Could 2019 be Eli Manning’s swan song or might the New York Giants commit to him beyond the final year remaining on his deal?
Well, if you were to ask team co-owner John Mara, he seems to be leaning more toward the latter.
While speaking at the NFL’s annual meeting in Arizona on Sunday night, Mara told a small group of reporters that the Giants will take it one year at a time with Manning from here on out, implying the two-time Super Bowl MVP could be under center beyond 2019.
“We are going to take it one year at a time,” Mara said. “At this stage in his career you take it one year at a time.”
That’s not to say the Giants won’t continue their search for Manning’s eventually successor, however. In fact, Mara all but guaranteed a new quarterback will be incoming. But for the time being, it’s all about riding with Eli and surrounding him with talent.
“I do (believe he can play) with the right players around him,” Mara said. “I think we started to do that with the offensive line. We obviously need a number of additional pieces to do that. We have 12 picks in this draft so hopefully we will be able to do that. The answer is yes, I do believe we can win with him if we surround him with the right people.”
Thus far, the Giants have made solid strides in doing just that, rebuilding their offensive line and signing Golden Tate to replace Odell Beckham Jr. The last piece appears to be a right tackle, which could still be addressed during free agency or early in the 2019 NFL Draft.
