Giants hoping to lock Eli Manning up long-term

Giants quarterback Eli Manning was perfectly content playing out the final year of his contract, but according to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, he might not have to.

On Monday night's Total Access, Rapoport noted that the Giants hope to do a deal before, or early on during the team's training camp. That would give Manning the security of a long-term deal and set the table for a Philip Rivers contract as well.

Due to the way this offseason developed, there's no doubt the Giants want to reward and hang onto any semblance of a franchise player they may have. Manning is one of the best 15 quarterbacks in football and is an obvious candidate to play his entire career with the Giants.

Manning also excelled under new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. Depending on how the end of the Tom Coughlin regime shakes out and how McAdoo plays a part in the organization's future, the two may be a nice pair going forward much like a rejuvenated Ben Roethlisberger and Todd Haley.

The Giants are a team in desperate need of some good news. They could also probably use a salary cap buffer on the front end over the next few years, something an extension could provide depending on the way the money is structured.

No matter what, getting a Manning deal done needs to be a priority.

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