Post by scorpion42 on Jun 19, 2009 13:51:58 GMT -7
Quarterback Eli Manning aiming high in quest for next Giant payday
BY Ralph Vacchiano
dAILY news sports writer
Friday, June 19th 2009, 6:01 AM
assets.nydailynews.com/img/2009/06/19/alg_reese-manning.jpg
Eli Manning (r.) talks with general manager Jerry Reese (l.) during minicamp.
Eli Manning is still in line to get one of the most lucrative contracts in NFL history. He is just going to have to wait a little longer than expected.
Manning and the Giants remain far apart in their negotiations on a new deal, according to two NFL sources with knowledge of the talks. Nobody is panicking, even though 2009 is the last year of Manning's rookie contract, and both sides expect a deal will eventually get done.
But they had originally hoped to do it this spring, with the Giants prepared to make Manning one of the NFL's richest players. According to one source, Manning's agents "want to make him the highest-paid player." Another source suggested the Super Bowl XLII MVP's initial asking price was up near an average of $20 million per year.
Neither Manning nor co-owner John Mara would discuss details when asked during Giants minicamp this week. And when Manning, whose original six-year deal was worth $45 million to $54 million, was asked if he wanted to be the NFL's highest-paid player, he said, "I don't have an ego about that.
"I'll leave it to my agent and the Giants," Manning said. "They'll figure out all the details. My job is to prepare, get this team ready and let everything else play itself out."
Though $20 million per year might be too high, league sources expect Manning - who will make $9.4 million this season - eventually will get a deal worth around $15 million per year. Several league executives and NFL agents expect the final package to be for seven or eight years and be worth around $110 million-$120 million, with more than $40 million in guaranteed money.
The largest contract in NFL history was the 10-year, $130 million deal (with $37 million in guarantees) the Atlanta Falcons gave Michael Vick in 2003. The seven-year, $98 million contract Peyton Manning got in 2004 averaged $14 million per season, which was an NFL high until this spring when the Oakland Raiders signed cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha to a complicated, three-year, $45 million deal that could average $15 million per.
The Giants know the price will be high, but they have no intention of letting Manning hit free agency. Even if he plays out his contract, they likely would place the franchise tag on him next March to prevent him from going anyplace.
"Obviously we want him to spend the rest of his career here, and we'll reach an agreement in due time," Mara said. "But I can't guess when that will be."
Manning couldn't guess either, but he said the timing doesn't matter.
"I signed a six-year deal and I have one more year," Manning said. "Something could happen before the season starts, but I'm not worried about it right now. I hope (it'll get done). I've had a great five years here. I love the organization, I love my teammates. I hope they feel the same way. But we'll see. You never know."
PRICE IS WRIGHT: CB DeAndre Wright, the Giants' sixth-round pick, agreed to a four-year deal that could be worth as much as $4 million. . . . Tom Coughlin's message to players Thursday at the end of their three-day minicamp was to remember the "bitter bitterness" of how they collapsed at the end of last season. "They need to think long and hard about the disappointment of January," he said. . . . Eighteen players missed at least one practice due to injuries. DE Justin Tuck and G Chris Snee were excused Thursday for personal reasons. . . . Players are off now until Aug. 2, when they report to training camp in Albany.
Read more: www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/2009/06/19/2009-06-19_quarterback_eli_manning_aiming_high_in_quest_for_giant_payday.html#ixzz0IuYP8xHr&C
BY Ralph Vacchiano
dAILY news sports writer
Friday, June 19th 2009, 6:01 AM
assets.nydailynews.com/img/2009/06/19/alg_reese-manning.jpg
Eli Manning (r.) talks with general manager Jerry Reese (l.) during minicamp.
Eli Manning is still in line to get one of the most lucrative contracts in NFL history. He is just going to have to wait a little longer than expected.
Manning and the Giants remain far apart in their negotiations on a new deal, according to two NFL sources with knowledge of the talks. Nobody is panicking, even though 2009 is the last year of Manning's rookie contract, and both sides expect a deal will eventually get done.
But they had originally hoped to do it this spring, with the Giants prepared to make Manning one of the NFL's richest players. According to one source, Manning's agents "want to make him the highest-paid player." Another source suggested the Super Bowl XLII MVP's initial asking price was up near an average of $20 million per year.
Neither Manning nor co-owner John Mara would discuss details when asked during Giants minicamp this week. And when Manning, whose original six-year deal was worth $45 million to $54 million, was asked if he wanted to be the NFL's highest-paid player, he said, "I don't have an ego about that.
"I'll leave it to my agent and the Giants," Manning said. "They'll figure out all the details. My job is to prepare, get this team ready and let everything else play itself out."
Though $20 million per year might be too high, league sources expect Manning - who will make $9.4 million this season - eventually will get a deal worth around $15 million per year. Several league executives and NFL agents expect the final package to be for seven or eight years and be worth around $110 million-$120 million, with more than $40 million in guaranteed money.
The largest contract in NFL history was the 10-year, $130 million deal (with $37 million in guarantees) the Atlanta Falcons gave Michael Vick in 2003. The seven-year, $98 million contract Peyton Manning got in 2004 averaged $14 million per season, which was an NFL high until this spring when the Oakland Raiders signed cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha to a complicated, three-year, $45 million deal that could average $15 million per.
The Giants know the price will be high, but they have no intention of letting Manning hit free agency. Even if he plays out his contract, they likely would place the franchise tag on him next March to prevent him from going anyplace.
"Obviously we want him to spend the rest of his career here, and we'll reach an agreement in due time," Mara said. "But I can't guess when that will be."
Manning couldn't guess either, but he said the timing doesn't matter.
"I signed a six-year deal and I have one more year," Manning said. "Something could happen before the season starts, but I'm not worried about it right now. I hope (it'll get done). I've had a great five years here. I love the organization, I love my teammates. I hope they feel the same way. But we'll see. You never know."
PRICE IS WRIGHT: CB DeAndre Wright, the Giants' sixth-round pick, agreed to a four-year deal that could be worth as much as $4 million. . . . Tom Coughlin's message to players Thursday at the end of their three-day minicamp was to remember the "bitter bitterness" of how they collapsed at the end of last season. "They need to think long and hard about the disappointment of January," he said. . . . Eighteen players missed at least one practice due to injuries. DE Justin Tuck and G Chris Snee were excused Thursday for personal reasons. . . . Players are off now until Aug. 2, when they report to training camp in Albany.
Read more: www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/2009/06/19/2009-06-19_quarterback_eli_manning_aiming_high_in_quest_for_giant_payday.html#ixzz0IuYP8xHr&C