At the 2004 NFL Draft, there were no second thoughts on who the overall number 1 pick would be. It was none other than Eli Manning, the supposed franchise quarterback of the San Diego Chargers. However, his drafting process took a different turn, and the Cleveland Browns had a minor role in it.

On the May 11th episode of the Bussin’ With the Boys podcast with Taylor Lewan and Will Compton, Eli Manning revealed why he refused to play for the Chargers and went with the New York Giants instead. He also discussed how close he came to becoming a Cleveland Brown. 

“It’s like Saturday in New York and Tom’s like, ‘Hey, I’ve got good news and bad news. San Diego wants to make a trade.’ I’m like, ‘That’s great. That’s the good news? What’s the bad news? He’s like, ‘It’s to Cleveland and we’re not going there either,’” shared Eli Manning on the podcast about his trade ordeal. 

He revealed that his agent, Tom Condon, informed him of a potential trade between the Chargers and the Browns, who held the sixth overall pick that year. However, Manning also declined the idea of going to Cleveland.

The story adds a new layer to the 2004 draft saga, suggesting the Chargers were prepared to move on from Eli Manning and were comfortable with the possibility of selecting either Philip Rivers or Ben Roethlisberger at pick No. 6 instead.

Ultimately, Eli Manning’s refusal to report to Cleveland forced San Diego to pivot, leading to the eventual draft-day trade that sent him to the New York Giants.

Per Sam Garcia of the LA Sport Report, Eli Manning did not want to play with the Chargers because the organization did not seem united or committed to winning during the pre-draft dinner in New Orleans. 

Eli Manning noticed that there was a lot of friction between head coach Marty Schottenheimer, general manager AJ Smith, and the Spanos family, who own the team.

However, his father, the NFL veteran and 2x Pro Bowl winner, Archie Manning, had to face the heat of Eli Manning’s decision all these years. 

Archie Manning Takes Blame for Eli Manning’s Decision

Many people built the narrative that Archie Manning wanted his son to play for a team that had the ability to win a Super Bowl. Eli Manning said the decision to refuse the Chargers was his own, not his father influencing or forcing it.

“My dad came to my defense and supported me after everything was going down,” shared Manning on the podcast. “Afterwards, he took a blunt of a lot of the criticism. People were saying, ‘You played in New Orleans. All those years you didn’t win. So you’re trying to dictate where your son is going.’ he just bit his tongue and said, 'Hey, this is what Eli wants to do, and I support him.'"

But in the end, everything fell into place. He became the only player in the Giants' 95-season history to play 16 years with the team. With them, he became a two-time Super Bowl Champion and a four-time Pro Bowl.

Manning concluded by saying that redemption came in the form of two Super Bowls during his time at the New York Giants, while the San Diego Chargers still await a Super Bowl title.

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Written by

Naomi Grace

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar