Eli Manning vs. Philip Rivers: Why New York, Not San Diego, Won QB Trade

In one of the biggest draft-day trades in NFL history, the San Diego Chargers and New York Giants essentially switched quarterbacks when Eli Manning refused to play for the Chargers after being selected first overall. 

Looking back on the trade that occurred over seven years ago, the Giants got the best of that deal.

Even though Rivers is probably the more talented player and has put up much bigger numbers than Manning, the bottom line is: The Giants won a championship with Eli, and the Chargers have yet to taste much postseason success during that time. 

Despite Rivers' struggles this season, when you look at both players' body of work, Rivers is clearly the better quarterback. But Manning has the perfect personality for New York with his "aw shucks" approach, and his team rode his hidden resiliency to a Super Bowl win.

Would that have happened with Rivers? Would the Giants actually have more titles with Rivers at the helm? That is certainly possible, but we will never know the answer to that question. 

In such a results-oriented business that is the NFL, the Giants won this trade simply because they won a championship and the Chargers have not. Rivers may be the more talented passer, but if that talent does not win you football games, it is meaningless.

Both players are excellent quarterbacks and have kept their respective teams in contention year after year. But without a championship, I cannot say that the Chargers came out of this trade better than the Giants have.