The Giants traded up in the fourth round of the NFL Draft to take a quarterback, Ryan Nassib, who is nine years younger than Eli Manning. That maneuver, Manning says, did not spark introspection into his football mortality.
“No, it really doesn’t,’’ Manning said yesterday at a March of Dimes March for Babies event in Manhattan. “I feel like I’m playing at a high level, this is the prime of my career, and I appreciate my job every day. I’m fortunate that I get to play quarterback in the NFL and I love all the aspects, the work that goes into it. And I’m still hungry to improve my game, to get better, and to win more championships in New York.
“I understand that one day it will end. And the thing about it in this league is you never know when that day will come. You never know what’s going to happen, so you got to take advantage of it and work hard to make sure that every year that you play you do everything you can to win another championship.’’
It will not be much of a different dynamic, Manning said, having a rookie quarterback around. In the past, he has had veterans — David Carr or Sage Rosenfels — on the scene to work with. With a first-year player in Nassib at his position, figure Manning won’t be getting his own coffee or buying his own donuts very often.
“It will be unique, we haven’t had a drafted quarterback [in a while],’’ Manning said. “We’ve had some rookies over the years, but a drafted guy, this will be the first time. There’ll be the usual small — not hazing, that’s too strong of a word — but some rookie ‘earning your role’ as a drafted quarterback in the NFL.’’