Eli Manning took his time but was brutally honest when he finally revealed what stopped him from playing for the then-San Diego Chargers after they drafted him No. 1 Overall.
The NFL Draft is fast approaching and quarterbacks are expected to dominate the early picks. The Carolina Panthers traded with the Chicago Bears to acquire the first overall pick and will be hoping to avoid the awkwardness that the then-San Diego Chargers (now the Los Angeles Chargers) suffered in the 2004 draft.
The Chargers selected Eli Manning with the first pick in the 2004 NFL draft, in spite of Manning telling the organisation that he had no intention of ever playing for them. One hour after the pick - enough time for the young quarterback to awkwardly pose for a photo holding a Chargers jersey - the younger brother of Peyton was traded to the New York Giants in a package sending Phillip Rivers and a handful of later round picks the other way.
Manning was questioned relentlessly during his career about the Draft Day move but chose to be tight-lipped on his reasoning for not wanting to play for the Californian team. Prior to his Giants side facing off against the Chargers in 2013, Manning was asked why he did not want to play for the Chargers, but Manning gave the insightful response of: “I forgot.”
Ultimately, it took 18 years before the two-time Super Bowl champion finally decided to open up on the brutal decision. During an interview on NFL Network’s Kyle Brandt’s podcast, Manning fully opened up more on his decision.
"It was my decision having talked with my agent, coaches, [general managers] and owners," Manning said. "Going through the draft process, I was just worried about the Chargers organisation at the time. I felt it was the right decision and I had a little pull. I quietly tried to say 'Hey, please don't draft me, it can be our secret,' and they didn't keep the secret part very well."
Manning’s concerns about the Chargers at the time were justifiable, many forget that Drew Brees had suffered a torrid time during his first two years in San Diego and they were only 6 years removed from drafting Ryan Leaf, one of the most infamous draft busts of all time. Manning was represented by agent Tom Condon at the time who also represented the Chargers coach at the time Marty Schottenheimer, Brees who was still the starting quarterback and the team's star running back LaDainian Tomlinson. This gave Manning a view into what his future could hold, a view he clearly did not like the look of.
Manning’s father, Archie, was believed to have been the one to talk his youngest son out of the Chargers. Manning refuted that stating: “It wasn't my Dad. He was trying to take the heat off of me, he knew I was going to get criticised," Eli Manning told Brandt.
"After that, the Chargers turned it around, they got Shawne Merriman, then Drew Brees started playing great, then Philip (Rivers) started playing great, they went to AFC Championship games, they're making playoffs and turned things around."
Manning clearly made the right decision in hindsight going on to win two Super Bowls and becoming a Giants legend in the process, all whilst watching the Chargers never even make it to the final game of the year. If there is anything to be learnt from that infamous day, the Panthers may want to check with whoever they plan to draft this year that they do actually want to play for them.
