Eli Manning
AP Photo/Ron Jenkins

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning isn’t necessarily “rushing into retirement,” even when entering his 16th season in the league.

Eli Manning will be entering his 16th season in the NFL (all with the New York Giants) in 2019. There are some fans who want him to start gearing up to retire, believing his age has led his skills to decline. However, that doesn’t seem to be happening at the moment.

The longtime Big Blue quarterback is gearing up to lead his team to the playoffs in 2019 and still feels young enough on the field to do so. At 38 years old, Manning states that he can’t do some things off the field that the younger guys can do. But when it comes to football, he feels just as young as those same individuals.

“In the locker room, I feel their age,” Manning told Rod Walker of The Times-Picayune. “At 8 o’clock at night, I don’t feel their age. I’m ready to go to bed and they are just getting started rocking and rolling. I can’t hang and do everything they can do off the field. But on the field, I still feel like I can still run with them and they keep me young.”

Over the last few years, Manning has faced much criticism. From the 8-24 record since the conclusion of the 2016 season to his start streak coming to an end in 2017. This all gives some fans the notion that Manning should begin to think about his retirement plans.

However, Eli isn’t really rushing into it, just as his brother Peyton Manning didn’t rush into it when he eventually retired after the 2015 season.

“I’m not rushing into retirement, and Peyton’s not telling me to rush into it,” Manning said. “I still love being around the guys and the teammates and playing this game. I’m going to play it for as long as I think I can hang with these guys.”

Manning will go into the 2019 season with his absolute successor on the roster for the first time in his career. The Giants selected Daniel Jones with the No. 6 overall pick in this year’s draft. That means there could be some competition, but Manning will ultimately get the starting job most likely with Jones sitting and learning behind him.

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Ryan Honey is a staff writer and host of the Wide Right Podcast.