Russell Wilson is down. Next up, Eli Manning and Philip Rivers.
The NFL's preseason grist mill churned out another star contract Friday, with the Seattle Seahawks' Wilson inking an extension that will shift the financial spotlight to other quarterbacks who are circling deals. More specifically, to the ticking clocks of San Diego's Philip Rivers and the New York Giants' Manning, who are each entering the final year of their contracts. Progress for Rivers and Manning has been slow, and that while contract numbers have been exchanged for both players, neither is close to a new deal as the calendar turns to August.
Manning seemed unconcerned as the Giants prepared to take the field for their first training camp practice on Friday, saying he didn't know where his process stood and that Wilson's deal wouldn't change his mindset.
"You'd have to ask the Giants or ask my agent," Manning said. "That's not my concern."
Interestingly, Giants team co-owner John Mara expressed optimism over a deal earlier this week, but also poked at Manning's camp when speaking to the media.
"I think we'll get it done at some point in time," Mara told reporters as the team prepared for camp. "We're just going through the usual things that you go through. The agent asks for the moon, we make a reasonable offer, at some point he'll come to his senses and we'll have an agreement. There's nothing unusual about any of this."
That's not exactly Nikita Khrushchev banging on a podium and wagging his finger at his opposition. But the "agent asks for the moon" and "he'll come to his senses" remarks are out of the ordinary for Giants ownership and Manning's agent, Tom Condon. Historically, the two sides have made it a point to run silent with even mild rhetoric when it comes to financial talks regarding Manning.
At the very least, the Giants have been put on notice that a Ben Roethlisberger-type deal is where the Manning talks are going. Given the similar accomplishments and age of the two players, Roethlisberger's structure and money makes sense for the 34-year old Manning. Roehtlisberger signed a five-year pact in March with a base of $99 million and a guarantee of $60.75 million, including a $31 million signing bonus. He'll make $65 million in the first three years of his new deal, which is expected to be similar to the sweet spot of Manning's next deal.
As it stands, Manning is slated to make $19.75 million this year. He said it never occurred to him to set an artificial preseason deadline to get a new deal done, a tactic employed by Wilson to land his four-year $87.6 million extension. Both the Giants and Condon are expected to push to get the quarterback's next deal done by the start of the regular season.
As for Giants camp, here are some initial observations after Day 1 …
Rookie playing a role
The Giants filled a healthy amount of need with their draft class, so there should be a few players stepping into solid roles in 2015. Despite missing part of the spring with a leg injury, Owamagbe Odighizuwa has the length, quickness and athleticism to find a rotational spot now that it appears Jason Pierre-Paul will be missing time. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo likes to use his defensive line depth creatively, and that could put Odighizuwa in line for a spot in the rotation on passing downs.
Veteran fighting for a job
Cornerback Jayron Hosley. A third-round pick in the 2012 draft, Hosley suffered significantly while trying to hold down the slot in the nickel package. Indeed, he looked like a virtual certainty that he wouldn't be on the roster if the Giants addressed the cornerback spot in the draft or free agency. But Hosley is going to get one more opportunity in Spagnuolo's new defense, back at the outside cornerback spot. He expressed excitement at the change to a position he deems more natural to his skills. One thing seems clear: If his 2014 coverage struggles linger in training camp, he will sink on the depth chart and could find himself without a job come early September.
Key guys in a contract year
Cornerback Prince Amukamara. We've already addressed Manning, and we'll get to Jason Pierre-Paul in a minute. Amukamara is slated to become a free agent in 2016 and has an opportunity to land a massive deal … if he can stay healthy and seize on the promise that made him a first-round pick in 2011. The biggest concern for the Giants has been that Amukamara has missed so many games – 20 in his first four years. It's hard to hand a big extension to a guy who keeps breaking down. But the reality is that Amukamara is a skilled young starting cornerback who has been held back a bit by injuries. If he can stay on the field for an entire season and play at a high level, he would be one of the elite free agents in 2016. So long as Manning is under a new deal, the Giants would likely slap Amukamara with the franchise tag in that situation. Either way, it seems Amukamara is in line to make himself some money this year, barring a total breakdown.
One extra point (OK, two) …
1.) It's worth wondering if there's any way Jason Pierre-Paul's relationship with this franchise can ever recover after the July 4 fireworks incident resulted in an injured hand. Multiple Giants players have said they continue to correspond with Pierre-Paul, but nobody has any idea what is happening with him physically. It's not really the place of the players to ask – and it seems that most don't, out of respect.
"I didn't ask him too much," said defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins, who said he has had some "quick" conversations with Pierre-Paul. "The biggest concern was asking him how he was doing. He sounded in good spirits."
That has been the general consensus of those who said they've spoken to Pierre-Paul, that he sounds like he's doing well and that they've simply tried to be supportive. But the Giants brass is clearly frustrated over the situation, which reached a new low when co-owner John Mara told reporters, "I don't know how many fingers he has. We have no idea what type of condition he is in, and that doesn't give us any comfort. We don't know anything more than you know."
The team and Pierre-Paul were already at odds over money and the team retaining him via the franchise tag. The fireworks accident complicated emotions further, and then on Friday, officials saw the first photos of Pierre-Paul's hand and arm in a sling and heavily wrapped in bandages. Beyond just hurt feelings, you've got to believe a significant amount of trust has been lost between the two sides. Regardless of whether Pierre-Paul comes back in dominating form, it's hard to believe the relationship between the two sides will ever be the same again.
2.) Odell Beckham Jr. may have exploded onto the NFL last year, but that doesn't mean he's officially off the veteran skewer. After missing the preseason and four regular-season games last year, he still has a little further to go to shed the "rookie" status. Apparently the full 16 regular-season games is the standard among teammates.
"I've still got four more games," Beckham said. "Hopefully I can get Rookie of the Week the first week or something like that. … Eli tells me I'm a rookie all the time still, so you just have to take that and keep going every single day. Try and inspire somebody."
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