Legendary NY Giants QB Eli Manning to announce retirement Friday

Eli Manning, the greatest quarterback in NY Giants history, will announce his retirement on Friday, after a season in which he was Daniel Jones’ backup.

Eli Manning’s retirement was first reported by ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jordan Raanan.

Manning’s retirement will mark the end of an era for the Giants that included two Super Bowl wins and several playoff appearances under him at quarterback. While it was not really a shock that Manning decided to retire at the age of 39, he did express an interest to continue playing quarterback in the NFL. The Giants were supposedly interested in offering Manning a backup role, he did not share that interest.

Had he not retired, Manning would have been headed for free agency and the stakes of tarnishing his legacy by playing in another uniform were likely too great. Plus, it was not entirely guaranteed that any teams would have offered him the starting role that he desired.

The news conference will likely be a teary and emotional stage for Manning and a must-watch for Giants fans everywhere. Manning’s retirement will likely be the most publicized since Hall of Fame defensive end Michael Strahan retired after the Giants Super Bowl 42 win in 2007.

The “GOAT” of Giants quarterbacks that features his predecessors Phil Simms, Fran Tarkenton, Y.A. Tittle, and Charlie Conerly is a good title for Manning. He likely will be headed the same place that Strahan, Tarkenton, Tittle, and Conerly are already in too; the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Manning will finish his career first in Giants history in pass attempts, completions, yards, and touchdowns. The four-time Pro Bowler also will finish 6th in passing attempts, 7th in completions, 7th in yards, and 7th in touchdowns all-time in NFL history.

Part of the irony to the timing of this report is that Daniel Jones, Manning’s successor at quarterback, played in the Senior Bowl, which is this same week. But Manning will get one more moment in the spotlight. The two-time Super Bowl winner will end his career irrelevant in the NFL but has already seen the heights of his relevancy bring two of the greatest years in Giants history and that deserves to be recognized.

Despite what anyone might say, Manning will one day find his bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and he will have to answer to no critic. Manning will finally be among the elite and will finalize his legacy in football’s most legendary family.

When Manning looked up at the Metlife Stadium jumbotron at his final start against the Dolphins and saw all of the fans chanting his name, he knew New York is where he belonged for good. And on Friday, he will cement that sentiment forever.