It’s the offseason and that means there’s plenty of New York Giants themed hot takes to go around, and many of those will naturally revolve around the quarterback situation of the team and particularly Eli Manning, who has become something of a divisive figure in the fanbase over the last year or so, mainly because of the debate on whether Manning should stay or go. In such a debate, one factor that’s very important is finances.
Obviously, Manning’s salary is one of the largest ones on the team payroll, and that cap hit could be a factor in whether or not the Giants make big improvements this year. At $23.2M, no player on the team has a higher cap hit than Manning for 2019, not even star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. or expensive left tackle Nate Solder.
Manning had the 17th most touchdowns for quarterbacks last season but will have the 10th highest overall cap hit in 2019, which shows a bit of a disparity in pay and performance. But is Manning truly overpaid? That’s what Bleacher Report believes, according to their article on the most overpaid player on each team.
Manning has made just one Pro Bowl since putting together a strong 2012 season. He hasn’t led the Giants to a single playoff win during that stretch, and he’s thrown at least 10 more interceptions than any other quarterback in the league over the same span.
While the numbers listed here are true, it is worth nothing that the writer of the article may have not followed the Giants too closely. The article also calls Manning “one of the worst signal-callers in pro football for more than half a decade running”, which is an extreme exaggeration even when considering Manning’s struggles during the past couple of years.
But even if Manning isn’t one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL, does he deserve to be the most paid Giant? Should the team have moved on from Manning to save up cap space for a full rebuild, since it seems that Manning’s deal won’t be restructured? Or should the Giants hope that a pay cut happens after all? Or is nothing wrong and the team is handling things fine right now?
It’s a complex issue, and it deals with whether or not a player being a franchise legend warrants them being paid above their current talents. And for that issue, there might not be an objectively right answer.