As expected, the minor kinks were ironed out and the New York Giants have secured the services of prized quarterback Eli Manning.
A couple of days ago, it was reported that Manning and the Giants were nearing the completion of talks that would keep the two-time Super Bowl quarterback. That report first came out courtesy of Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network via social medium Twitter.
At that time, the only things that were left to be fixed were the guaranteed money and the offset language. But as it turned out, it seems Manning even got a bonus with the new contract now including a no-trade clause.
"I'm obviously excited knowing I'll be a Giant for a long time," Manning said in a statement via NFL.com. "This is where I got started and where I want to finish. I still have the same mentality. My goal is to earn this contract and do my best and keep trying to win championships for the Giants," he added.
The package is said to be worth around $84 million, which includes $65 million guaranteed. It also comes with a $31.5 million signing bonus, with Manning being paid $68.5 million for the first three years.
Manning will thus be averaging $21 million given the new pay, placing him fourth among the highest paid NFL quarterbacks. Only three players are paid more than Manning — Aaron Rodgers ($22 million), Russell Wilson ($21.9 million), and Ben Roethlisberger ($21.85 million).
The deal also gives the Giants a big sigh of relief as Manning was headed into the final year of his contract. Manning had earlier hinted that he would prefer not to negotiate during the season, indicating that talks would be held in the Spring or Summer.
But as it turned out, both sides were able to come up with something before the season and the issue is now settled.
"I'm glad we were able to get this done so we all can focus on winning football games," Giants general manager Jerry Reese said via ESPN.
