As Eli Manning officially retires, Tom Brady weighs in
After 16 years as quarterback for the New York Giants, Eli Manning announced his retirement from the NFL Friday. The two-time Super Bowl winner made it official this morning at the Giants training facility in East Rutherford, CBS New York reports.
"Once a Giant, always a Giant. And for me, it is only a Giant," Manning said.
Manning, 39, will be best known for his two incredible come-from-behind Super Bowl titles, both stunning wins over the New England Patriots, led by Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. As Manning spoke on Friday, Brady sent a message of congratulations — and regret.
Congratulations on your retirement, and a great career Eli! Not going to lie though, I wish you hadn’t won any Super Bowls.
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) January 24, 2020
"We joke around about this but it's not real funny to him," Manning replied, according to the Giants. Manning's Giants were the only team to ever defeat Brady in the Super Bowl until the Eagles won in 2017.
Manning never missed a game to injury, and he took his share of shots. He finished his career with 234 starts, over 57,000 yards passing and 366 touchdowns.
"To the Giants fans. You are definitely unique. And I love you for that," Manning said.
Despite the two championship-winning seasons, Manning's career was always a bit rocky. While he made it to four pro-bowls, Manning also failed to make the playoffs in nine of his 16 seasons. The Giants had three losing seasons in a row from 2013-2015, and although they managed to get back to the playoffs in 2016 with an 11-6 record, they followed that up with just three wins in 2017.
Manning was officially replaced as the starter in 2019 after the Giants drafted former Duke quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick that year.
Jordan Frieman contributed to this report.