Giants Better Off Waiting To Sign Eli Manning To A Contract Extension?

According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, it may not make sense for the Giants to sign QB Eli Manning to a “mega- deal” this offseason, despite the fact that he’s currently in the final year of his current agreement.

Schwartz writes that “with so much long-term uncertainty surrounding the team, from the head coach on down, it might be unwise to saddle the organization with a mega-deal that a year from now could be viewed as a financial albatross.”

The price for a starting quarterback has skyrocketed in recent years, and with young stars like Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson reportedly in position to push the bar even higher for quarterback pay, Schwartz doesn’t see anyway Manning is going to take anything less than $20 million per year.

Joel Corry of CBS Sports ruled out the idea of Manning accepting a similar contract to the one signed by Patriots QB Tom Brady, which has given the team some room to address other areas of need in recent years.

“Well, his agent is Tom Condon,’’ Corry said. “Tom Condon is not giving the Giants a hometown discount. The only way that happens is if Eli Manning controls the process and tells his agent, ‘I want to stay here, let’s leave some money on the table so we can build a better team around me.’ If Tom Condon is allowed to manage the negotiation on his own, he’s asking for $20 million a year for Eli Manning.

“Nobody’s gonna do what Tom Brady did, for a couple of reasons. One, and maybe not so much for Eli but generally, in the locker room, money is a measuring stick. Richard Sherman kind of said it best when he got his deal, he said money is a way teams show you respect. Two, agents are self-motivated not to do anything like that because they’re paid on a commission.”

Manning, 34, has one year remaining on his seven-year, $106.9 million contract that included $35 million guaranteed. His base salary for the 2015 season sits at $17 million to go along with a staggering cap figure of $19.75 million.

In 2014, Manning threw for 4,410 yards while completing 63.1 percent of his passes to go along with 30 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 18 quarterback out of 39 qualifying players.