Ernie Accorsi Ernie Accorsi ( born October 29 , 1941 ) is a former American football executive . He served as the general manager of the New York Giants of the National Football League . Accorsi had held the position from January 8 , 1998 , when he took over for the legendary George Young until his retirement on January 16 , 2007 . He was succeeded by Jerry Reese . Education and early career . A 1963 graduate of Wake Forest University with a degree in journalism , Accorsi served in the U . S . Army before getting his start in sports as a reporter for the Charlotte News . He later wrote for the Baltimore Sun and the Philadelphia Inquirer before moving to the athletic departments at St . Joseph ' s University ( PA ) and then Penn State . Accorsi began his NFL career in 1970 with the Baltimore Colts as its Public Relations Director , worked on former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle ’ s staff in the league office in 1975 before rejoining the Colts two years later as Assistant General Manager . He resigned as GM in 1983 after drafting Stanford University quarterback John Elway and then learning that the club had traded the rights to him to the NFL ' s Denver Broncos . In 1985 , Accorsi was hired by then Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell to serve as the team ' s new General Manager and Executive Vice President of Football Operations , serving for seven seasons before being fired in 1992 , in a whirl of controversy surrounding the releasing of then starting QB Bernie Kosar , whom Accorsi was responsible for acquiring in a NFL Supplemental Draft conducted before the 1985 season . New York Giants . Accorsi joined the Giants in 1994 and served as an assistant to the general manager until he succeeded Young in 1998 . The Giants made one Super Bowl appearance under Accorsi in Super Bowl XXXV , which they lost to the Baltimore Ravens , 34 - 7 , won two NFC East division titles ( 2000 , 2005 ) while making the playoffs four times ( 2000 , 2002 , 2005 , 2006 ) . Accorsi ' s highest profile personnel move came at the 2004 NFL Draft , where he traded Giants first round draft choice quarterback Philip Rivers and three draft picks ( a 3rd round pick in 2004 and 1st and 5th round picks in 2005 ) to the San Diego Chargers for Number 1 overall draft choice quarterback Eli Manning , giving the Giants a young franchise quarterback . The move met with the approval of Giants fans , who cheered loudly when the trade was announced by Commissioner Paul Tagliabue . Manning then led the Giants to playoff appearances in 2005 and 2006 . In 2007 , Manning led the Giants to three straight road playoff victories , culminating in a victory over the then - undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII . Following the 2011 season , Manning would capture the Super Bowl XLVI title . Manning was named MVP of both Super Bowl XLII and XLVI , confirming Accorsi ' s belief that Manning was a star talent . Accorsi is also responsible for drafting stars Osi Umenyiora , Chris Snee , Justin Tuck , Mathias Kiwanuka , and Brandon Jacobs , as well as signing through free agency Antonio Pierce , Kareem McKenzie , Plaxico Burress , and Fred Robbins . He hired current head coach Tom Coughlin after the 2003 season dismissal of Jim Fassel . On November 9 , 2012 , Accorsi was hired by the Carolina Panthers as a consultant after general manager Marty Hurney was fired . Previous positions . Accorsi has been the general manager of two other NFL franchises , the Baltimore Colts , from 1982 to 1983 , and the Cleveland Browns , from 1985 to 1992 . He served as Penn State ' s Assistant Sports Publicity Director in the late 1960s . Personal . Accorsi is a 1963 graduate of Wake Forest University . Accorsi served as an analyst for the NFL Network coverage of the 2008 Senior Bowl .