Former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning hasn’t needed much help staying around the game in the early years of his retirement. Much of that can be attributed to his brother, Peyton Manning, the Pro Football Hall of Famer with an expansive off-field empire.
The two co-host the “Manningcast” for Monday Night Football and coach against each other during the Pro Bowl. Between commercials and number retirements, they aren’t hard to find.
Their presence is online, too, often at the expense of each other. The Giants legend recently poked fun at Peyton after a golf gaffe hit the timeline. Manning overshot his drive and hit a house, giving Eli plenty of ammo.
“I’m so proud!” Eli posted on Twitter.
When he isn’t trolling his brother on social media, there’s a good chance he’s hanging around New York sports. He’s among the cavalry of former Giants who have spoken to the team at organized team activities.
On Wednesday, head coach Brian Daboll spoke to reporters about their presence.
“Yeah, it's something I thought about at the end of the season, getting ready for this upcoming season, some of the things I wanted to do,” Daboll said. “One of those was to bring some guys in, brought a number of them in. There will be another one here today. Give a good message about what it means to be a Giant for them and some different things that hopefully mean something to our players.
“Obviously a lot of legends that have played the game for this organization and tremendous football players in the National Football League, and I have a good relationship with a lot of those guys throughout my time here and they're willing to come in and talk to those young guys. I think it's beneficial for them.”
It may be a coincidence, but New York likely appreciates that Manning, Michael Strahan, and Justin Tuck play the same positions as its 2025 first-round picks. Edge rusher Abdul Carter was grateful for the experience of listening to Strahan and Tuck, and Jaxson Dart has a history with Manning given their connections to the University of Mississippi.
“No, we have conversations before they come, but again, to hear from an LT or a Stray (Strahan) or a Tuck or Eli. There's been a number of them,” he added. “I think it's good for these players that are playing for this organization to hear from guys that have done it at a high level, not just for the New York Giants, but for the National Football League.”
Needless to say, fans can expect to see much more of Manning this season, whether it be around the Giants or on ESPN.