Steelers MMQB: NFL preseason week 2 wrap up
By Kim Myers
Is Eli asking for too much money?
Aug 22, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) smiles from the sidelines during the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
Last week NFL Media Insider weasel Ian Rapoport broke a story saying that New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning wanted to be the highest-paid player in the NFL. Something like that coming out is bound to spark some debate over whether Eli, who’s only real strength is beating the Patriots in Super Bowls, is really worth that kind of money.
Around the NFL editor Gregg Rosenthal explains that Manning vehemently denies circulating such a story.
"“No. That’s never come out of my mouth. I’ve never said it to my agent. It was never said by him, claiming this was the goal.” – Eli Manning"
Before you go into an in-depth debate over whether or not Eli Manning would deserve the kind of money that would make him a higher paid player than even his brother it would be important to recognize the source this information came from.
Ian Rapoport is known for reporting his “sources tell him” hot takes that never actually pan out. I have no doubt that he’s got sources and insiders all over the league but he’s also clearly more concerned with being first than with being right with his reports.
With the 24-hour news cycle that is the NFL he doesn’t even have to be right with his stories to create one. He can just float it out there that Eli might want a higher contract, it turns into him “wanting to be the highest-paid player” and suddenly more people are debating Eli’s touchdown to interception ratios than wondering where the hell Rapoport may have gotten this information from in the first place.
So the answer to the question of “Is Eli asking for too much money?” is not one that can be answered. We don’t know if he’s asking for any money let alone the most in the NFL. Think about that the next time Rapoport says that Ben Roethlisberger wants traded or that Antonio Brown will hold out.
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