Eli Manning addresses questions that he has asked to be highest paid player in NFL. Photo by Al Thompson.

NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported last Monday’s edition of NFL Total Access that Eli Manning wants to be the highest paid player in the NFL.

Manning, who has led the Giants to two Super Bowl titles, signed a six-year, $97.5 million extension in 2009.

It expires at the end of the 2015 season.

Manning has yet to receive an extension from the Giants. There is a “significant gap” between what Manning’s camp believes he is worth and what the team is willing to pay him, according to the New York Daily News.

Manning, 34, completed a career-high 63.1 percent of his passes for 4,410 yards, throwing 30 touchdown passes to 14 interceptions last season. With Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz returning this season, Manning will look to exceed those stats following a successful first season under offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo.

Wednesday at his regularly scheduled press conference Manning could not have been more adamant that the Rapoport’s report was false that he and his agent Tom Condon are demanding Manning wants to be the highest paid player in the NFL.

“No. No. Never been said,” Manning said (see video in Footballstories Facebook page). “Never come out of my mouth. Never said it to my agent, never said it, so I don’t know where the reports are coming from.”
Manning was asked if was upsetting him, did it embarrass him when he hear the report that may have portrayed him as greedy.

“Eh, you know. I’ve been here long enough, you understand reports come out,” Manning said. “But I guess you wonder how, if it’s a guy just making something up to make a name for himself or I don’t know what his purpose in saying it is.”

So the report is wrong?

“Sure,” he said.

Manning was asked if the contract talks, which are ongoing, wear on his mind.

“No, my focus is on practice and getting the best out of our practices and getting better,” he said. “So that’s all that I’m focusing on and nothing’s changed, nothing’s different. Reports are all wrong and I don’t know where they’re getting their information from, I just kind of laugh at it.”

Manning was asked for the record if he wants to get this done before the start of the season or does it matter?

“Again, I’m just not thinking about it. I’m not concerned about it. If it happens, when it happens, it’s not on my radar right now,” Manning said.

Manning said his father was more upset than he was about Rapoport’s report that appeared on an NFL-owned media outlet.

“I didn’t see it (the report),” Manning said.” I actually got a voicemail from my dad and he was saying—he was probably upset about it, so I got a voicemail from him and then I called Pat Hanlon, our media guy, just to see what was going on or what was being said since I didn’t know all the information. He said he didn’t really trust the source and not many people were buying into it, doesn’t sound like you and the source is not very reliable.”

Manning said his agent Tom Condon may have made comments during talks with Giants ownership that were leaked and taken out of perspective.

“I don’t think that’s what he was saying,” Manning said. “I don’t know how negotiating goes and what’s being asked and this and that. I don’t think I want to know and it was never said by him claiming that this is the goal of what we’re trying to do.

“I don’t compare myself to other quarterbacks by their salary and by their contract,” Manning continued. “Again, I’ve been blessed to play in this league for so many years and still blessed to play this year. I’m going to do my job and that’s all I concern myself with.”