New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman reaffirmed his desire for Eli Manning to remain as the team's quarterback in their meeting more than a week ago and shared some of his team-building vision while conceding he still will evaluate quarterbacks in the 2018 NFL draft class, according to sources familiar with their discussion.
Gettleman described the Jan. 12 meeting as "great" to the New York Post, and Manning, via a text to ESPN, agreed it was a very positive discussion.
The new general manager shared his vision for a team that is strong in the trenches, especially rebuilding the offensive line and having a productive running game, which Gettleman emphasized during his time with the Carolina Panthers, sources said.
On the topic of young quarterbacks, Gettleman told Manning the personnel department still has to dig in on evaluating the college class of 2018 and compare them to Giants backup Davis Webb, who was a third-round selection in 2017.
Manning reaffirmed his desire to remain in New York and had no trepidation about a potential successor being part of the quarterback mix, believing in his own abilities to perform at a high level with the necessary fixes to the offensive line and running game and the return of a healthy Odell Beckham Jr.
Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, who is expected to be the Giants' next head coach, also offered a favorable impression of Manning in his interview with Gettleman, sources said.