You can retire from the gridiron, but you can’t walk away from it, ever. NFL stars have never truly had it in them to walk away from the field that made them who they are. Look at veterans like Big Ben and Ross Tucker breaking down gameplays on their podcasts. There’s ownership, too, and not just in the NFL. For instance, Patrick Mahomes owns stakes in MLB, MLS, NWSL, and F1, too. Talk about a diverse portfolio! Aaron Rodgers also purchased a minority share in an NBA team back in 2018. And of course, who can forget Tom Brady’s $244M investment to own a 10% stake in the Raiders?
Now, another veteran wishes to join the league of franchise owners. We’re talking about Eli Manning, the New York Giants’ starting quarterback from 2004 to 2019. According to reports, Manning has expressed interest in buying in on a minority share for the Giants, his former team. He is putting together a team of potential investors (including other retired NFL players). But will it be an easy task for Manning to buy into an $8 billion franchise? Mike Florio and Chris Simms don’t think it will be a walk in the park.
On his show Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio broke it down. “Former quarterback Eli Manning – He’s now reportedly putting a bid together to buy a minority interest in the Giants. They put it up for sale a few months ago.” According to reports, the Giants have been considering selling a non-controlling share of the team. The franchise even hired Moelis & Company for the job. The Giants team has been co-owned by the Mara and Tisch families since way back in 1991. But will Eli Manning get a piece of that cake? Mike doesn’t think so. He says, “When it comes to the literal bottom line, Eli’s not going to have the money to do this. He’s going to have to be the frontman of the group that comes together. – the other side of it – there’s no way Eli’s getting a sweetheart deal from the Giants.”
Drawing a parallel to Tom Brady, Mike Florio says Manning may not get a “sweetheart deal” from the Giants, despite being their former starting quarterback. “Tom Brady got one from a team he never played for. Eli’s not going to get one from the team he played for.” Brady did get a discount from the bigwigs when he signed his deal with the Raiders. The Raiders are worth north of $6 billion, and the Giants? They’re closer to $8 billion, so the amount Eli Manning has to pay will be much greater than Brady’s $244M. John Mara and Steve Tisch are principal owners for the Giants, and Mike Florio strongly believes they aren’t gonna make it easy for Manning. NFL analyst Chris Simms, on the other hand, has some interesting takes of his own.
The Manning crew for the Giants?
Chris Simms agrees that Eli Manning doesn’t have “$800 million and all that,” but he certainly believes Manning’s desire for ownership is interesting. “I think Eli and Peyton [Manning] could go this way and be involved in teams this way.” Eli and Peyton know the game inside and out, and with their expertise and experience, they could certainly bring the Giants to the forefront of the league in terms of competition. Chris also explains that this is “unprecedented territory for the Giants” as the Mara and Tisch family have co-owned the Giants for decades. “to have a third party with the New York Giants, that’s big news in itself, let alone it be the greatest quarterback in franchise history. So, Pretty cool.” And that’s not all.
NEW ORLEANS, LA – FEBRUARY 09: Eli Manning celebrates his win in the FanDuel Kick of Destiny 3, before Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, February 9, 2025 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA. Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire NFL, American Football Herren, USA FEB 09 Super Bowl LIX – Eagles vs Chiefs EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon250209005
Chris further imagines a scenario where the Mannings dominate the Giants scene, “Maybe they could have got Arch Manning next year. It could have been Eli owning, Arch playing quarterback, Peyton be the GM or something. – They could just make the whole damn Manning team the Giants.” The Mannings manning the Giants, pretty cool to think about, isn’t it? But there’s still a long way to go before all that happens, if it happens. Remember, it took Tom Brady 17 whole months for the Raiders deal to pan out. And if Manning manages to get the investors onboard, he will still have to pay the majority of the amount, and it will certainly not happen in a matter of months if past events are any indication. But we can hope, along with Manning, that another franchise QB could soon become a part-owner of an NFL team.
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