Eli Manning Deal Officially Announced

Eli Manning – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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ELI MANNING DEAL OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED…
The New York Giants officially announced on Friday evening that the team has signed quarterback Eli Manning to a 4-year contract extension.

“I’m obviously excited knowing I’ll be a Giant for a long time,” Manning said. “This is where I got started and where I want to finish. I still have the same mentality. My goal is to earn this contract and do my best and keep trying to win championships for the Giants.

“It wasn’t something that I worried about getting done. In the last couple of weeks, when it was close to getting done, there were a few little things that held it up a little bit. It’s not a distraction, but it’s something that has to be dealt with. I’m excited that I can start thinking about football completely. The mindset has been, I have a job to do, getting ready for Dallas, and doing my job.

“Once the talks got going and we were very close, I definitely wanted to try to get it done before the season, so I could just think about football. Even though I tried not to make it a distraction, it’s still around. You have to talk to your agent, and you’re getting updates and you’re dealing with the media. So it’s good to have that over with, so I can work on playing football and winning football games.

“Not many people come to a team and play there for an extended period of time or, hopefully, their whole careers. I feel obviously blessed to be part of the Giants family and to have played my career here, with the fans, the ownership and everything the Giants represent. It’s been a great 11 years going into 12, and hopefully we can continue to have some great years, and there are a lot of fond memories ahead of us.”

The deal is reportedly 4-year, $84 million contract extension that includes $65 million in guaranteed money and a $31 million signing bonus. Counting the final year of his current 6-year, $97.5 million contract that was signed in August 2009, the new total 5-year package is worth $101.5 million. The Daily News is reporting that $68.5 million will be paid over the next three years. The deal will also include a no-trade clause.

Manning’s $21 million average in new money on the four-year extension would rank him fourth among quarterbacks in the NFL, behind Aaron Rodgers ($22 million), Russell Wilson ($21.9 million), and Ben Roethlisberger ($21.85 million). The $65 million in guaranteed money will match the NFL record the Chargers recently guaranteed quarterback Philip Rivers.

ODELL BECKHAM ON ESPN RADIO…
The audio of ESPN Radio’s interview with wide receiver Odell Beckham is available at ESPN.com.