then perhaps anything is possible in this ask-and-you-very-likely-could-receive quarterback market.
Rodgers leads the way on average-per-year salary at $22 million, followed by Wilson ($21.9M), Roethlisberger ($21.85M), and Rivers ($20.8M). As far as guaranteed money is concerned, Rivers ($65M) and Wilson ($61.5M) lead the way; Rodgers checks in lower at $54M. Don't get fooled by the total money — where Jay Cutler's $126M and Joe Flacco's $120M pace the way — as the average per year and total guarantees are the numbers that matter most.
Manning’s name, his two Super Bowl rings and thriving (at times) in the New York boiler market are all things Eli can hang his hat on as reasons to believe he’s worthy of the biggest contract in the NFL. Reasons against that argument: Rodgers is better. So there you have it.
We’ll see if Manning surpasses Rivers’ money, but getting more than Rodgers feels a bit rich to us.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
- Eli Manning
- Philip Rivers
- Aaron Rodgers
- Ben Roethlisberger
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