Here is the best-case scenario for the Giants: See if their 38-year-old quarterback will accept a small cut he can earn back. To see how that works, Eli can stay in the family and review how older brother Peyton handled it in 2015.
The Broncos, concerned with the health, durability and performance of Peyton Manning, who had undergone complicated neck surgery four years earlier, wanted him back, but at a reduced price. They took $4 million off his base salary and converted it into incentives not likely to be earned: $2 million for getting to the Super Bowl and $2 million for winning the Super Bowl. It turned out to be a perfect match, as the Broncos’ defense carried Peyton Manning to a Super Bowl triumph and he earned back the $4 million taken off his salary. |
and missed out on 5 million because of his performance
Give him 6 million, 3 mil signing bonus and 3 mil salary in 2020.
That knocks his cap hit for 2019 to about 14.5 million, so the NYG get 8.5 million cap relief in 2019.
Keep him in 2020 and his cap hit for 2020 would be about 13 million. Cut him an his cap number is 10 mil.
I am a little fuzzy on these numbers - and Eli may not go for it -- but it makes sense for both sides.
And if .... Eli has a suberb 2019, you can adjust slightly up by adding another year without killing the cap.
Again, why would he do that? The front office has never shown the dedication to fix the team around him in the past. Why would now be any different? He owes them nothing.
I'd like that.
Who knows if Eli has faith in Gettleman to effect a fix, but the effort is there.
As to why Eli would accept a paycut with incentives to make it back: it could be preferable to being cut and potentially making less on the open market.
Because the alternative is getting cut outright before his whatever guarantee/bonus kicks in the end of March... And maybe no team is interested in him as a starter...