A lot of the Eli Manning hatred stems from Draft Day 2004 when the San Diego Chargers selected him first overall even though he had informed them he did not wish to play for them.
You know the rest. Eli was traded to the Giants for Philip Rivers and three draft picks and to this today there are some who believe the Chargers won out on the deal.
17 years later, we know who actually made out and who didn’t in the deal. The Chargers had their chances to win championships and did not take advantage of them. The Giants did. That has added to the ire and vitriol that’s been unfairly directed at Manning over the years.
During the Season 3 premiere of 10 Questions with Kyle Brandt, Eli explains the thought process and timeline of his decision back then and that his dad, Archie, had little influence on his actions.
Why didn't @EliManning want to play for the Chargers? The former NFL QB explains on '#10Questions With @KyleBrandt.' pic.twitter.com/lygIDWxLBt
— The Ringer (@ringer) October 6, 2021
“It was my decision having talked with my agent, coaches, GMs and owners. Going through the draft process, I was just worried about the Chargers organization at the time. I felt it was the right decision and I had a little pull,” Manning said.
“I quietly tried to say ‘hey, please don’t draft me, it can be our secret,’ and they didn’t keep the secret part very well. It wasn’t my Dad. He was trying to take the heat off of me, he knew I was going to get criticized. After that, the Chargers turned it around, they got Shawne Merriman, then Drew Bress started playing great, then Philip (Rivers) started playing great, they went to AFC Championship Games, they’re making playoffs and turned things around.”