Eli Manning explains why he wanted to play for New York Giants in 2004

When Eli Manning retired in January of 2020, he did so as the greatest New York Giants quarterback of all time.

Manning was a two-time Super Bowl champion, a two-time Super Bowl MVP and held nearly 30 franchise records in addition to multiple NFL postseason records.

In the not-so-distant future, Manning is likely to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But as impressive a resume as he compiled, Manning’s NFL career did not get off to the most glorious start. He caused controversy out of the gate, refusing to play for the then-San Diego Chargers, who selected him with the first overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft.

Ultimately, the Chargers swung a deal with the Giants and traded him off to New York in exchange for quarterback Philip Rivers and multiple picks.

The reasons why Manning refused to play in San Diego remained unclear until after his retirement when the quarterback finally revealed his motivations.

But what about the Giants? What attracted Manning to Big Blue as opposed to other NFL teams?

“I think just the history of the Giants and their commitment to football and trying to put a great football team together,” Manning told Giants Wire this week. “There’s no hoopla, there are no cheerleaders, there are no crazy halftime shows. It’s about going out there and being 100 percent committed to the team and that’s the Mara family and the Tisch family.

“It doesn’t always mean you’re going to have success but you know they are 100 percent committed to putting a great product out there and providing everything for the players, so it just seemed like an organization that would match the commitment that I have to football.”

The Giants aren’t a flashy team, that much is true. And contrary to the current narrative, both John Mara and Steve Tisch are committed to putting a good product on the field and taking care of their fans — or “customers” as the late Wellington Mara often referred to them.

Manning certainly embodied all of that during his career, helping to revitalize a fledgling franchise and return them back to glory.

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