EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Eli Manning retired from the NFL just the way he wanted, as a hardworking, career-long New York Giant who did it his way in leading the franchise to two Super Bowl victories.
Saying he had no regrets, Manning officially ended his 16-year career Friday at a packed news conference surrounded by family, friends, former teammates and coaches — and two Lombardi trophies.
Manning, 39, said he had no immediate plans, although he admitted he would miss the time with teammates, the preparation and the beers in the back of the bus after wins. He plans to spend some time reliving the positive memories, enjoying himself and being an assistant coach on his daughter’s third-grade basketball team.
A job with the Giants is a possibility, he said.
“From the very first moment, I did it my way,” said the low-key Manning, who comes from a well-known football family. “I could not be someone other than who I am. Undoubtedly, I would have made the fans, the media, even the front office more comfortable being a rah-rah guy.
“But that’s not me,” Manning said. “Ultimately, I choose to believe that my teammates and the fans learned to appreciate that. What they got was pure, unadulterated Eli.”
The Giants acquired Manning on draft day in 2004 from the Chargers, and he became their leading passer in almost every career category. He led the Giants to titles after the 2007 and ’11 seasons, beating the New England Patriots both times.
Manning had a string of 222 consecutive starts from the end of his rookie year into the 2017 season. His final season ended with him being replaced by rookie Daniel Jones as the starting quarterback after two games. He did have a final hurrah, starting and winning a home game over the Dolphins after Jones was hurt in December.
“That was my farewell and a moment I will cherish forever,” Manning said.