Eli may get to ride off into the sunset as starter after all

Maybe now Eli Manning will ride off into the sunset in the only role he really has ever known in the NFL: as the Giants’ starting quarterback.

Because oddly, while Kyle Lauletta’s arrest last week was regrettable, it might have clarified or at least simplified the Giants’ quarterback situation down the stretch of this lost 2018 season, which likely will be Manning’s last as a Giant.

One would think Manning now unquestionably will remain the Giants’ starter coming out of their Week 9 bye on Monday Night Football Nov. 12 at the San Francisco 49ers, and for the next home game Nov. 18 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and maybe for the rest of the season.

That might have been the plan anyway, but now from a public perception standpoint it would be impossible to sit Manning this early for a fourth-round pick who has run afoul of local law enforcement to hand the Giants a defeat even on their bye week.

Not to demonize Lauletta, 23, who has yet to tell his side of the story of Tuesday’s incident. And the rookie QB still should and probably will dress and play at some point as Manning’s backup down the stretch, once time heals slightly, so the front office can evaluate him in live action.

But moving on from Manning is a delicate process, as Ben McAdoo learned last season. It was already going to be a difficult decision for Pat Shurmur to make. And Lauletta’s running late for his opportunity to possibly play (!), and his actions that prompted his arrest further complicate not only the optics but also the Giants’ evaluation of Lauletta.

Don’t forget, either, that while

the Giants need to plan for the future and properly handle Manning’s likely exit this offseason, what this team (and coach, especially) are most desperate for right now is a win.

Shurmur badly needs one as a first-year head coach with a 1-7 team on a five-game losing streak. Ownership is dying for one, especially after the MetLife Stadium stands were virtually empty for the fourth quarter of the Giants’ Week 8 loss to Washington. Manning wants one to validate that he still can play at a high

level (a tall task behind that offensive line, to be sure).

Sure, losing at this point improves the Giants’ standing for a higher draft pick. But while GM Dave Gettleman belatedly has entered tear-down mode, the Giants are not the tanking Oakland Raiders (which makes it even worse that they have the same record!).

There was more than enough character and fight in James Bettcher’s defense in their loss to Washington following the trades of starters Damon Harrison and Eli Apple. Special teams has been pretty good lately with Quadree Henderson’s addition as punt returner, punter Riley Dixon’s

collaborations with Antonio Hamilton to pin opposing offenses, and kicker Aldrick Rosas’ new second-season reliability.

And not to be overlooked: Wednesday’s waiver claim of ex-Rams right guard Jamon Brown, 25, is going to improve the Giants’ line immediately, if incrementally. Brown started all 16 games for Los Angeles last season and only lost his starting job this fall because of a twogame suspension for marijuana found in his car in 2017.

Austin Blythe, a guard/ center, played so well that he stole the job in Brown’s absence. And Brown, who plays only guard, was due

to be a healthy scratch down the stretch for the undefeated Rams, who only waived him to be able to afford Jaguars pass rusher Dante Fowler, whom they acquired in a deadline trade.

Brown was in high demand on waivers. He’s a well-regarded teammate. The Bears, Packers, Ravens and Titans all put in claims, as well, per ESPN.

So Brown, a pending free agent, should start immediately for the Giants at a position that has been an abject disaster thanks to Gettleman, who watched guard D.J. Fluker walk to Seattle while paying big money for free agent Patrick Omameh and backing

him up with John Greco, both of whom couldn’t cut it.

Brown’s addition, then, should help Shurmur’s and Manning’s primary shortterm goal: to win a stinkin’ game. In the meantime, Manning has to be thinking about how he wants this to end.

Does he want to announce soon that this will be his final season and turn the last eight games into a retirement tour? Does he intend to play it week-by-week? Will he pursue taking a major pay cut to stick around as a placeholder and backup in the final year of his current contract? Does he prefer to retire a Giant or continue starting elsewhere? Would anyone be interested this offseason if he preferred the latter (unlikely)?

This is likely Manning’s final season as a Giant. He is owed a $5 million roster bonus on the fifth day of the 2019 NFL league year next spring, and it would save the Giants $17 million against their 2019 salary cap if they waived Manning at age 38 after this season.

There will be no ideal way to say goodbye, but instead of facing constant clamor for the rookie to play, this week’s drama may have cleared the way for Manning at least to play his way off the stage.

And maybe that is for the best.