Eli Manning announces new show on ESPN+
A few months ago, legendary Giants quarterback Eli Manning hinted at some upcoming projects with ESPN. On Monday, he shed some light on that.
Manning announced on Twitter that he will be going back to college next season to tell some of college football's greatest stories in a new show on ESPN+ called "Eli's Places".
"Eli's Places" is a college football version of older brother Peyton's show on ESPN+, which revisits important moments in NFL history through discussions with former players, coaches and other key figures. "Peyton's Places" was renewed for a third season several months ago.
"I decided to go back to school..." Manning said to Peyton in a promotional video for ESPN. "I'm going to the biggest universities and I'm going to get the greatest stars to show me the most iconic places in college football history."
In addition to "Eli's Places", Manning has also filmed a few episodes of "Detail" on ESPN+ where he broke down the film of Ohio State QB Justin Fields and Alabama QB Mac Jones.
Some former teammates and sports personalities shared their excitement regarding Manning's news.
Photos from the career of two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback Eli Manning
Free Agency Preview: Current WR/TE depth and who's available
The new league year is right around the corner.
The NFL calendar officially flips to 2021 on March 17, when all 2020 player contracts expire and thus free agency begins. While the league has yet to announce a firm salary cap for the upcoming season, the Giants have 16 players set to hit the market next week.
In anticipation of what has already been a wild offseason for player movement, NFL.com ranked the top 101 free agents of 2021. A few players' names have been crossed off the list, as several free agents have already agreed to deals with new teams. However, other big names remain.
While we wait to see what the team does, Giants.com broke down the roster as it currently stands in the "2021 Free Agency Position Preview" series. Here you will find the Giants' current depth, the team's pending free agents, and the top players available from across the league at each position with analysis from NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal.
Here is a quick snapshot of some of the top WR and TE free agents:
Top wide receivers available according to NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal*:*
Allen Robinson (No. 3 overall in NFL.com's Top 101 Free Agents of 2021), Chicago Bears: "It has never been harder to be a top-10 NFL receiver because the position is so deep. Robinson still belongs in that group, so don't be surprised if there's a trade market after the Bears presumably tag him."
Chris Godwin (No. 6), Tampa Bay Buccaneers: "Like a lot of players near the top of this list, Godwin will almost certainly receive the franchise tag. The Bucs won't let Tom Brady's favorite target walk."
Kenny Golladay (No. 15), Detroit Lions: "An injury-marred 2020 season won't erase memories of Golladay skying over defenders and winning 1-on-1 matches on the outside, a difficult skill set to find."
Will Fuller (No. 21), Houston Texans: "Finally healthy and on his way to a monster season, Fuller's 2020 campaign was cut short by a PED suspension that will also sideline him for Week 1 of next season. The NFL equivalent of a plus-minus NBA standout, Fuller's speedy presence on the field has proven to make everyone around him better."
Curtis Samuel (No. 24), Carolina Panthers: "It took Panthers coach Matt Rhule to show Samuel's full value, helping him to top 1,000 yards from scrimmage with a mix of route trees and surprisingly potent inside runs. He's a perfect weapon for today's wide-open offenses."
Top tight ends available:
Jonnu Smith (No. 27), Tennessee Titans: "Closer to a poor man's Gronk or Delanie Walker than a Travis Kelce-type, Smith's value goes beyond the box score. He's an incredible red-zone weapon."
Hunter Henry (No. 28), Los Angeles Chargers: "It's OK if Henry doesn't ever develop into Tony Gonzalez. Putting up more than 600 yards annually with a knack for field-stretching plays up the seam is going to make Henry rich."
Rob Gronkowski (No. 56), Tampa Bay Buccaneers: "I wanted to rank Gronk lower before realizing he finished in the top 10 among tight ends in yards (623) and touchdowns (7), all while blocking well and rarely leaving the field. He will live forever."
View NFL.com's updated rankings of the top 101 free agents of 2021 ahead of the new league year, which begins March 17.
Giants add to front office and performance staff
The Giants announced a pair of personnel moves, one in the front office and another on the performance staff.
Kyle O'Brien, who has 19 years of NFL experience, will fill the team's newly created position of senior personnel executive. Drew Wilson is the Giants' new assistant strength and conditioning coach.
O'Brien comes to the Giants from the Detroit Lions, for whom he worked the previous five years. In his first season with the Lions in 2016, he was the team's director of player personnel. The following year, he was promoted to the vice president of player personnel. In those roles, O'Brien was instrumental in helping the Lions acquire both rookie and veteran players.
Wilson replaces Thomas Stallworth, who left the Giants after three seasons to become the Atlanta Falcons' strength and conditioning coach.
Wilson, 42, comes to the Giants after a four-year stint as the director of football strength and conditioning at the University of Colorado. He coordinated all aspects of training and development of the football team and managed a staff of four full-time assistants dedicated solely to the football program.
Re-live the most memorable moments and images from the first year of the Joe Judge era.