Any remaining chance the New York Giants would cut quarterback Eli Manning or force him into retirement is no more.
At 4 p.m. EDT on Saturday evening, Manning’s roster deadline (and subsequently his bonus deadline) came and went without any fanfare. Accordingly, on the official fifth day of the new league year, the Giants paid Manning a $5 million roster bonus and essentially cemented him in as the team’s starter in 2019.
If anything were to change in the coming days or months, the Giants would not only lose the roster bonus but owe a substantial amount in dead money.
With the Giants having the sixth overall pick, and with the team’s decision to trade Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns this week, some had thought New York would choose to part ways with Manning as part of a roster rebuild and maybe go with another quarterback for the future.
But the team is not letting go of the two-time Super Bowl MVP just yet.
Even if the Giants do decide to add another quarterback this offseason, the $5 million bonus all but guaranteed he would be riding the pine behind Manning for 16 games (or more).
