The Manning - Rivers Trade is Now Validated ... for The New York Giants

Now that we have had time to digest the Superbowl, take a step away from it all, and really think about its relevance in the grand scheme of football history, I think there is little question that Superbowl XLII ranks up there as one of the best ever.

But even outside of the New York Giants defeat over the New England Patriots, there is another story that entails the birth of a star. Quarterback Eli Manning may not be destined for the Mt. Rushmore of quarterbacks or even headed for the Hall of Fame. However, he is a Superbowl winning quarterback, something fewer than 25 people on this Earth can say. And that very qualification alone makes the trade for Manning in the 2004 NFL Draft worth every penny.

It was in April of 2004 that Eli Manning was drafted by the San Diego Chargers with the first pick of the NFL Draft. They drafted him despite Eli's father, Archie Manning, saying that he would not allow his son to play with a team that had shown no promise for the future. So about an hour after drafting the #1 pick, the Chargers traded Eli Manning to the New York Giants. While such a trade was huge in and of itself, it was the magnitude of what the Giants gave up to get Eli Manning that was most stunning.

The Giants gave up Phillip Rivers and their 2005 first round draft pick just to get Eli Manning. That was essentially giving up two first round picks for one player. That's how good the Giants thought Eli Manning was just coming out of college, and so they paid the price to do it.

Ernie Accorsi was the General Manager who made this decision back in 2004. Many people questioned giving up twice Manning's real value because they weren't sure he was ever going to be that great of a player. And from the beginning, this trade for Eli Manning was going to be questioned.