Eli Manning’s New Deal

Posted on August 6th, 2009 9:16am by Bob Sturm
Filed under Dallas Cowboys, NFL, Sturm

Giants Cowboys FootballI cant believe the news today
Oh, I cant close my eyes and make it go away

- Bono, Sunday Bloody Sunday

Certainly by now, you have joined me in not believing the news today that Eli Manning is indeed a richer man than he already was as the New York Times reports:

The Giants are poised to make quarterback Eli Manning the highest-paid player in the National Football League, agreeing to a six-year contract extension worth $97.5 million, $35 million of it guaranteed, according to a person involved in the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because no official announcement had been made.

Eli Manning, at training camp in Albany on Monday, will reportedly become the highest-paid player in the N.F.L. The person said Wednesday that the final details should be finished later in the day and that the contract would soon be signed.

Staggering numbers for a guy who is a decent QB, but I have never placed him on an elite level. He has just one season (last year) with a QB rating of over 80, and has never had a year where he eclipsed the 90 rating – which we have discussed in the past is usually the milestone for QB excellence.

You may recall the lists of annual QB Ratings from last month’s Romo Manifesto …

How about this reality? Ask any statistical dork, and they will tell you that a “90″ passer rating is the number that is often considered to define “elite” QB play. If you have a rating above 90, you are in the top 25% of QB’s in the National Football League. Fewer than 10 players can say that.

In 2006, 8 QB’s were over 90 QB Rating – They are (in order):

Manning, Huard, Brees, McNabb, Romo, Palmer, Bulger, Rivers

In 2007, 8 QB’s were over 90 QB Rating:

Brady, Roethlisberger, Garrard, Manning, Romo, Favre, Garcia, Hasselbeck

In 2008, 9 QB’s were over 90 QB Rating:

Rivers, Pennington, Warner, Brees, Manning, Rodgers, Schaub, Romo, Garcia

Only 2 names show up on all 3 of those lists. Peyton Manning and Tony Romo.

Eli Manning did not show up on any of those lists anywhere.

But something that cannot be taken away from the younger Manning is this simple truth: He has won the big one. In one month of time, he out-dueled Jeff Garcia, Tony Romo, Brett Favre, and Tom Brady in four consecutive weeks (without the benefit of a home game during that stretch) in the 2007 NFL playoffs on his way to the Super Bowl MVP for Super Bowl 42. He has it. He wears the ring. And yes, David Tyree may be owed a good portion of Eli’s money off this one play, but Eli is forever in football immortality.

But the highest paid QB and player in NFL history? Seriously?

While it makes no sense to me, it is what it is. He was in the right place at the right time. He has not been a bad QB, but if you ask me how many QB’s I would take before Eli Manning, I believe my list would look like this:

Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb, Drew Brees, Phil Rivers, Matt Ryan, Tony Romo, Kurt Warner, Ben Roethlisberger, Carson Palmer, and Jay Cutler.

Here are guys I might take before Eli Manning:

Matt Cassel, Matt Schaub, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, Matt Hasselbeck.

So that puts him in my personal QB ratings as somewhere between #12 and #17 in the NFL. So, is that good for $15.5 million a year through 2015?

I guess. I am just happy it is not my money or my team that is doing it.

I thought you might be interested in the “going rate” for the big time QB contracts so that you can rest easy about the money given to Tony Romo a few years back. Keep in mind that this list does not include rookie contracts from QB’s (Russell, Ryan, Flacco, etc). Just QB extensions:

3/2/04 – Colts give Peyton Manning 7/$99.2 million thru 2012

2/22/05 – Seahawks pay Matt Hasselbeck 6/$47 million thru 2010

5/7/05 – Patriots give Tom Brady 6/$60 million thru 2010

3/14/06 – Drew Brees paid 6/$60 million by New Orleans thru 2011

3/21/07 – Matt Schaub paid 6/$48 until 2012

10/29/07 – Dallas rewards Tony Romo 6/$67 million thru 2013

3/3/08 – Pittsburgh grants Ben Roethlisberger 8/$102 million thru 2015

4/7/08 – Jacksonville gives David Garrard 6/$60 million thru 2013

10/31/08 – Green Bay pays Aaron Rodgers 6/$65 million thru 2014

6/11/09 – Eagles give Donovan McNabb 2/$24.5 million thru 2011

7/14/09 – Kansas City grants Matt Cassel 6/$63 million to 2014

8/5/09 – New York agrees with Eli Manning on 6/$97 million extension thru 2015

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32 Comments to “Eli Manning’s New Deal”
  • JohnnyMel @ August 6th, 2009 at 9:25 am

    I guess that shows how much a Super Bowl is worth.

  • Wade @ August 6th, 2009 at 9:29 am

    wow, a sturm posting of something that is not a repost from last year or an IM conversation with someone

  • Bob Sturm @ August 6th, 2009 at 9:42 am

    @ Wade- Perhaps you are just goofing, but I have 122 posts at Inside Corner. You can see them all here: http://insidecorner.dmagazine.com/category/sturm/ Fewer than 10 chats, and the only reposts are this current look back at last Cowboys’ season which I believe is relevant. I think if you do the math, that leaves quite a bit of traditional posts, no?

    If you are doing comedy, than step off the 5 yards for drawing me offside.

  • gbm @ August 6th, 2009 at 9:44 am

    Bob, come on … while the contract is a little crazy, Eli is one of the top 10 QB’s in the league … the list of guys in you “might take” group is absolutely insane, Matt Schaub????

    Eli has proven he is a winner, he has only missed the playoffs once in his career … plays in one of the worst passing stadiums in the league (the wind in Giants stadium is CRAZY) … and is on a team that relies on its strong running game and defense …

    Eli has proved his worth by his TD / INT ratio last year … over 2:1, that is elite …

    I like Romo, I really do … he just is not consistent enough in his decision making …

    Eli has gotten better every year since entering the league, and he will continue to do so this year … even with a VERY inexperienced group of receivers … because he is a very good QB

  • gbm @ August 6th, 2009 at 9:49 am

    Don’t let dislike skew your opinion

  • Brad @ August 6th, 2009 at 10:47 am

    They have Eli, we have Romo…

    Give me Romo.

    Any day, week, month, year. I’ve watched several NYG games over the past 3 seasons, and Eli has spared me to death in all but a few.

  • Christopher @ August 6th, 2009 at 10:55 am

    I’m happy when opponents over-value their own players. In fact, I might have actually said “hazah!” aloud while reading this.

  • Bob Sturm @ August 6th, 2009 at 11:00 am

    @ GBM – I would love for you to quantify that a bit more. Because I think his last name and his market (and David Tyree’s helmet) have everything to do with this deal. New York Newsday wrote this today:

    “The debate has been going on for the last 24 hours or so. Really, for the last five years.

    In terms of statistics, Eli Manning is far from an elite NFL quarterback. In touchdowns, completion percentage and passer rating for 2008, Manning was no better than 10th in the league in any category. But he did make the Pro Bowl last season. The Giants did have the top seed in the NFC playoffs. And there’s that little matter of Super Bowl XLII that’s difficult to overlook.”

  • Trey @ August 6th, 2009 at 11:12 am

    I wonder if perhaps New York fans would tell us the same thing about Aikman. It’s not a perfect comparison, but Aikman never really wowed anyone with stats, either.

    That said, give me Staubach, Aikman, and Romo any day over Eli.

  • gbm @ August 6th, 2009 at 11:46 am

    don’t get me wrong, I don’t think he deserves that contract, he just nailed the timing … NYG has had a pretty rough stretch of QB’s between him and Simms (Kerry Collins ??)

    The only guys I would take over him are

    P. Manning
    Brady
    Roethlisberger
    Brees
    maybe Ryan

    The other guys are all interchangeable for me (Cutler, Palmer, Romo) … their offensive style, and their climate impact stats … Eli makes plays

    there is no David Tyree catch if Eli does not stay on his feet with the NE lineman draped all over him … avoiding the sack and getting the ball in a catch able position was a heck of a play, let alone the catch .. you cannot ignore that

    you cannot ignore that his home stadium will lower stats … the 4 game stretch that made him rich came away from the Meadowlands …

    yeah his accuracy is inconsistent at best, but he does his job of limiting turnovers and makes plays when he needs to …

    Eli is not even in the same county as Aikman, simple as that …

  • Gunter @ August 6th, 2009 at 11:47 am

    That’s a fair counter-point, Trey. I mean Aikman did win 3 rings, but he did a lot of with the help of a hell of a supporting cast.

    My eyes and the numbers say Eli is not elite, but the dude keeps winning….and isnt that what really matters?

  • Steve @ August 6th, 2009 at 11:54 am

    I’m so sick of hearing about how winning a Superbowl or consistently getting to the playoffs means a QB must be one of the best. Look at the Ravens prior to the last couple years, look at the Bucs. The test isn’t what the QB did on those teams, it’s what other QBs would’ve done on the same team. Yes, the QB is the most important position, but there’s many other positions that can combine to make a winning or losing team regardless of the QB.

    The ultimate example of this was Big Ben last year. He was horrible every game I watched up until the playoffs, but his team bailed him out, they ended up winning, now everyone wants to classify him as one of the greatest QBs of all time. Give me a break.

    I do think Eli is improving and maybe he will end up being a top QB, but right now he isn’t worth the money and isn’t better than most of the QBs Sturm mentioned.

  • gbm @ August 6th, 2009 at 12:02 pm

    Aikman had one of the most accurate arms in NFL history, Eli probably does not even have the most accurate arm on his team … Aikman is a HOF, Eli is a LONG way from that …

    to compare the two is not fair to Aikman

    I just think Romo is really done getting better (he is pretty good right now anyway), while Eli has shown ability to get better every year …

  • Mavs Man @ August 6th, 2009 at 12:06 pm

    Bob, you hit it in the comments section. This deal has everything to do with:

    1) NY Market
    2) The Manning Brand Name
    3) Super Bowl XLIII

    And although you beat me to the joke, I hope Eli sends a nice bonus check to Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, former Giants DC Steve Spagnuolo, and David Tyree’s helmet.

  • gbm @ August 6th, 2009 at 12:15 pm

    The NY Market and the Dallas Market are two of the most stressful on the star QB, if you can find a guy who can handle it you keep him …

    dont forget Justin Tuck’s check, he is the guy who REALLY deserved that MVP trophy …

  • gbm @ August 6th, 2009 at 12:26 pm

    Bob

    we getting a UFC 101 breakdown?

    How psyched are you for the Griffin v Silva fight !!!!

  • Just Me @ August 6th, 2009 at 12:36 pm

    The only portion of the contract that matters is the portion that is guaranteed. I don’t think the exact contract has been announced yet, but I figure that he will never see the money that is due him in the later years of the deal. The $97M is a meaningless number.

  • gbm @ August 6th, 2009 at 12:40 pm

    35 mil is rumored to the guaranteed amount

  • Holy Crap @ August 6th, 2009 at 12:49 pm

    Some of you people are stupid. I think I can speak for Bob on this one but put any of those QB’s that Bob named over Eli and throw them on the Giants and they’d get similar or better production.

    A lot of people’s arguments on here are similar to that pitcher X is better then pitcher Y because of his win/loss record. Welcome to 2009 where we can actually look beyond wins and loses and evaluate a player outside of his TEAM’S success. Because it is a team game after all and he’d be in the CFL if he’d started his damn career on the Lions (only slightly kidding).

  • Gonzo @ August 6th, 2009 at 1:01 pm

    Four things:

    1. How many people other than you get paid twice for doing one job? A blog (that you obviously spent time on) and then you get to burn a segment rehashing this on the air. Super annoying. I’m sure you’ll reply that I am jealous.

    2. I agree with Wade – reprints of last season are relevant??? This from a guy who wants to replay audio for half of the radio show and tries to take the day off for replays for every “significant” anniversary date.

    3. Maybe NY decided they could keep their QB happy, out of the spotlight, and away from funnyordie.com by overpaying a bit. Even though the contract numbers are different, my guess is when all is said and done, Eli will have come closer to earning his paycheck than Tony.

    4. I’ll never forget that you didn’t know the pronunciation of Nnamdi Asomugha. Can you not look it up before you embarrass yourself on the air?

    Good work, Sports Sturm.

  • Johnathan @ August 6th, 2009 at 1:01 pm

    @Just Me:

    Those were my exact thoughts when reading the article. There’s not much point in comparing these “headline” contracts because of all the pretend money they’re inflated with. Show me what’s guaranteed and we can do some meaningful comparisons.

  • Jay G @ August 6th, 2009 at 1:37 pm

    Eli isn’t that bad compared to Matt Cassell. Yes, he had a strong year, but it doesn’t hurt to have the best duo in the league outside of Arizona.

  • Mavs Man @ August 6th, 2009 at 1:57 pm

    @gbm

    Yeah, Justin Tuck, too. Shouldn’t have left him out.

  • Mark @ August 6th, 2009 at 2:42 pm

    @Gonzo: DAAAAYUMMM!!!!

  • Bob Sturm @ August 6th, 2009 at 4:50 pm

    Gonzo-

    A few thoughts.

    1) you are welcome to feel any way you want.
    2) of course, I rehash things in both mediums. Do you expect me to be Pro-Romo on the blog and anti-Romo on the radio? I don’t understand your beef. Not sure you are jealous, but I also am not sure you make any sense. When crafting radio opinions, don’t you think I write out a few things? And, for those who cannot listen, don’t you think it might make sense to show my work and research?
    3) if rehashing 2008 is a bad idea, why does NFL Films, the NFL Network, and ESPN spend so much time showing “season in reviews” in August of the following year? I believe if you check your local listings, you will see that the 2008 Cowboys year in review is running this week on ESPN2.
    4) See #1.

  • Dan @ August 6th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
  • Gonzo @ August 6th, 2009 at 10:46 pm

    I appreciate that you responded Bob.

  • Wade @ August 7th, 2009 at 9:28 am

    i was just goofing. i just noticed the last few posts by you were the reprints from last year and chat sessions. i actually like reading the reposts from last season, as i am a redskins fan and if they aren’t doing so hot i can at least take comfort in the ‘boys tanking.

  • Analyze the Enemy – Week 2 – New York Giants @ September 17th, 2009 at 10:33 am

    [...] I wrote my take on the topic back in August, here . [...]

  • Analyze the Enemy – Week 2 – New York Giants « wire2 @ September 17th, 2009 at 10:40 am

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  • Xiomara Metier @ February 1st, 2010 at 12:03 am

    If you agree COlts are going to lose become a fan of FB page Colts Will Lose Super Bowl 2010!

  • Falk @ February 3rd, 2010 at 1:19 am

    We are totally excited about the championship game. It’s a great shoot out. I’ll choose them Saints in a close game.