Eli Manning will become the highest-paid player in the NFL after agreeing a $97 million contract extension with the New York Giants.
Giants quarterback set to become highest paid player in NFL
Eli Manning is set to become the highest-paid player in the NFL after agreeing a $97million contract extension with the New York Giants.
Although the deal has yet to be officially announced it is thought to be six years in length, meaning the quarterback will take home an annual salary of approximately $15.3m.
An unidentified source close to the talks told
AP that Manning was guaranteed $35m under the deal, which will last through to the 2015 season.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract had yet to be signed, although it could go through on Wednesday after both parties reviewed its terms.
Giants general manager Jerry Reese was hopeful that Manning's contract would be extended.
"He is a franchise quarterback," Reese said. "He has done everything we asked him to do. He has come in, taken a lot of flack from you guys (the media) and he just keeps going.
"He does what we ask him on the field and he does what we ask him to do off the field. He is a good football player."
Both Manning and his agent Tom Condon have so far declined to comment.
Higher salary
His salary is expected to be around $200,000 higher than that of All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha of the Oakland Raiders.
Asomugha agreed to a three-year, $45.3m contract earlier this year.
It is also more than Manning's older brother, Peyton, who earns an average of $14.17 million annually with the Indianapolis Colts.
Now 28, Manning led the Giants to victory in the 2008 Super Bowl against the New England Patriots - a game in which he was also named the MVP.
Although Manning was in the final year of the contract he signed as the number one overall pick in 2004, there was little chance of him becoming a free agent.
The Giants could have named him a franchise player and Manning has long said he wants to stay put.
He took over as the Giants starter midway through his rookie season and he has led New York to the play-offs in each of the past four seasons.
Manning went to the Pro Bowl for the first time after last season, when he passed for 3,238 yards and 21 touchdowns.
He also threw only 10 interceptions, 10 fewer than the previous season.
