The Giants, no matter how they try to couch it and condition it, are done with Eli Manning. (And even if they’re not, he’s surely done with them.) So, come 2018, where will Eli Manning be?
Of all the options, Jacksonville makes the most sense. They have a great young defense, a great young running back, great young receivers, and a guy named Tom Coughlin running the football operations.
Coughlin, the former Giants coach who won a pair of Super Bowls with Eli Manning throwing some of the most memorable passes in league history, currently has an underachieving quarterback who, as Chris Simms often puts it, wasn’t put on earth to throw the football. The bond between Coughlin and Eli is strong, as evidenced both by Tuesday’s comments from Coughlin about Eli and by Eli’s tearful demeanor when Coughlin made his exit as the New York head coach less than two years ago.
Other teams will be interested, but the Jaguars will have the edge because they have Coughlin -- and no one else does.
Sure, they may be other intriguing potential destinations. The Broncos, who employed Peyton Manning. The Saints, where Eli grew up (if Drew Brees moves on). The Jets, which would allow Eli to not move. The Cardinals, who seem to be interested in every aging quarterback. Washington, if Kirk Cousins leaves. The Steelers, if Ben Roethlisberger decides to walk away.
But the Jaguars make the most sense, by far. And if the choices are the Jaguars or the field, I’m putting a sawbuck on the team with the two-tone helmet.