Eli Manning, Giants Said to Agree on Record Six-Year Extension

By Erik Matuszewski

Aug. 5 (Bloomberg) — Eli Manning agreed on a six-year contract extension with the New York Giants that will earn the quarterback almost $1 million a game and make him the highest- paid player in National Football League history, a person familiar with the talks said.

An agreement is in place and the team will announce it once it is signed, according to the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal isn’t yet complete.

Giants spokesman Avis Roper said the team couldn’t confirm reports that Manning, who led the Giants to a Super Bowl title two years ago, had reached an agreement on an extension. Manning’s agent, Tom Condon, didn’t return a telephone message.

Manning, 28, will make about $106.9 million over the next seven years, according to figures previously reported by FoxSports.com and confirmed by the person. That includes the final year of his rookie deal, which he signed as the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NFL draft.

With the NFL regular season currently 16 games long, that comes out to just over $955,000 per contest.

The average of $15.2 million a season would push Manning past Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha as the highest- paid player in the NFL. Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts, Eli’s older brother, currently has the highest annual salary for a quarterback at $14.17 million.

The total value of the deal isn’t guaranteed. NFL teams frequently restructure the later years of long-term contracts as players age and deal with injuries, and clubs try to fit salaries under the leaguewide payroll ceiling.

Super Bowl

Manning last season played in the Pro Bowl for the first time after throwing 21 touchdown passes in leading the Giants to a 12-4 record. Following the 2007 season, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the Giants’ Super Bowl victory over the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

Manning has a 42-29 record as a starter for the Giants, passing for 98 touchdowns and 74 interceptions.

The Giants won the National Football Conference’s East Division last season before losing in the second round of the playoffs at home, 23-11, to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Phil Simms, a former Giants quarterback and now an NFL analyst for CBS, said the Giants are a leading Super Bowl contender this season.

Simms said in an interview with Bloomberg Radio that Manning shouldn’t have a problem overcoming the loss of wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who was indicted two days ago on gun charges by a Manhattan grand jury and faces potential jail time. Burress missed six games last season after shooting himself in the leg at a Manhattan nightclub and being charged with an unlicensed handgun. The Giants released him in April.

“On paper, I think the Giants are the best team in the NFL,” Simms said. “You’ve got impact players everywhere on the field.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: August 5, 2009 11:07 EDT

taken from bloomberg.com 8-5-09