Tom Brady vs. Eli Manning is one of the more unlikely rivalries in recent NFL history. While Brady is widely considered the greatest quarterback of all time, Manning wasn’t named to a single All-Pro team during his 16-year career.
Despite having very different career paths, Manning’s two Super Bowl victories over Brady and the New England Patriots solidified his status as one of TB12’s greatest rivals. If Manning has his way, the duo will soon continue their rivalry on the ownership level.
Eli Manning Putting Together Bid for New York Giants Stake
According to Gillian Tan and Randall Williams of Bloomberg, Manning has started the process of putting together an investment group to bid for a piece of the New York Giants.
“Manning, who led the team to its last Super Bowl victory in 2012, has spoken to individual investors, including retired NFL players,” according to the report.
If successful, the former Giants signal-caller would join Brady and Richard Seymour as recent NFL players who have transitioned to ownership. Brady and Seymour were approved as minority owners of the Las Vegas Raiders in October.
Moelis & Co. Hired in February to Sell Minority Stake of New York Giants
In February, the Giants hired investment bank Moelis & Co to sell a minority, non-controlling stake in the team. According to Bloomberg’s report, as much as 10% of the Giants is for sale.
While that is likely to be split between several different investors, Manning has the funds and resources to acquire at least a portion of the NFL team he continues to support.
According to Bloomberg, “Manning is estimated to have earned more than $200 million during his sporting career and has since built up his wealth from broadcasting income and advertising partnerships. The two-time Super Bowl quarterback is also a partner at private equity firm Brand Velocity Group.”
Manning’s interest in owning a piece of the Giants shouldn’t come as a surprise. He admitted as much in a January interview with CNBC.
“It’s definitely something of interest. There’s probably only one team I’d be interested in pursuing, and it’s the one I played for for 16 years, and it’s local, and makes the most sense, but we just got to figure out if they would ever sell a little bit.”
While no final decisions have been made, the Giants should give Manning every opportunity to secure funding. Not only would Manning add instant credibility to the ownership group, but it would give the Giants some positive PR after last season’s Saquon Barkley disaster.
