The Giants and Eli Manning are finalizing a four-year, $84MM extension, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal could be signed tomorrow as there are just a few details to be ironed out.
Previous reports have indicated that the two sides were likely to get something done before the official start of the Giants’ season. Earlier today, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported that a new deal for Eli would likely net him north of $20MM. Now, it sounds like he’ll be taking in a healthy AAV of $21MM.
For his part, Manning has mostly avoided discussing his contract, which expires at season’s end, suggesting that his focus is on football. But the two-time Super Bowl MVP recently addressed the issue on New York radio.
“I’m not a big fan of negotiations going on during the season,” Manning said. “I’m hoping if this thing is going to get done, it’s going to get done very quickly … and not have these talks continue on.”
Last month, a report suggested that Manning’s agent, Tom Condon, was seeking to make the Giants signal caller the highest-paid player in the NFL. Days later, Manning vehemently denied making any such demand and his soon-to-be-signed extension might be a sign of that. Rather than the $22MM AAV that Aaron Rodgers has, this reported deal would put him shoulder-to-shoulder with Philip Rivers, who inked a four-year, $84MM extension this summer. In addition to Rivers, Ryan Tannehill, Cam Newton, and Ben Roethlisberger are among the signal-callers who have signed new deals in 2015 averaging between $19-22MM per year.
