MARA HAS LOST ‘WAY’
Owner: No talk of Manning trade
IF ELI Manning had known the Giants were going to bench him, presumably he would have considered the previously-unthinkable of waiving his no-trade clause prior to the Oct. 31 trade deadline to play for a team that could win and wanted him.
But now Manning is stuck in limbo, sidelined and running Ben McAdoo’s scout team — scout team!! — which points to a clear divorce this offseason from the Giants via release or trade.
And Archie Manning, Eli’s father, acknowledged as much that harsh reality when he told the Daily News’ Gary Myers Tuesday: “I don’t think Eli ever envisioned, until now, playing for somebody else.”
John Mara insisted after his “emotional” Wednesday morning meeting with Manning with a thank you that Manning’s days with the franchise aren’t necessarily done.
“I just thanked him for as always handling this in a classy manner and thanked him for everything he’s done for us, and who knows what the future is gonna be,” Mara said. “Listen, he could get into the game for us on Sunday. You just don’t know.”
But Mara is being naive. For while it would be high drama for Manning to enter as Geno Smith’s backup Sunday in Oakland, Manning already has suffered enough indignity to make this path toward separation irreversible.
On that front, Mara said Manning did not express his desire to play somewhere else next season during their talk. “No,” Mara said. The co-owner could not say if Manning would waive his no-trade clause after the season.
“I have no idea,” Mara said. “We didn’t discuss that. We didn’t discuss that. We don’t know what’s gonna happen at the end of the season or next year.”
Mara did say of Manning: “I think he can still play in the NFL, yes, and I hope it’s here, but that’s be a discussion for another time.” He said on Wednesday he didn’t tell Manning he wants him to be a Giant before only because Manning knows that. “I think he knows that,” Mara said. “I’ve said that to him before.”
Manning on Tuesday could not answer if his Giants days were over. “I don’t know, he said. “I don’t know.” But a “shocked” Justin Pugh put it best when he said, frankly, “This isn’t the end for Eli Manning… If he wants to play football, he’ll still be playing.” And odds are, though Manning isn’t making demands yet, it won’t be for the Giants.