Is Eli Manning Done With The New York Giants After Being Benched?

The Eli Manning Era with the New York Giants effectively came to an abrupt end Tuesday afternoon when the team announced that Geno Smith would take over as the starting quarterback. The backup will be under center for New York Sunday afternoon against the Oakland Raiders, ending Manning’s streak of 210 consecutive starts.

The decision to bench Manning highlights what’s been one of the worst seasons in franchise history. After winning 11 games in 2016 and entering the 2017 season with Super Bowl aspirations, the Giants have gone 2-9 and have already been eliminated from playoff contention.

“We have five games left to play. We have three quarterbacks on the roster. We have two that we have yet to see significant game action for us and we want to go take a look at both of those players,” Giants head coach Ben McAdoo said at Tuesday’s press conference.

Smith, who has 28 career touchdowns and 36 interceptions, was drafted in the second round in 2013 and hasn’t been a regular starter since 2014. Third-round pick Davis Webb will play at some point, and there’s speculation that he could be under center when the Giants return home in Week 14 against the Dallas Cowboys.

Even if Smith or Webb play well during the final stretch of the season, New York is likely to take a quarterback in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. The Giants are headed for a top-three pick overall in a quarterback-rich draft.

The team has an eye on the future, and that future doesn’t seem to include Eli Manning.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Manning has played his last game in a Giants’ uniform. McAdoo indicated that Webb might not even be active Sunday, making Manning the backup. If Smith suffers an injury, it could be the two-time Super Bowl winner that gets the call to come in the game.

It was just two years ago that Manning signed a four-year extension with New York worth $84 million. He has a base salary of $10.5 million in 2018 and $11.5 million in 2019.

Manning has made every start for the Giants since getting the gig during the 2004 season. During that time, 188 different quarterbacks have started in the NFL.

As the NFL’s most durable quarterback, Manning has won two Super Bowl MVP awards while being selected to four Pro Bowls. In 2014 and 2015, he totaled 65 touchdowns and 28 interceptions. Manning was tied for 10th in the league with 26 touchdown passes in 2016.

New York has been embarrassed on several occasions this season, losing by at least two touchdowns three times in front of their home crowd, including a 51-17 loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams. Players have been suspended for violating team rules, and what's appeared to be a clear lack of effort at times has the Giants sitting in the basement of the NFC East.

Few teams have been worse offensively than the Giants. New York ranks 28th in total offense and only the winless Cleveland Browns average fewer points per game. The Giants haven’t scored 30 points since the start of McAdoo’s tenure last year.

Much of New York’s struggles can be attributed to a bad offensive line, as well as Odell Beckham and Brandon Marshall going down for the season with injuries. Manning has 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions on the season, and his 84.1 passer rating ranks 24th among starting quarterbacks.