Eli Manning Inks New $97.5 Million Contract

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley (Click title to link to ESPN Story).

Eli Manning has agreed to a six-year, $97.5 million contract with the New York Giants, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen. The contract would make Manning the highest-paid player in the league, although the $35 million guaranteed that Mort is reporting is $6 million less than the Redskins gave free-agent defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth.

Obviously Manning would've been worth more on the open market, but the Giants were never going to let him get there. The quarterback became a made man in New York when he led the team to a Super Bowl win following the 2007 season. He's recognized as one of the top quarterbacks in the game, and he's now making more money than his older brother Peyton -- as long as you don't count TV commercials.

This is a contract negotiation the Giants didn't want to linger. Last season, they waited until the night of the first regular-season game to finalize a new deal with Plaxico Burress. You knew that wouldn't be the case with Manning. Could he have squeezed a couple more million guaranteed out of the Giants? Probably, but in the end he simply wanted to have the security of knowing he'd be with the Giants for years to come.

This deal may have been finalized in early August, but in reality it started in Feb. 2008, when Manning led the Giants to a stunning victory over the Patriots. Manning is the unquestioned leader of this team and there was no reason to drag out the negotiations. Match today's news with Antonio Pierce being cleared by a Manhattan grand jury Monday and you have a lot of good news coming out of Albany.