Eli Manning will no longer do his weekly spot on WFAN.
The 10-15 minute interview paid Manning six-figures, but after 15 years and two stations, the Giants informed FAN a few weeks ago he would no longer do the interview with afternoon host Mike Francesa.
On Friday, Francesa insinuated Manning’s decision was linked to the Giants drafting of quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth pick in Thursday’s NFL draft.
“Eli’s so set on his future, that he didn’t want to do this show this year,” Francesa said. “And it’s not because he’s sick of me. That might be some people’s thing, but it’s not Eli’s. Because he can see the handwriting. If you can’t see this handwriting on the wall, folks, hey, it’s block letters. If they somehow miraculously, with a defense on paper that looks like it’s awful, win, well, hey, everybody’s happy.”
Sources told The Post that Manning had just grown tired of doing the spot. It was nothing against Francesa, who is a huge Manning supporter, but the 38-year-old Manning — who may be moving toward the end of his career — did not want to answer weekly questions about his future. The questions would be there if the Giants selected Jones or not.
Later on the show, Francesa confirmed The Post’s reporting and said the Giants asked him to retract his statement about Manning’s reasoning for backing out of his weekly spot, saying the team suggested he say the quarterback “just needed a rest.”
The host laughed and dropped a “back afta this,” cutting to a commercial break.
Manning has plenty of money, so forgoing what sources estimated was around $200,000 deal was easier for him than others.
He was revered by producers for his promptness and professionalism, usually calling in minutes before the spots and not needing them to track him down.
For the first eight years, Manning was on ESPN New York’s “Michael Kay Show” before going to the Giants’ home on WFAN with Francesa.
He rarely made news and the value of the spots can be debated, but the stations could sell advertising around them and often were able to utilize Manning for an event or two that helped with sales and client relations.
Manning is still expected to appear occasionally on the radio, but not weekly.
— Additional reporting by Peter Botte
