Eli Manning is excited to be back as the New York Giants starting quarterback and get a chance to work with Pat Shurmur.
The New York Giants have already decided that Eli Manning will be their starting quarterback in 2018. Not only is the future Hall of Famer ready to put 2017 behind him, but he’s pumped to get a chance to work with new head coach Pat Shurmur.
“Excited. Excited to get back to work and knowing that they have faith in me that I can go out there and win games and play at a high level,” Manning told ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. “I want to go prove them right. I want to go out there and work my tail off to get to playing at a high level.”
The 2017 season was a tough season for the quarterback, as he slogged behind a bad offensive line to 3,468 passing yards, his lowest total since 2008, along with only 19 touchdowns, his lowest since 2013. He also inexplicably lost his games-started streak as he was benched for Geno Smith in Week 13.
This has the potential to be Manning’s swan song with the Giants, as the team has Davis Webb on the roster and the second-overall pick in the upcoming draft, where there will be several intriguing quarterback prospects. Additionally, the Giants can release Manning after the 2018 season while incurring only $6.2 million in dead cap space, according to Spotrac.
There are reasons for optimism for Manning’s prospects for a successful season. General manager Dave Gettleman is expected to make the offensive line a priority this offseason. Evan Engram and Sterling Shepard should both continue to progress.
Brandon Marshall should return from injury to give Manning a tall red-zone threat. And if that dirty dancing commercial is any indication, star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is progressing nicely.
Manning is ready and locked in for what could be his final season in blue.
