NFL Draft Diamonds

NFL Draft, NFL Trade Rumors, Scouting Reports & More

Eli Manning wants to be the richest quarterback of all time

Eli Manning is a free agent after the season for the Giants, but his agent is not worried about getting him under contract
Eli Manning is a free agent after the season for the Giants, but his agent is not worried about getting him under contract

Eli Manning is in the final year of his contract and the New York Giants quarterback wants to get paid. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the two-time Super Bowl winner is looking to sign a contract extension before Week 1 that will make him the highest-paid player in the NFL. Aaron Rodgers currently has the highest average annual salary at $22.0 million per year.

As it stands, Manning will make $17 million in the final year of his contract before becoming an free agent next season.

According to Pro Football Talk, Eli might have the leverage:

More important than Manning’s base salary of $17 million in 2016 is his cap number of $19.75 million.

So if the Giants use the franchise tag on Manning in 2016, he’ll make 20 percent more than $19.75 million. Which (abacus engaged) equates to $23.7 million. Which is $1.7 million more than the current high-water mark of $22 million per year, set byAaron Rodgers in 2013.

And that’s assuming the Giants simply use the non-exclusive version of the franchise tag. If they go exclusive, the number for 2016 will be closer to $25 million.

So why wouldn’t Eli want more than $22 million on a long-term deal? While it can be spun by the team that he’s looking to be the “highest-paid player in the league,” the truth is that Eli is simply trying to take fair advantage of the leverage his current deal creates.

That leverage consists of another 20-percent raise in 2017, when his franchise tender would be $28.44 million under the non-exclusive tag and roughly $30 million under the exclusive tag. That’s a $50.44 million minimum and a $55 million maximum over two years.

Loading

Leave a Reply