Retired Giants QB Eli Manning Reveals Why He Didn't Want to Play for the Chargers

Retired New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning recently set the record straight regarding his now-famous draft day decision to reject the then-San Diego Chargers, who selected him first overall in the 2004 NFL draft, only to turn around and trade him to Big Blue, where Manning spent his entire 16-year career.

“I just didn't feel like they were the most committed team to winning at the time,” Manning said during an appearance on Bussin’ With the Boys podcast.

Manning’s opinion took shape when Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer, general manager A.J. Smith, and owner Dean Spanos came as part of a party to New Orleans to work him out.

The workout went well, but what happened afterward raised red flags for Manning.

Bizarre Argument Set Off Alarm Bells

Former San Diego Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer was once a New York Giants assistant coach. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

“Marty Schottenheimer was awesome–had great respect for him,” Manning said. “They came to work me out in New Orleans, went to dinner, and like, there was just friction between the head coach, general manager, the owners–they're all yelling, kind of like fighting.”

Manning explained that one of the sources of friction among the Chargers personnel was the restaurant choice for that meeting.

“We're at a Marriott restaurant and Schottenheimer’s mad that, ‘We're in New Orleans and eating at a Marriott?’ So he is pissed, and they're kind of just bickering.

“It didn't seem like there was a whole lot of agreement on things and (if) they were committed to building a great winning franchise.”

Manning’s negative impression of that dinner with the Chargers’ top brass left a bitter taste in his mouth to the point where he decided that he wanted nothing to do with the Chargers, one of two teams that, ironically, Manning never defeated during his career with the Giants (Indianapolis being the other).

Archie Manning Takes the Fall

Archie Manning, New Orleans Saints, Eli Manning, new york giants — Archie Manning, who played most of his NFL career for the New Orleans Saints, took the blame for Eli's forcing his way out of San Diego. | Matt Kryger/IndyStar, Indianapolis Star via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Manning’s parents–former New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning and wife Olivia–didn’t approve of their youngest son’s opinion, but they were willing to back him up in his quest to avoid being drafted by the Chargers and to initiate a trade if San Diego did draft him.

“My dad didn't like the idea,” Manning said, putting to rest a long-time rumor that it was his father who engineered Eli’s rapid exit from San Diego. “He came to my defense and supported me after everything was going down.”

Manning got his wish, as the Chargers traded him to the Giants for the fourth overall pick in the draft, which turned out to be quarterback Philip Rivers, whom the Giants selected before the trade.

New York also sent their 2004 third-round pick (used on kicker Nate Kaeding), their 2005 first-round pick (used on linebacker Shawne Merriman), and their 2005 fifth-round pick to acquire Manning, the quarterback that then-general manager Ernie Accorsi was obsessed with landing.

“Afterward, he took a lot of the criticism because he came to my defense. People are saying, ‘Oh, you played in New Orleans all those years, you didn't win, so you're trying to dictate where your son's going.

“He just kind of, you know, bit his tongue and said, ‘Hey, this is what Eli wants to do, and I support him.’”

Manning’s Gut Feeling Proved to Be Right

Head coach Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning won two Super Bowls together with the Giants. | Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Manning, who came to the Giants the same year as Tom Coughlin, enjoyed a lengthy, iron-man type of career with Coughlin as his head coach, a role Coughlin held until his resignation after the 2015 season.

Manning also proved Accorsi was right in his conviction of the former Ole Miss signal caller. Accorsi, who engineered the trade with Smith, a football executive whom he later admitted he didn’t know well enough to alleviate any concern regarding whether the deal would be consummated, saw his hand-picked quarterback win two Super Bowl championships.

Meanwhile, the Chargers fired Schottenheimer after the 2006 season, despite going 14-2 that year. Spanos, in announcing Schottenheimer’s dismissal, cited a “dysfunctional situation” that was part of a power struggle between Schottenheimer and Smith, the general manager.

Smith went on to last a little longer, finally getting the axe just before the 2012 season ended, after the Chargers failed to make the postseason for the third straight year.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news, and send your mailbag questions to us.

Add us as a preferred source on Google