EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Eli Manning might yet return to the New York Giants next year, and any number of moves could make that happen. His team owner, John Mara, could fill the vacant general manager position with Dave Gettleman, a former Giants executive who won two titles with Manning and could be the candidate most inclined to believe a diminished Eli is better than no Eli at all.
As much as the Giants are a multibillion-dollar operation, they are run as a family business. Gettleman left the team after 13 seasons to build a contender in Carolina, but he is family.