Like most kids, Eli Manning has dreamed of becoming an NFL player. Ever since he was little he was throwing a football around with his older brothers Peyton and Cooper. Like Peyton and Archie before them, football was everything. It would be a dream come true for almost anybody to be selected 2nd overall, except Eli's father.
"Dallas may be America's team, but it won't be my son's team," Archie Manning said. "I've already spoken with GM William Cook and told him straight up, if they take Eli, we aren't signing. He will enter the 2005 draft."
It's almost unheard of. Agents of prospective rookies are constantly vying to get their guy picked as high as possible. The higher you are selected, the more money you're slotted and financial security you have (and your agent makes more on the commission, too). So when a player, or in this case a player's father, is bypassing the opportunity to land a big payday and drop in the draft, it's noteworthy.
Remember that the Cardinals possess both the 3rd & 4th overall picks. They drafted Carson Palmer last year and will not draft another QB this year in the first round. Which means Jacksonville is the next most likely destination. And while that would be next to impossible for Eli to kick start his career in the shadows of Peyton's Colts, it would definitely make for an interesting storyline twice per season when they square off. However, that would also be career suicide. It's hard enough living up to the hype of a superstar QB, it's going to be even harder when you're playing him twice every year.
Requests for comment from Cowboys GM William Cook were not immediately returned. However, league sources indicate that the Cowboys are now shopping the 2nd overall pick for none other than a starting QB. It appears the ultimatum is legitimate.
There aren't many QBs that appear to be available at this point in time. Drew Brees was one of the biggest to become available and he was scooped up by Cleveland in their attempt to beat Dallas to the punch. At the time it didn't appear as though the Cowboys were considering moving the pick.
You have to wonder if the Cowboys are regretting their 2003 draft decision. They held the 3rd overall pick and rather than selecting the 3rd best QB in Rex Grossman, they picked Andre Johnson. Johnson is clearly a superstar in the making, but the much heralded 2004 QB class doesn't appear to be as exciting as most teams thought it would be.
But you can't count Cook out just yet. After a reported trade with the Eagles that netted an impressive return for Terrell Davis, which was mutually nixed, the Cowboys were able to land LaDanian Tomlinson for what appears to be an excellent value considering the haul that Clinton Portis went for, twice. It seems that Cook has a little bit of the Disney magic in him right now. It will be interesting to see if this is a negotiating tactic by the Manning family or if the Cowboys have been spurned at the alter.
