Eli Manning Denies Wanting to Be NFL's Highest-Paid Player

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning laughed off speculation Wednesday that he's demanding to become the NFL's highest-paid player as he heads into the final year of his current contract.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network noted during an appearance on Monday's NFL Total Access that Manning is pushing to become the league's top earner, per Chris Wesseling of NFL.com. The two-time Super Bowl champion denied any such discussions have taken place, as Dan Graziano of ESPN noted.

"The reports are all wrong," Manning said. "Never been said, never come out of my mouth, never said it to my agent."

When asked what he thought when the rumors started to surface about his contract demands, he replied, "I just kind of laugh at them," according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.

The 34-year-old quarterback said he doesn't have a clue when the gossip got started, stating that "someone is trying to make a name for himself," according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. He doesn't even think it's a discussion that deserves much attention, as Graziano pointed out.

"I don't compare myself to other quarterbacks that way, in terms of salaries," Manning said.

Even if Manning doesn't want to be the league's highest-paid player, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk pointed out the quarterback certainly has the leverage to make it happen:

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So why wouldn’t Eli want more than $22 million on a long-term deal? While it can be spun by the team that he’s looking to be the “highest-paid player in the league,” the truth is that Eli is simply trying to take fair advantage of the leverage his current deal creates.

That leverage consists of another 20-percent raise in 2017, when his franchise tender would be $28.44 million under the non-exclusive tag and roughly $30 million under the exclusive tag. That’s a $50.44 million minimum and a $55 million maximum over two years.

So why should Manning do a long-term deal that pays less than $50 million over the first two years?

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He's set to make a base salary of $17 million for the 2015 season, per Spotrac. He would need a raise of more than $5 million per season to surpass Green Bay Packers superstar Aaron Rodgers in terms of average contract value:

Rank	Player	Team	Money
1	Aaron Rodgers	Packers	$22 million
2	Russell Wilson	Seahawks	$21.9 million
3	Ben Roethlisberger	Steelers	$21.85 million
4	Philip Rivers	Chargers	$20.813 million
5	Cam Newton	Panthers	$20.76 million

Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is the first non-quarterback to crack the list, ranking 10th overall at a shade over $19 million. So it's clear what position rules the roost, and teams lucky enough to have a reliable option under center don't let them get away, as the recent Philip Rivers extension proved again.

Manning is going to get his payday from the Giants. His playoff track record, winning Super Bowl MVP in each of the team's championships under his guidance, ensures that. But it's hard to argue he's worth more than Rodgers given his marginal 82.4 career quarterback rating (Rodgers' is 106).

His brother Peyton is still going strong at age 39, meaning the younger Manning should receive one more lucrative long-term deal. And the fact that he's apparently not demanding to make more than everybody else should make the negotiations a little easier.