New York Giants: Eli Manning needs Odell Beckham Jr.

The New York Giants aren’t ruling out the possibility of trading Odell Beckham Jr., but there’s one individual who would be lost without him: Eli Manning.

If there’s one word to describe New York Giants fans, it would have to be: “Loyal.” When a player contributes to the Giants for an extended period of time, the fan base will willingly overlook the negative to prop up the good they’ve done.

The same can be said for many fan bases, but the Giants are a special breed due to the presence of one polarizing figure: Eli Manning.

Manning is a two-time Super Bowl champion who will one day be on a Hall of Fame ballot because of those two runs alone. Outside of those two championships, however, the Giants have made the playoffs just four times in the 12 other seasons that the former Ole Miss star has been under center.

Six times in 14 seasons isn’t terrible, but it’s tough to stomach when one considers that Manning is 0-4 during the playoffs when subtracting the two Super Bowl runs.

Knowing that the Giants have two seasons of meaningful success in a 14-year tenure, one would think that the fans have turned on Manning already. Instead, they remain loyal to the quarterback who helped deliver two of the franchise’s four Super Bowl wins.

As the 2018 offseason takes a turn for the bizarre, however, there’s a harsh reality that should be acknowledged: Manning is nearing the end of the line.

Manning is the NFL’s resident iron man, but he’s also 37 years of age. His statistical output has long been consistent, with averages of 3,914 passing yards and 26 passing touchdowns in the 13 seasons since his rookie year.

Unfortunately, Manning also has more career interceptions (228) than games played (216).

In recent seasons four seasons, Manning has seen a rise in production. He threw 91 touchdowns to 44 interceptions between the 2014 and 2016 campaigns, but—and again, there’s a but—2017 was a brutal year for him.

The driving force behind Manning’s success has also been the occasionally injured star who exposes his weaknesses: Odell Beckham Jr.

Beckham has emerged as one of the most productive wide receivers in NFL history. He recorded at least 91 receptions, 1,305 receiving yards, and 10 receiving touchdowns in each of his first three seasons, and was well on his way to doing so again when he was injured in 2017.

Manning relies heavily on his receivers’ ability to make plays after the catch, which has made Beckham the perfect fit in New York.

In the midst of an offseason that’s been marred by controversy, however, Beckham has seemingly surfaced on the open market. His off-field activity has become as much of a story as what transpires on it, which hasn’t been lost on Giants owner John Mara.

That ultimately resulted in Mara alluding to the possibility of trading Beckham if his contract negotiations and off-field issues aren’t resolved.

It may or may not be understandable for the Giants to feel the way they do, but the harsh reality is that moving on from Beckham would require moving on from Manning.

With Beckham on the field, Manning is a quality quarterback from a pure production perspective. Without Beckham off the field, Manning is a below-average quarterback whose offensive line is only a part of the reason for his issues.

Even if the Giants were to get a decent return for Beckham, trading the most explosive after-the-catch receiver in the NFL would signal a need to move on from Manning.

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The question is: Will the New York Giants actually trade the key to Eli Manning’s career renaissance?