Eli Manning

Extra Points: Gronk, Eli, Barber, Peppers

December 3rd, 2017 at 9:59pm CST by GregGoldstein

Although the result of the Patriots-Bills game this afternoon was an expected New England victory, something rather surprising did happen during the fourth quarter of the contest. Up handily by 20 points, Tom Brady threw an interception to cornerback Tre’Davious White. However, when the rookie fell down after his return, tight end Rob Gronkowski clearly hit him in the head while he was just face down on the turf. Gronk was not thrown out because of his malicious action, but Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com was surprised he wasn’t and thinks further punishment could be coming for the star tight end.

Seifert points out in his piece that former NFL referee Dean Blandino said that Gronkowski should have been ejected for the hit and that he could “maybe” be in-line to miss game action for the incident.

The NFL will review the situation over the next 24 hours and see what type or if any discipline is needed. Gronkowski clearly lowered his shoulder into White well after the play was over, seeming upset that the 2017 first rounder picked off Brady in his direction. However, Seifert notes that the 28-year-old doesn’t really have a track record of misbehaving on the field, despite some minor incidents. The league will also take into account that Gronkowski apologized immediately after the game.

While the NFL did levy two-game suspensions to Aqib Talib and Michael Crabtree this past week, this situation is clearly different given that there was no history of bad blood between the two players, Though, it’s clear that the Pats All-pro was in the wrong and could miss time or at least get heavily fined because of his actions on the field today.

Despite being benched for the remainder of the regular season, Eli Manning remained rather unequivocal when asked if he will suit up for another year in the league, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. “I plan on playing next season,” Manning said twice Sunday after the Giants‘ 24-17 loss to the Raiders. It’s more likely that the veteran signal caller won’t be back with the Giants after what’s transpired this past week. However, that doesn’t mean Manning won’t have his suitors. While he may be 37 years old heading into next season, the two-time Super Bowl winning QB should garner interest from a host of quarterback needy teams. Manning is clearly not the player he once was, but with the need at the position still so high around the league, his track record is tough to come by on the open market. He’s under contract with New York for 2018-19, but the front office could trade him at some point in the offseason or release him before March 18, 2018, when he is due a $5MM roster bonus.
The Buccaneers lost their eighth game of the season when the Packers were able to seal the contest in overtime, but running back Peyton Barber was a major bright spot for the team, opines Roy Cummings of Florida Football Insiders. With Doug Martin out due to a concussion, the 23-year-old back carried the ball 23 times for 102 yards. Cummings points out that it was the team’s first 100 yard rushing effort from a tailback since late last season. In his second year since being undrafted out of Auburn, Barber’s performance on Sunday likely earned himself some more chances to impress in the final four weeks of the regular season.
Browns rookie safety Jabrill Peppers injured his knee in the team’s game against the Chargers this afternoon, according to Pat McManamon of ESPN.com. Head coach Hue Jackson said that the first round pick will get an MRI tomorrow in order to assess just how serious the injury is. Cleveland has backup safeties Derron Smith and Kai Nacua should Peppers need to miss time.

Latest On Eli Manning

December 3rd, 2017 at 10:19am CST by Rory Parks

The Giants’ decision to bench Eli Manning has created plenty of drama in the football world over the last week, and the way head coach Ben McAdoo handled the benching might have cost him his job. It is now difficult to envision Manning returning to Big Blue next season — although team owner John Mara did not foreclose that possibility — but there are any number of quarterback-needy clubs who would love to have Manning under center for a couple of years.

Manning himself has said that he is not planning to retire, so there has already been a great deal of speculation as to which teams could be in play for his services this offseason. But Manning’s father, Archie Manning, has suggested that his son could indeed hang up the cleats.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Archie said that Eli was heartbroken over the benching, which was perhaps exacerbated by the way McAdoo handled it (Manning was apparently made to feel like a scapegoat when New York brass simply wanted to evaluate the rest of its roster in a lost season). Archie said, “Eli’s passion for the Giants goes deeper than most and I’ve mentioned it through the years. Eli loves playing for the New York Giants. He just does. He just loves it, I think more than most. So therefore, it broke his heart.”

Archie went on to say that Eli could simply call it a career and stay home with his wife and three daughters. After all, he has two Super Bowl trophies — to go along with two Super Bowl MVP awards — a young family, and more money than he could ever hope to spend. He has nothing left to prove, and Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network tweets that all options, including retirement, are on the table.

But it would still be hard to imagine Manning not playing in 2018. The Jaguars have been mentioned as a logical landing spot for him, which Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reiterated today (per La Canfora, who also indicated that Manning has absolutely no intention of retiring, several GMs say Manning-to-Jacksonville makes too much sense to not happen). The Broncos also make some sense, though Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post suggests a second Manning-Denver marriage is unlikely.

In any event, Manning will not suit up for the Giants again (at least in 2017) barring injury to one of the team’s other QBs. Per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk (citing ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio), McAdoo has vowed that he will not bench Geno Smith today, and Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com says the team legitimately like Smith and wants to take a real look at him.

East Rumors: Bowles, Manning, Williams

November 30th, 2017 at 3:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jets have slunk to 4-7 after a promising start, but Todd Bowles‘ job appears to be safe going into Gang Green’s December slate. Sources throughout the organization are “raving” about the third-year coach’s ability to coax what he has from this young team, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv reports. Bowles’ Jets are one win away from last season’s total, and five of New York’s seven defeats have come by one score. Vacchiano notes a short-term offseason extension is possible, and while he expects Bowles to receive a fourth season with the Jets, that won’t be decided until the offseason.

Here’s the latest from the Eastern divisions in advance of Thursday night’s NFC East clash.

Despite the Giants‘ panned decision to bench Eli Manning, the franchise quarterback places a value on playing an entire career for one team, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. So, a Tony Romo-esque exit shouldn’t be ruled out. However, Manning reportedly wants to continue playing and sees “several” destinations that would suit him. Breer adds Manning won’t simply go to a quarterback-needy team just for the sake of continuing his career, though. Despite Manning having a sub-par age-36 season as the Giants slog through an injury-riddled campaign, multiple defensive coaches told Breer the 14th-year passer still has quality football left. “I think he has a lot left,” one of the coaches told Breer. “No offensive line, zero run game and he lost his four top receivers in the same game. So it’s hard to truly assess him.” Although it’s early to make these proclamations, Breer sets the Tom Coughlin-led Jaguars as the frontrunner to land Manning.
On the topic of Big Apple quarterbacks, the Jets could well look to bring back Josh McCown for more stopgap work, Vacchiano notes. The team is obviously going to be ready to enter the quarterback market, but McCown staying on as a backup may be a workable scenario for Gang Green. This would push Christian Hackenberg further toward the back burner. Bowles already announced McCown would remain the starter, barring injury.
One of the most notable long-running dramas in the league’s near-25-year history of free agency looks be set for a third go-round, with Kirk Cousins still not attached to a long-term deal. The Redskins will not be using the transition tag on their quarterback, but JP Finlay of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes the team should still use the non-exclusive franchise tag. This would cost Washington a staggering $34MM, but unlike the transition tag, it would force other teams to fork over two first-round picks for the right to sign Cousins, who will enter his age-30 season in 2018.
Trent Williams will be protecting Cousins against the Cowboys tonight, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Jay Gruden told NFL.com’s Jane Slater this is a pain-tolerance issue regarding Williams’ knee, one he’s admitted he will need surgery on. With the Redskins on the outer fringe of the NFC wild-card race, an in-season Williams surgery would make sense rather than extend the rehab time — one that could be around six months, per the eighth-year tackle — farther into 2018.

Giants Owner John Mara On Eli Manning

November 29th, 2017 at 2:55pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants’ decision to bench Eli Manning on Sunday ignited a firestorm of controversy in the football world. On Wednesday, owner John Mara addressed reporters directly to discuss the future of the team’s quarterback position as well as the job security of head coach Ben McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese. Here’s a look at the highlights with all links going to Twitter:

Mara says the Giants “obviously have some decisions to make this offseason” when it comes to the head coach and GM positions (link via Tom Rock of Newsday). Some say that McAdoo has lost control of the locker room, as underscored by the team’s saga with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie earlier this year. Meanwhile, Reese has been criticized for failing to build the team through the draft in recent years.
Mara is adamant that the original plan was for Manning to play on Sunday, but perhaps not for the whole game (link via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com). However, he says he understands why Manning wasn’t on board and admitted that it probably could have been handled differently.
“I don’t think you should be writing his obituary just yet,” Mara said when asked about Manning’s future in New York (link via Raanan). Still, the Giants have a big decision to make before March 14th, the date that Manning’s $5MM roster bonus comes due.
Mara says he first suggested to Reese a week or two ago that it might be time to look at other quarterbacks (link via Raanan).
Any suggestion that the Giants are tanking is “complete [B.S.],” Mara says (link via James Kratch of NJ.com). A reminder: The Giants are 2-9 and will start Geno Smith under center on Sunday.

Eli Manning Not Planning To Retire

November 28th, 2017 at 9:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Eli Manning does not sound like he’s ready to retire after this season. The 14th-year quarterback still wants to play and believes there are “several” destinations out there for him next year, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com reports.

This would throw a big name onto the quarterback market, one that could also include the likes of Kirk Cousins, Alex Smith and the Vikings’ passers. Graziano reports Manning has been hit “pretty hard” by this demotion, and while adding the caveat of this being too soon to know for sure how the Giants icon wants to proceed, the feeling is he doesn’t want his career to end like this.

Teams like the Jaguars and Broncos come to mind as otherwise well-stocked outfits with glaring holes at quarterback, with the Cardinals — who could observe a Carson Palmer retirement — profiling as such as well. Mike Jurecki of ArizonaSports.com, however, doesn’t see the Cards having interest in bringing in Manning (Twitter link). The Vikings have generated plenty from Case Keenum this season, but the defensively geared franchise does not have a quarterback under contract for 2018.

This would certainly point to Manning being willing to waive his no-trade clause in hopes of facilitating a trade to a logical team. Two years and more than $40MM remain on his deal, one that’s largely non-guaranteed. He has a $5MM roster bonus due March 14.

Manning will turn 37 in January. He’s two years removed from a Pro Bowl season that featured 35 touchdown passes. He threw 26 TDs last season. Saddled with a skeleton-crew receiving corps and an offensive line riddled with injuries, Manning has 14 TD passes and seven interceptions through 11 games in 2017.

Manning said earlier today he wasn’t thrilled with the Giants’ original plan. He found Giants management’s idea of letting him start games before being pulled at halftime as a phony way of going about this succession strategy, Graziano reports.

The Giants are not planning to keep Geno Smith in the starting lineup for long, either.

Graziano reports Davis Webb is expected to make the bulk of the starts down the stretch, perhaps beginning that run as soon as Week 14. The Giants didn’t feel it was right to throw the third-round rookie into the fray this week after receiving scant practice reps this season. But the current power structure wants to see what the rookie has before this rough season concludes.

Fallout From Eli Manning Benching

November 28th, 2017 at 7:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

The second-longest start streak in quarterback history will come to an end after the Giants decided to bench Eli Manning in favor of Geno Smith. This naturally leads to speculation that the 36-year-old quarterback has played his final down with the team. In his Tuesday press conference, Ben McAdoo did not specify the role Jerry Reese and John Mara played in making the move to bench Manning, via Ed Werder (on Twitter). McAdoo merely said all parties were in agreement. The second-year Giants coach also said the team is not considering waiving Manning, who has two years and more than $40MM remaining on his contract. Smith is not under contract beyond 2017.

Here’s more from the Giants cutting the cord on Manning after 210 starts.

Tom Coughlin came out in support of his former quarterback and said he was “very upset” to hear the news Manning had been benched. “My sentiments are totally with Eli Manning,” the Jaguars‘ executive VP said (via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo, on Twitter). “I love the kid. He is a class act. He is a two-time Super Bowl champion. He is the finest, most humblest young man in that locker room. I haven’t followed the Giants. I know it’s a disappointing year by my thoughts are strictly with Eli. I’m very upset about when I heard that.” This stands to naturally fuel buzz about Manning being a 2018 Jaguars target. Coughlin running the Jags, who can cut bait on Blake Bortles‘ non-guaranteed 2018 option before free agency, and their rebuilt defense thriving makes north Florida a logical fit.
Manning has a no-trade clause in his contract, but after Tuesday’s events, the two-time Super Bowl MVP may be more inclined to waive it for a chance at another starting job. Conor Orr of SI.com lists the Jaguars as a fit, while placing the Broncos and Cardinals as the other top two destinations. The Broncos are in a similar place to the Jags, only with their quarterback woes having removed them from a Super Bowl perch, and the Cardinals will likely again be waiting on a Carson Palmer retirement decision. The Palmer-to-Manning switch would be interesting given that Palmer is only a month older than Manning.
As for a Manning/Coughlin reunion, Joel Corry of CBS Sports tweets the Jags could create $19MM in cap space by cutting Bortles after this season. That option doesn’t become fully guaranteed until Day 5 of the 2018 league year (March 14). Prior to a Bortles cut, the Jags have just more than $30MM in projected 2018 cap space. The Broncos have $32MM-plus, and the Cardinals — with Palmer’s 2018 salary on their books as of now — stand to hold more than $35MM.
This decision was certainly brought down from higher than McAdoo, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com writes, and the current HC feels like the next scapegoat for the Giants’ woeful season. Reese should be on the chopping block as well, Graziano writes, noting that were that to happen, there would be front office and scouting department turnover as well as a likely McAdoo ouster.
Manning will be due a $5MM roster bonus on March 14 if he’s still on the Giants, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Yates adds the Giants can save $9.8MM if Manning is cut or traded, but they’ll be taking on $12.4MM in that scenario. Manning has a $22.2MM cap figure in 2018 and a $23.2MM number in ’19. Manning’s $10.5MM base salary next season is non-guaranteed.

Giants To Start Geno Smith On Sunday

November 28th, 2017 at 2:33pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants announced that Geno Smith will start at quarterback on Sunday against the Raiders. The move will allow the Giants to evaluate their younger quarterback in what has become a lost season.

“Geno will start this week,” coach Ben McAdoo said in a press release. “Over the last five games, we will take a look at Geno, and we will also give Davis [Webb] an opportunity.”

It’s a historic move for the G-Men given that Eli Manning has started 210 consecutive regular-season games. It is the second-longest streak by a quarterback in NFL history, second only to Brett Favre’s 297. According to the press release, Manning was given the option to continue his streak, but declined.

“Coach McAdoo told me I could continue to start while Geno and Davis are given an opportunity to play,” said Manning, who has started every Giants game since Nov. 21, 2004. “My feeling is that if you are going to play the other guys, play them. Starting just to keep the streak going and knowing you won’t finish the game and have a chance to win it is pointless to me, and it tarnishes the streak. Like I always have, I will be ready to play if and when I am needed. I will help Geno and Davis prepare to play as well as they possibly can.”

The Giants will be re-evaluating every area of the team in the offseason, including the quarterback position. Manning isn’t necessarily being forced out, but the Giants are expected to look towards the future as his 37th birthday comes in January. McAdoo & Co. are about to find out whether the former Jets bust is a potential option. Meanwhile, they’ll have to decide on Manning’s future before he collects on a $5MM roster bonus on the fifth day of the 2018 league year in March.

Smith played in 33 regular-season games with 30 starts for the Jets, but he has not started a game since October of last year. His stint in green was defined by poor play, injuries, and a locker room brawl that left him with a major jaw fracture.

Heading into the season, the Giants believed that Manning, Odell Beckham Jr., and free agent pickup Brandon Marshall would power them into the playoffs. Unfortunately, injuries to OBJ, Marshall, and scores of other key players have taken them out of contention. The Giants are 2-9 with no mathematical chance of reaching the postseason.

“This is not the way it should be, but unfortunately, it’s where we are,” McAdoo said. “Our number one priority every week is to go win a game, but we owe it to the organization to get an evaluation of everybody on the roster, and that includes at the quarterback position. I’ll say it again, I have the utmost respect for Eli and everything he has done for this organization throughout his career. He is the consummate professional. He doesn’t like the position we are in, and neither do any of us. Eli has had to deal with a lot this season. Through it all, he has done everything we have asked of him in getting that unit ready to play. He has been steady, just like he has always been.”

NFC Notes: R. Wilson, Gruden, Eli, Bennett

November 12th, 2017 at 11:14am CST by Rory Parks

Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, citing a source close to the situation, reports that the Seahawks violated the league’s concussion protocol by allowing quarterback Russell Wilson to reenter Thursday night’s game against Arizona without going to the locker room and being cleared by a team doctor and an independent physician. However, a league spokesman told ESPN that the NFL has not conducted any interviews yet, so it has not reached any conclusions. The NFL and NFLPA will jointly review the situation over the coming weeks.

If Seattle is determined to have violated the protocol, it could be fined up to $150K.

Now for more from the NFC:

Every year, it seems, we hear rumors concerning Jon Gruden‘s potential return to the sidelines as a head coach. With his former team, the Buccaneers, sputtering in 2017, and with Dirk Koetter looking less likely to return in 2018, Gruden-to-Tampa Bay rumors will only continue to pick up steam, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes. Gruden has mended his relationship with Bucs ownership and still lives about 10 minutes from the team facility, and a source close to him indicated it is possible that Gruden returns to the Bucs.
The Giants have no plans to bench Eli Manning, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes. Although their long-time signal-caller does not figure to be a part of any long-term rebuild, Rapoport says it would take a catastrophe for Big Blue to sit Manning down this season.
The Packers released Martellus Bennett with a Failure to Disclose a Physical Condition designation, alleging that Bennett failed to tell the team that he had a torn rotator cuff before he signed with the team this offseason. Bennett, of course, refutes that notion, but Green Bay intends to recoup the signing bonus it paid to Bennett, per Rapoport. Whether the Packers will seek the full $6.3MM bonus or the $4.2MM prorated portion is unclear, but they have over a month in which to file their grievance.
Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott, whose suspension was reinstated earlier this week, is leaving the country to clear his head and train in an undisclosed location, per Rapoport (via Twitter).

NFC Rumors: Manning, Smith, Capers, 49ers

November 11th, 2017 at 9:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

This week has been among the more grim Giants stretches in many years. Anonymous players came forward to criticize Ben McAdoo, and the statuses of the head coach and GM Jerry Reese aren’t exactly entrenched going into 2018. And the Giants are ready to look at the 2018 quarterback crop for a possible high first-round selection. Eli Manning, though, still looms as the team’s franchise passer with two full seasons remaining on his contract. While it doesn’t make much sense for a 36-year-old quarterback to be around for the kind of rebuild the Giants may want to embark upon, Manning would prefer to finish his career with one team, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com notes.

While Graziano mentions the Jaguars and Broncos as teams that would make sense as possible Manning suitors via trade, he writes the possibility of landing back on a contender — with these teams missing a quarterback to complement top-flight defenses — wouldn’t necessarily override Manning’s desire to play his entire career with New York. Manning having a no-trade clause makes his desires rather significant as the Giants begin plans for their future.

Here’s the latest from the NFC going into Week 10 Sunday.

While Ezekiel Elliott will be the most notable absence in Sunday’s Cowboys-Falcons game, Dallas will be without its cornerstone left tackle as well. Tyron Smith will miss Week 10 with back and groin injuries. The All-Pro blocker will not make the trip to Atlanta, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports (on Twitter). Chaz Green will start in Smith’s place. The seventh-year veteran had made all eight starts for the Cowboys this season.
49ers defensive end Tank Carradine returned to practice this week, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reports. The team planned to bring the injured defender back from IR, and it looks like that’s still the plan. Carradine can return as soon as Week 12 — a November 26 game against the Seahawks. Both Carradine and Arik Armstead are on IR, and it looks like the latter’s third NFL season will be over. “It’s a tough decision, but we feel Tank has got a good chance to at least be back for these last six games where we know Arik would have been only the last two,” Kyle Shanahan said. “We had to make a decision (Wednesday), so we’re going to go with Tank right now.” Fellow defensive lineman Ronald Blair took San Francisco’s first IR-return spot last week.
If this Packers slide results in the team’s eight-season playoff streak ending, there could be changes in Green Bay. Pete Dougherty of PackersNews.com notes Dom Capers‘ job looks to be in the most danger. The Packers have invested 10 first- or second-round picks in their defense since 2012 and are trotting out a sub-average unit. Green Bay ranks 21st in defensive DVOA and 19th in points allowed. Dougherty writes the advancing ages of Aaron Rodgers (34 in December), Mike McCarthy (54, but in season No. 12) and Ted Thompson (64, in season 13) could force the organization to make a high-profile change in hopes of capitalizing on this era’s Rodgers-opened window. The 67-year-old Capers is in his ninth season leading Green Bay’s defense and been leading defenses for more than 25 seasons.
The Seahawks‘ post-Richard Sherman plan will likely feature the nearly traded Jeremy Lane moving into the starting lineup alongside rookie Shaquill Griffin, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes. Condotta predicted the Seahawks would bring in former starter Byron Maxwell for a visit, which they plan to, but no agreement is yet imminent. DeShawn Shead remains on the PUP list after suffering a serious knee injury in the divisional round last season, but thanks to an NFL rule change, the Seahawks don’t have to make an activation decision by Week 11. They can wait longer if they want to activate Shead, but he would likely require multiple weeks of practice to return to a game-ready status. Time’s running out on those prospects, if Seattle wants to use Shead during the regular season.

Giants Eyeing QBs In Draft

November 8th, 2017 at 10:15am CST by Zachary Links

With a 1-7 record, the Giants are understandably looking towards the future. Part of that vision could include a new young quarterback. Several weeks ago, owner John Mara told his front office to start looking closely at the top college quarterbacks in the 2018 draft, sources tell ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan.

The directive, in part, came because Odell Beckham Jr. had suffered a broken ankle. Although it was early in the season, Mara had a feeling that the Giants might end up picking high in the draft as a result. Right now, it looks like the 1-7 Giants are going to be right at the top, along with the winless Niners and Browns.

The Giants could target UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen after sending vice president of player evaluation Marc Ross to scout him in recent weeks. Ross runs the Giants’ draft, so it’s notable that he was the one to take a close look at Rosen in the fall.

Other top names available include USC’s Sam Darnold and Wyoming’s Josh Allen. Louisville’s Lamar Jackson and Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, two non-traditional QBs, are also available.

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