Eli Manning is a New York Giants legend. A two-time Super Bowl MVP who has played more games in a Giants uniform than any other player in the franchise’s 101-year history.
He certainly had plenty of highs and lows, but what was his lowest point? That was recently revealed during an appearance on the Glue Guys Podcast.
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It was November 28, 2017, when Manning was benched after 210 consecutive starts. He had been playing at a subpar level, and with the Giants at 2-9 and going nowhere, head coach Ben McAdoo decided to start Geno Smith in a game against the then-Oakland Raiders.
Manning was naturally hurt by the move. After all he had done for the Giants to be replaced by Smith, who had been largely a bust as an NFL quarterback at that time.
“It was tough,” Manning said. “You see the end coming — and you don’t know if it’s the end of your career. Is that your last game ever? It’s a lot of tears. It hurts. It hurts a lot. Because of what you’ve put into it, what the game means to you, what your teammates mean to you.”
The Giants lost, 24-17, to fall to 2-10. McAdoo’s gambit had failed. The backlash was so negative that both McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese were relieved of their duties the following week.
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Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was named the interim head coach. Reading the room correctly, Spags reinstated Eli as the starter. Manning started the remaining four games of the regular season, but the hapless Giants could only muster one win.
Manning went on to start every game in 2018 and then gave way to Daniel Jones the next season. He retired after the 2019 season.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Eli Manning: ‘A lot of tears’ following Giants benching in 2017