The NY Giants and Eli Manning have been talking about a new contract extension and now the quarterback may want to be the highest paid player in the NFL and this comes as victor Cruz is expected to play with Odell Beckham in the preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday.
The Giants and Manning have been working on an extension this summer and new report from NFL.com has Manning making some demands. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Manning is looking to be the highest paid player in the NFL on his next contract. Manning is coming into the final year of his deal and so far all reports had both sides optimistic that a deal could get done. This new report could change things, as the Giants may not want to pay Manning that much.
Manning is absolutely interested in staying in NY and the team is absolutely interested in keeping Manning, but the numbers could be the main issue. Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers signed extensions this summer after coming from the same 2004 draft class as Manning and now it could be time for Eli to get a deal. Before this report came out it looked like Manning would get something in the range of what Rivers just got and possibly a little better, as he has had more Super Bowl and playoff success than the Chargers QB.
Rivers signed for over $80 million and with Russell Wilson coming in just behind Aaron Rodgers in yearly salary, Manning clearly has an idea of what he wants to do. The Giants could franchise Manning if a deal doesn't work out this summer, but the team runs the risk of Manning having a great season and asking for even more money. Manning had a terrible 2013 with turnovers, but he bounced back in 2014 with 30 touchdowns and he set a career high with his completion percentage.
Manning signing an extension now could be a positive for the Giants, as it could help lower Manning's cap number for this season and could give the team money to sign someone like Evan Mathis for the offensive line. Manning could be looking for at least $22 million per year to beat Aaron Rodgers and he could argue that he has two Super Bowl rings and deserves to be paid that much. Manning has leverage with his current deal at $17 million and at a $19 million cap number. Manning will argue he deserves a significant raise and it will be interesting to see what the Giants do.
Manning should have one of his top weapons back for the preseason game against the Bengals this week, as NJ.com reports that Victor Cruz is expected to play. The report says that Cruz said he is "100 percent" playing on Saturday and that the restrictions he has on his knee in practice have been removed. Cruz was injured last season and had surgery 10 months ago and he is looking to come back strong after playing in just six games last season.
