Eli Manning Reveals Why He Refused to Sign with Chargers After They Drafted Him No. 1 in 2004 NFL Draft
Eli Manning Reveals Why He Refused to Sign with Chargers After They Drafted Him No. 1 in 2004 NFL Draft
Paloma ChavezTue, May 19, 2026 at 11:22 PM UTC
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Eli Manning, 45, reveals why didn't play for the Chargers after being selected as their number 1 overall pick during the 2004 NFL draft
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Eli Manning said a gut feeling led him to decline playing for the Chargers after being drafted in 2004
Manning recalled witnessing friction among Chargers leadership during a dinner, raising doubts about their commitment to winning
He clarified his parents weren't supportive of his decision, but his father defended him publicly during the controversy
Eli Manning revealed the real reason he decided against playing for the Chargers after being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.
During an interview on the Bussin' with the Boys podcast released on Wednesday, May 13, the two-time Super Bowl winner said a gut feeling is what kept him from playing with the team, which was still playing in San Diego at the time.
"I just didn't feel like they were the most committed team to winning at the time," Manning, 45, said.
Earlier in the podcast, Manning recalled a dinner with former Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer, the team's general manager and owners in New Orleans. During the meeting, Manning saw friction in the group, he said.
“We are at a Marriott restaurant. Schottenheimer's mad like, ‘We're in New Orleans and we're eating at a Marriott?' He's like pissed. They are kind of bickering,” he recalled. “It just didn't seem there was a lot of agreement on things and they were committed to building a great winning franchise at that moment.”
Manning continued, going as far as to clear up other rumors surrounding his decision to play for the New York Giants 22 years ago.
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"My parents really weren't supportive," Manning said of his decision not to play for the Chargers. "My dad didn't like the idea. Now, he came to my defense and supported me after everything was going down.”
The former quarterback continued, “Afterwards, he took a blunt of the criticism, because he came to my defense and people were saying, 'Oh, you played in New Orleans. All those years you didn't win, so you're trying to dictate where your son's going.' And he just kind of bit his tongue and said, 'This is what Eli wants to do and I support him.' And he kind of did some media to save me from doing all of the media and taking the hits."
After the Chargers drafted Manning, the team later reached a deal with the Giants to make a quarterback swap. The Giants got Manning and Philip Rivers, whom the Giants drafted fourth overall, was sent to San Diego. The Chargers also got the Giants' 2004 third-round pick and their 2005 first- and fifth-round picks.
Manning would go on to spend his entire career with the Giants, where he won Super Bowls in 2008 and 2012. Meanwhile, Rivers went on to have a stellar career with the Chargers from 2004 to 2019. He played with the Indianapolis Colts in 2020 and 2025.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
