When the 2019 regular season ended, veteran quarterback Eli Manning left almost all doors open with the sole exception of returning to the New York Giants as a backup.
Several weeks later and it sounds as if some of those options are dwindling and that Manning is, in fact, strongly considering retirement.
From Paul Schwartz of the New York Post:
The grind is behind him. Eli Manning can now be a suburban New Jersey Gentleman Farmer, doting on his wife and four children, starting a new and more leisurely chapter of his life, at 39 years old. There is no compelling reason for him to don a helmet ever again, and all signs indicate he is headed for a quiet and deserved retirement.
. . .
There was a sense around him as the season wound down that he realized this was his last go-round. Eli is usually the sharpest guy in the room, and he will not be the last to know when his time is up. He will, however, be the first to know when the time is right to exit the stage.
Manning has spent the first few weeks of the offseason helping to coach his oldest daughter’s (Ava) basketball team while also volunteering at her swim meets as a timer. He’s been able to spend time with his family without worrying about the offseason or what’s ahead, and it’s been easy on him.
“I’ll support Eli whatever he wants to do,” said Archie Manning, Eli’s father. “He’s pretty good at thinking through things. He’ll do what’s right and he’ll do what’s best.”
Thus far, Manning has remained completely out of the spotlight, but that will change in a few weeks when he’s introduced at the NFL Honors Award Show as the winner of Bart Starr Award. That’s also why we won’t hear from Eli until then — he won’t steal the spotlight from the players winning awards, those in the Conference Championship Games or those the Super Bowl.
After that however, a final decision is likely to come for Manning. And despite the desire to continue his career, he may be slowly coming to the realization that this is the end.
If that is ultimately the case, Manning will retire as a member of the New York Giants and that will matter to him. It will matter to the organization. It will matter to his teammates. It will matter to his opponents. And it will matter to the fans.
Manning retiring as a Giant is how it should be, but it won’t be the end. After that, the hike to Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame begins.
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