Eli Manning is certain about two things as it relates to his first post-playing career. Manning, who retired earlier this offseason after a 16-year run as the New York Giants' quarterback, has no desire to become an NFL coach, citing the number of hours they work as the main reason why that is off the table. He does, however, have a strong desire to remain involved in football in some capacity.
Manning, during a recent USO video conference call with service members and their families, said that he plans to take a year off before making any decisions about what he will do next. The two-time Super Bowl MVP said that broadcasting and coaching at the high school level are two options that he is possibly interested in pursuing. Manning also said that he would like to stay involved with the Giants, the team he spent his entire career with.
"Football is my love and passion," Manning said, via ESPN's Jordan Raanan. "It is all I've known for the last 25 years and all I've been doing. I don't think I can stray too far away from that. I'd like to hope to do something with the Giants, stay involved with them. I probably need a little break right now just because it's so new. So I'm going to take a little time, enjoy some family time, but I assume I'll be jumping back into football in some way.
"I don't know if I want to do announcing ... yet. Or go into that field. I might want to stay more hands-on with either the Giants or some coaching with a high school team."
Manning, who is currently back home in Mississippi, has spent the last few months of his first offseason in retirement home schooling his four children, a situation many parents are undoubtedly familiar with given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Manning has also spent some of his time working on his various charity projects. One thing Manning has not done, however, is throw a football, something he did 8,519 times during his time with the Giants.
Eli will also not be taking part in the upcoming golf match that will pair older brother Peyton and 15-time major champion Tiger Woods against Tom Brady and five-time major champion Phil Mickelson. While Peyton has the edge when it comes to comparing the careers of the Manning brothers, Brady recently alluded to Eli's strengths as a golfer.
"Eli's the one that I'm actually happy I'm not playing," Brady said on ESPN's 'Stupodity' podcast. "It's [hard] to face Eli on the golf course. [Playing against] Peyton, I got a shot."
After staying mostly out of the spotlight during his first several years in retirement, Peyton has started doing various projects with ESPN that includes his work in the network's "Detail" series. Last year, he hosted a show titled "Peyton's Places" that chronicled Manning's journey across the country to interview prominent figures as part of the NFL's centennial anniversary.
While Peyton has yet to appear in a broadcast booth, Tony Romo, the Cowboys' career passing leader who retired from the NFL in 2016, has found instant success working alongside play-play-announcer Jim Nantz and sideline analyst Tracy Wolfson, as CBS Sports' No. 1 color analyst. Romo, who joined CBS in 2017, will broadcast his second Super Bowl for the network this February.
Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, who retired following the 2010 season, has mostly stayed out of the spotlight in retirement. He did return to the sideline as a high school assistant coach a few years into retirement, winning the Class 6A Mississippi high school state championship in 2013.
Manning, whose previous coaching experience included working with high school and college quarterbacks at the annual Manning Passing Academy, is clearly intrigued about a possible future in coaching.
"I always really enjoy working with freshmen in high school and getting them to learn how to play quarterback at a higher level," Manning said. "You see the difference when they come in that first day and leave four days later, and the growth that they've made in that time.
"To find ways to do that in your community and really help people at the beginning of their career to learn the game of football, to learn the mechanics and things, I think that is an interest for me that I'd like to continue to do and maybe find ways to grow in that."
