Eli Manning stresses importance of retiring with the Giants

The career of longtime New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning has officially come to an end. The two-time Super Bowl champion has decided against trying to extend his career with another NFL team and will call it quits after a potentially Hall-of-Fame-caliber stint in New York.

After announcing his intention to retire, Manning shed some light on why he chose to end his career now rather than try to play for another team. The veteran quarterback wanted to finish the job as a member of the Giants, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

“It was important for me to go out as a Giant,” Manning said at his retirement press conference on Friday. “It was the right thing to call it a career and end it instead of trying to uproot my family.”

With Manning’s skills declining and New York moving on in favor of rookie Daniel Jones at the quarterback position, the veteran deciding to walk away in classy fashion like this was definitely the right move. The New York franchise is also rewarding him for that decision to retire gracefully.

According to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, the Giants will retire No. 10 while entering Manning into the team’s Ring of Honor.

“We would be honored to induct you into our Ring of Honor next season And please know this: No Giant will ever wear No. 10 again,” Mara said.

The real question moving forward is whether Manning will get serious consideration for the Hall of Fame. It has been quite a debate over the years and will likely ramp up now with his decision to retire from the NFL.