Analyzing Eli's big deal

Eli Manning is about to become a very rich -- and very happy -- man. The New York Giants are awfully pleased as well.

Still, the six-year, $97.5 million mega-extension that the Giants and Manning have reportedly agreed to terms on has likely drawn a mixed reaction among the NFL quarterback fraternity, as well as plenty of confusion among insiders and pundits alike.

Counting the $9.4 million he's due to receive this season in the final year of his rookie pact, Manning will average $15.2 million yearly over the life of the deal, will make the 2004 No. 1 overall pick the highest paid player in league history with a multi-year contract. That's more than older brother Peyton, a three-time NFL MVP, will make over the course of the seven-year, $99.2 million deal he signed in 2004 (although Peyton has more guaranted money). It's also greater than the eight-year, $102 million contract the Pittsburgh Steelers handed out to Ben Roethlisberger, a player drafted the same year as Eli who owns one more Super Bowl ring and has been a statistically superior player than his counterpart over their respective careers.

While it's possible Big Ben could be feeling a little bit slighted right now, the news of Eli Manning's new agreement was probably met with hoots and hollers from Philip Rivers and his agent, Jimmy Sexton, as well as concerned scowels on the faces of San Diego Chargers owner Alex Spanos and GM Alex Smith. The other member of the standout quarterback class of 2004, Rivers will enter unrestricted free agency in an as-of-now uncapped year in 2010 with numbers that even trump those of Roethlisberger, although he's the only member of the trio yet to lead his team to a world championship.

Here's the tale of the tape (note that these are regular-season stats):

Rivers: 62.3 completion pct., 78 TD/36 INT (2.2 ratio), 92.9 career QB rating
Roethlisberger: 62.4 completion pct., 101 TD/69 INT (1.4 ratio), 89.4 career QB rating
E. Manning: 55.9 completion pct., 98 TD/74 INT (1.3 ratio), 76.1 career QB rating

Keep in mind that unlike both Roethlisberger and Manning, Rivers wasn't thrown immediately into the fire as a rookie, which benefits his overall numbers to a degree, and his career playoff stats (3-3 record, 7/7 TD-INT ratio, 56.6 completion pct.) aren't overly impressive. However, if he's able to build upon that postseason resume' and turn in another Pro Bowl season in 2009, odds are we'll be discussing whether or Philip Rivers deserves to carry the mantle of the NFL's richest player at this time a year from now.