Big Blue legend has thrown ball ‘once’ since retiring

Can you imagine going for a nice summer walk, glancing over at the high school football field in your New Jersey suburb and not believing what you think you are seeing?

Hey, that looks like Eli Manning. And that guy out there with him, could it be … nah.

Or … yeah.

This was in mid-July. It was the last time Eli Manning threw a football.

“So, since December 29 [the final day of the Giants’ 2019 season], I’ve thrown a football one time,’’ Manning told The Post on Monday. “One day, a buddy of mine asked if I would throw him some routes. He was in the area and I said I would do it just for him.’’

Must be a special buddy. “Yeah, it was Larry Fitzgerald, he was in town and called me,’’ Manning said.

That is a fairly special buddy. Manning went No. 1 in the 2004 NFL Draft. Fitzgerald went No. 3. Manning, 39, retired after 16 years with the Giants and will likely end up in the Hall of Fame. Fitzgerald, 37, is in his 17th year with the Cardinals and will be a first ballot Hall of Famer.

“I said, ‘I’m not throwing Larry, I haven’t thrown in seven months,’ ’’ Manning said of his conversation with Fitzgerald. “He was like ‘C’mon, you can do it one time.’ ’’

The two friends met at the field and threw and ran about 40 routes.

“I think we both looked old,’’ Manning said, laughing. “It worked out. I can’t throw it that far and Larry can’t run that far. Pretty good timing, my deep ball and his 4.9 speed worked pretty well together.’’

Manning said in retirement he continues to work out, but with more emphasis on cardio training. As a result, he has dropped a few pounds of muscle. He attends to some business dealings early in the day. One of his current projects is the “Watch Together’’ experience on the Yahoo Sports App.

“Leave my afternoons pretty open to see the kiddos and help out with some of their events,’’ Manning, who is married with four children, said.

He did not want to go cold-turkey on competitive sports and, at the behest of his wife, has taken up tennis.

“I never played tennis in my life,’’ Manning said. “I’ve hit a tennis ball, maybe picked it up and messing around but I’ve never played a competitive match of tennis before until two months ago.’’ And?

“I’m not bad,’’ he said. “I’ve beat some guys. I’m not a superstar. My technique’s not there, but if you ask me to hit it over the net, yes, I can hit it over the net. Still trying to figure out top spin and certain shots and the serve and whatnot. I’m making improvements.’’