Eli Manning’s future as the starting quarterback of the Giants has been a big topic of conversation for most of the last two years and it remains one in the first days of 2019 as well.
General Manager Dave Gettleman is aware of that and he made mention of a “no holds barred” conversation with Manning while making introductory remarks at his Wednesday morning press conference. Gettleman didn’t divulge the details of that conversation, but said that the evaluation process is underway and that he will not commit to anything regarding the 2019 season at the moment.
“We will do what is in the best interest of the New York football Giants. What we’re trying to do here is build sustained success,” Gettleman said. “That takes brutal honesty and some tough decisions.”
That’s a departure from what we’ve heard from head coach Pat Shurmur over the season. Shurmur said in mid-December that he believes Manning has years left as a successful quarterback and reiterated after last Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys that he expects Manning to be the quarterback next year.
Gettleman said “everything is on the table,” but did make a point of saying Manning can make all the throws and mentioned the team’s improved play on offense in the second half of the season. He said he thought it took 4-6 weeks for the team to feel comfortable in the system installed by Shurmur and also noted the issues on the offensive line that hampered the team’s efforts while they were going 1-7 to open the year.
There’s no definitive answer at this point and that means the speculation about how much longer Manning will be with the Giants will churn on at least a little longer.