The Facts: GM Dave Gettleman said everything is “on the table” in regards to the team’s decisions about Manning in the coming weeks. Now it seems that Manning has the same full table. And one of those options might be retirement. The 15-year veteran who will turn 38 on Thursday closed his final weekly WFAN radio interview of the season with some ambiguity about his future. Asked by Mike Francesa if we have or have not seen the last of Manning at quarterback – with the Giants or elsewhere – Manning sighed and gave a far-from-definitive: “We’ll see.”
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“I don’t know if it’s leaning one way or the other right now,” Manning added. “I think this is kind of the time to reflect and figure out what’s the best thing going forward.” Earlier in the interview Manning said he feels like he can still play in the NFL, that he feels good physically, and he likes the direction of the team. "I love playing football,” he said. But he also said that everyone involved will have to do some “soul-searching” in the coming weeks and months, that the losing in recent years has “taken a toll” both on him and his family, and that he finds it hard to imagine himself playing in another team’s uniform. Regarding the conversation he had with Gettleman on Monday, Manning said it was basically setting the groundrules for the events of the offseason. He said he wants both sides to be open and honest with each other and to be able to talk freely to each other as they navigate their decision-making processes. He offered no timeline on any conclusions.