NEW YORK _ Eli Manning made it clear he does not want to return to the Giants and not play.
"I doubt it," he said the day after the 2019 season ended with him starting just four games. "Backing up is not real fun."
That won't stop the Giants from offering that role to him, though.
Asked about Manning returning to a team that seems to have Daniel Jones entrenched as the starting quarterback, co-owner John Mara said on WFAN on Friday that he has not closed any doors on the 39-year-old two-time Super Bowl MVP.
"Eli came to see me a few days ago, and we had a nice long talk," Mara said. "I don't think he's fully decided yet what he wants to do. And I told him to just take his time, think about it some more, and then come back and see me again."
Would Manning, a free agent, consider backing up Jones for a second season?
"Obviously that's something that Joe Judge is going to have something to say about, as well," Mara said. "And I'm not sure that that's what Eli wants to do. But again, he needs to think about it a little bit more."
Mara said he spoke with Manning about other roles in the organization.
"He's going to take his time," Mara said, "and we'll hopefully have another discussion at some point."
