Giants and Eli Manning will need to decide whether to part ways
Eli Manning
Eli Manning  will not be standing at midfield after Sundayâs final episode of Nightmare In The Swamp to give an emotional goodbye speech to Big Blue Nation.
Thatâs because  Manning  doesnât know if  he âs about to play  his  last game for the Giants or where  he  will be playing in 2018.  He  will be 37 years old next week  but  he âs not ready to retire and  his  first choice is to continue playing for the Giants.
âI want to play and feel like I can still play at a high level â  he  said Wednesday.
Will  Manning  agree to play the Kurt Warner role for Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen just as Warner  who made the Hall of Fame this year  did for  Manning  in  his  rookie year in 2004? Warner won the job in training camp  got the Giants off to a 5-2 start  but Tom Coughlin benched him after back-to-back losses and inserted  Manning  into the starting lineup in the 10th game.
 Manning  lost  his  first six starts before a last-second victory over the Cowboys in the final game. Warner had been cut by the Rams and was looking for a one-and-done situation to restore  his  reputation to put  him  in position to get a starting job in 2005.
Warner wanted to continue playing when Coughlin benched  him   but he never complained. He sat in front of his locker during down time and read the Bible. He signed to start for the Cardinals the next year.
 Eli Manning  and the Giants will need to decide whether it is best for both parties to move on. (Norm Hall/Getty Images)
Can  Manning  accept that role?
âI donât know â  he  told the Daily News. âI havenât thought about situations right now.â
Would  he  rather go somewhere else or take  his  chance playing Warner and trying to hold  his  job longer than nine games?
âI donât know yet â  he  said.
Iâm not sure itâs in  him  to hold space until the young guy is ready. Remember  the Giants wanted Kerry Collins to stick around and babysit Manning his rookie year  and he responded by asking to be cut. The Giants obliged and Collins signed with the Raiders and Warner signed with Giants.
Mentoring is easy.  Manning  has done that all season with non-threatening rookie Davis Webb  who jumped up to No. 2 on the depth chart Wednesday. Babysitting until the rookie is ready to handle the job is not for everybody  especially a two-time Super Bowl MVP who believes thereâs a third championship in his right arm.
Sunday could be  Eli Manning's  final game as a Giant. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
 Manning âs skills have deteriorated. Whether itâs the natural erosion for QBs his age other than Tom Brady or because itâs been years since heâs played with an offensive line that can protect or a running game that can make defenses creep up a little bit  the fact is  Manning  is no longer an elite QB.
 He  is prepared to compete for  his  job this summer  but if the situation is explained that at the first sign of trouble  he âs going to be benched just like Warner was in 2004   he  may not want any part of it.
[TGT] will not be standing at midfield after Sundayâs final episode of Nightmare In The Swamp to give an emotional goodbye speech to Big Blue Nation.
Thatâs because  Manning  doesnât know if  he âs about to play  his  last game for the Giants or where  he  will be playing in 2018.  He  will be 37 years old next week  but  he âs not ready to retire and  his  first choice is to continue playing for the Giants.
âI want to play and feel like I can still play at a high level â  he  said Wednesday.
Will   [TGT] agree to play the Kurt Warner role for Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen just as Warner  who made the Hall of Fame this year  did for  Manning  in  his  rookie year in 2004? Warner won the job in training camp  got the Giants off to a 5-2 start  but Tom Coughlin benched him after back-to-back losses and inserted  Manning  into the starting lineup in the 10th game.
  [TGT] lost   [TGT]   first six starts before a last-second victory over the Cowboys in the final game. Warner had been cut by the Rams and was looking for a one-and-done situation to restore  his  reputation to put  him  in position to get a starting job in 2005.
Warner wanted to continue playing when Coughlin benched  him   but he never complained. He sat in front of his locker during down time and read the Bible. He signed to start for the Cardinals the next year.
 Eli Manning  and the Giants will need to decide whether it is best for both parties to move on. (Norm Hall/Getty Images)
Can   [TGT] accept that role?
âI donât know â  he  told the Daily News. âI havenât thought about situations right now.â
Would  he  rather go somewhere else or take  his  chance playing Warner and trying to hold  his  job longer than nine games?
âI donât know yet â  he  said.
Iâm not sure itâs in  him  to hold space until the young guy is ready. Remember  the Giants wanted Kerry Collins to stick around and babysit Manning his rookie year  and he responded by asking to be cut. The Giants obliged and Collins signed with the Raiders and Warner signed with Giants.
Mentoring is easy.   [TGT] has done that all season with non-threatening rookie Davis Webb  who jumped up to No. 2 on the depth chart Wednesday. Babysitting until the rookie is ready to handle the job is not for everybody  especially a two-time Super Bowl MVP who believes thereâs a third championship in his right arm.
Sunday could be  Eli Manning's  final game as a Giant. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
 Manning âs skills have deteriorated. Whether itâs the natural erosion for QBs his age other than Tom Brady or because itâs been years since heâs played with an offensive line that can protect or a running game that can make defenses creep up a little bit  the fact is   [TGT] is no longer an elite QB.
  [TGT]   is prepared to compete for   [TGT]   job this summer  but if the situation is explained that at the first sign of trouble   [TGT]  âs going to be benched just like Warner was in 2004    [TGT]   may not want any part of it.