Eli Manning announces his retirement after 16 years as Giants franchise quarterback

Eli Manning has announced his retirement from the New York Giants, the team said in a statement on Wednesday.

Manning, 39, will officially bid farewell at a press conference on Friday, ending the quarterback’s 16-year career spent entirely with the team he joined in a draft-day trade in 2004. 

In addition to leading the Giants to two Super Bowl championships as MVP, Manning started 210 consecutive regular-season games from 2004 to 2017, the third-longest streak by a quarterback in NFL history.

‘For 16 seasons, Eli Manning defined what it is to be a New York Giant both on and off the field,’ said John Mara, the Giants’ president and chief executive officer, in a statement. ‘Eli is our only two-time Super Bowl MVP and one of the very best players in our franchise’s history.’

Manning’s future had been in doubt since the end of the season. His contract with the Giants expired after the 4-12 season, and there was little chance he would be returning after losing his long-time starting job to rookie Daniel Jones.

Manning said he wanted to think about his future after the season, and roughly three weeks after the Giants’ season ended he decided his career was over. 

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