Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
There has been quarterback carnage all around the NFL early this season and plenty of teams that probably could use a veteran like Eli Manning if he were available.
But Manning has a full no-trade clause in his contract, and according to multiple sources he has no immediate plans to waive it.
At least not yet.
That could always change, of course, between now and the trading deadline on Oct. 29. Manning was only informed of the Giants' decision to bench him in favor of rookie quarterback Daniel Jones on Tuesday morning, so one source cautioned that the situation is new and emotions are raw.
But he has never expressed a desire to leave New York, and he does have four small children in a family he likely doesn't want to uproot at a moment's notice to move to what likely would be a temporary home. He certainly could have done that this offseason after the Giants took Jones with the sixth overall pick and Manning realized his time as the Giants starter was running out.
However, he never expressed any desire to the Giants or people close to him that he wanted a trade, sources said. And since he's already won two Super Bowl championships, it doesn't appear he wants to join a contender for one last run. At least that's what he's told people in the past, and no one believes that has changed now.
Now, if he were to change his mind, the Giants surely would consider granting any trade request. It's not something they want to do. They've been very vocal about wanting Jones to learn from Manning as much as possible and they would prefer to see Manning retire as a Giant. But their history suggests they wouldn't hold Manning hostage and would do what they could to make their franchise icon happy.
After all, they granted Kerry Collins' request to be released even though they didn't want to after Manning was drafted back in 2004.
Even if the Giants tried, though, there's no guarantee they could even find a team that would want Manning right now, despite all the quarterback injuries around the league. The Steelers have lost Ben Roethlisberger for the year, but they seem content with second-year pro Mason Rudolph. Drew Brees is out six weeks with a thumb injury, but the Saints have Teddy Bridgewater as a ready replacement.
The Colts were reeling from Andrew Luck's retirement, but they've always liked his replacement, Jacoby Brissett. And while the Jaguars will likely struggle with Gardner Minshew playing for the injured Nick Foles, an NFL source has said that Tom Coughlin's Jaguars have never been as interested in Manning as everyone often thinks.
That leaves the Panthers and Jets as possible quarterback-needy teams. But the Jets are prepared to go with second-year pro Luke Falk as what they hope will be a very short-term replacement until Sam Darnold is recovered from mono. And it doesn't sound like Cam Newton's foot injury will keep him out long-term in Carolina -0 yet.
Add in the salary cap ramifications of trading for Manning, and having to get a 38-year-old quarterback up to speed in a new offense quickly, and a trade just doesn't seem to make any sense anyway. Next year, if Manning still wants to play, maybe he will sign somewhere else as a free agent. But for now, it seems very likely that he will remain on the Giants sidelines for the rest of this year.