Some players tend to raise a stink when they're headed into the last year of their contract without an extension. They hold out, ask for more money, do whatever they can to secure the future.
Eli Manning is not one of those players. “I guess I’m just happy that I’m still playing and still got a job to do,” Manning said, per the New York Daily News. “I guess I’ve always just thought, they gave me a contract for six years, this is the sixth year. I don’t have any complaints. I’m going to do my job, no matter what. My focus is on playing good football, winning games, and whatever happens after that happens after that.”
Eli's headed into the final season of a six-year, $97.5 million contract extension he signed back in 2010. He's scheduled to make $17 million in base salary this season, and his $19.75 million cap hit is second-highest among all quarterbacks behind only Drew Brees.
He's set up well to have success again this year, what with this being his second season under offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo's system, and it should help that he'll get full years from Victor Cruz and Odell Beckham Jr., health permitting. The two receivers combined to miss 14 games last season. Add Rueben Randle, Dwayne Harris, tight end Larry Donnell and pass-catching running back Shane Vereen to the mix, and Manning has as good and versatile a cadre of weapons around him as he's had in a while.
Last season -- his first with McAdoo after spending the previous seven years under Kevin Gilbride -- saw Manning complete a career-high 63.1 percent of his passes for 4,410 yards and 30 touchdowns, each the second-highest total of his career. He also threw just 14 interceptions, his fewest since 2009. It would appear that despite his age (he turned 34 in January), Eli's not slowing down just yet. Another good season could put Manning in line for the same kind of deal Ben Roethlisberger got (five years, $99 million) earlier this offseason.
