It finally happened: Eli Manning has been benched by the Giants.
This has been on the horizon for several years. It almost happened in 2017 when then-coach Ben McAdoo benched Manning in favor of Geno Smith, but that wasn't a permanent move as McAdoo was fired soon after and Manning became the starter again.
Now it's rookie Daniel Jones' turn, a move that was written on the wall.
Jones was drafted to be the Giants' quarterback of the future, he was great in the preseason and Manning was only OK to start the regular season as New York went 0-2.
But no matter what you think of Manning, he goes down as one of only 12 quarterbacks to win multiple Super Bowls. That is where the conversation about his career must begin.
Three stats defining Eli Manning's legacy
Two Super Bowls
Eli Manning didn't just win two Super Bowls, he was a two-time Super Bowl MVP, and in those games he made iconic throws and posted good numbers. He went 49-for-74 passing for 551 yards with three touchdowns and one interception and beat Tom Brady twice. (Manning did have some help from Mario Manningham and David Tyree.)
One of the GREATEST plays in #NFL100 history: Mario Manningham's catch in SBXLVI comes in at No. 31.#GoBlue | #ProBlue @ManninghamNYG pic.twitter.com/RXM3zXHe39
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) September 14, 2019
But while those are really good things to hang his hat on, his run to those Super Bowls can't be forgotten either. The Giants had to win four games both postseasons and Manning threw 15 touchdown passes to just two interceptions while going 8-0.
The Giants likely do not win either of those championships without him. That truly defines his career.
A .500 record
The unfortunate part of Manning's career though that cannot be overlooked is his overall regular-season mediocrity. Not with his stats in general — he is actually pretty good statistically — but just his won-lost record as a starter.
Manning made 232 starts in his career. He is exactly 116-116. That's not what you want. Yes, he went 8-4 in his career in the postseason including those two Super Bowls, but that also means he went 0-4 in the playoffs in years he didn't win the Super Bowl.
Championships are the true measure of a quarterback, but a team doesn't expect a .500 record when it pays $252 million — even if that's actually that not bad in the NFL in terms of paying a veteran No. 1 quarterback.
Top 10 in two all-time passing rankings
Manning made only four Pro Bowls in his 15-year career and never won a regular-season MVP award, so it's easy to assume his stats really weren't all that good. But that's simply not true. Manning finished with seven 4,000-yard passing seasons, three years with 30 touchdown passes and is seventh all-time in passing yards and eighth in passing touchdowns. Add that to two Super Bowls and that is certainly a Hall of Fame resume.
Again, though, you have to look at the entire picture to truly understand his legacy. Manning also had three 20-interception seasons and is currently 14th all-time with 241 career picks. A lot of that has to do with the amount of time he has played, but so do his positive numbers, so these can't be overlooked either.
All in all, Eli Manning was a good quarterback, very good at key times. He helped his team win games and ultimately championships, but with a career full of average performances and a 38-59 record over his last seven seasons, it was time to move on.