Eli Manning has undergone arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle, sidelining the New York Giants star quarterback for at least six weeks, according to ESPN.
Manning injured his ankle in the Giants last regular season game of 2013 against Washington and had spent much of the offseason rehabbing it before settling on Wednesday’s procedure. He is expected to be able to resume running and other conditional drills in about six weeks after undergoing what team officials describe as a “debridement procedure.”
“I went through the recovery and rehab after suffering the sprain,” Manning said in the press release. “I was still experiencing some discomfort as I began my normal offseason preparation, and after consultation, we felt the right thing was to have Dr. (Robert) Anderson clean out the ankle.”
The Giants’ offseason program begins in less than two weeks and OTA workouts commence on May 28. Less than a month later minicamp is slated to start, a time Manning no doubt has circled on his calendar as a critical time in mastering the new offense being installed by first-year offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo.
“I’m looking forward to the start of the offseason program,” added Manning. “I will be in the weight room and the meeting rooms so we can all learn the new offense. I think it’s smart to get this procedure done now so the ankle isn’t an ongoing issue.”
Manning has not missed a game since becoming the Giants’ starting quarterback as a rookie midway through the 2004 season. His streak of 151 consecutive starts stand as the league’s longest active streak and is the third-longest by a quarterback in league history.
Manning embarks on the 2014 season looking to put the nightmares of last year behind him. His 18 passing touchdowns were the fewest he’s thrown since his rookie season and his 27 interceptions were a career high.
