Pat Shurmur said earlier Tuesday that he expects Eli Manning to remain the Giants’ quarterback after the trade deadline.
“Yes, I do. I think Eli will be our quarterback,” Shurmur said on a conference call with beat reporters. “He has been, and he’ll continue to be here.”
The Giants dealing Manning before next week’s trade deadline isn’t happening, no matter how much Giants fans wish for it.
First, Manning has a no trade clause in his contract that “he almost certainly isn’t waiving,” according to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. Manning has said he plans to end his career with the Giants.
He repeated that Tuesday on WFAN 660.
“I haven’t thought about the trade scenario and hey, this organization is the only team I played for and only thing I know,” Manning said on the radio, via Art Stapleton of northjersey.com. “I love the Giants. It’s hard to imagine being with another organization.”
Second, who would trade for a 37-year-old Manning? He is 4-18 since the start of the 2017 season, with 26 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Even Jacksonville, where Tom Coughlin now resides and finds his Jaguars in desperate need of a quarterback, reportedly has no interest.
Third, who are the Giants going to play instead? Rookie Kyle Lauletta?
Yes, Manning will remain with the Giants after next week’s trade deadline. The question is: Do they turn to Lauletta at some point during the season?
Manning sounds as if he plans to remain the Giants’ starting quarterback beyond just next week.
“I still feel like we’ve got a lot left in this team,” Manning said.