Longtime Giants quarterback Eli Manning will retire rather than continue as a backup or play with another team. He'll hold a news conference announcing his retirement Friday.
Manning, who turned 39 earlier this month, spent his entire 16-season NFL career with the Giants. He led the team to two Super Bowl titles after the 2007 and 2011 titles, with both wins coming over the Patriots.
The Giants confirmed Manning's retirement in a statement. "For 16 seasons, Eli Manning defined what it is to be a New York Giant both on and off the field," co-owner John Mara said.
Manning's 210-game streak as Giants starter ended in 2017, but he was quickly reinstated as the starter. He was finally permanently relegated to backing up Daniel Jones this fall.
"I can't tell you what that means to a coach, to be able to prepare every week knowing your starter is going to be there," Tom Coughlin, who coached Manning for most of his career, said. "It's almost impossible today to be able to do that.
He did come off the bench for two more games, losing to the Eagles and then beating the Dolphins to get his career record back up to 117-117. With his retirement, Manning ends his career at exactly .500 as a starter.
