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On this day in 2004, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger were all a part of the craziest day in NFL draft history.
Manning was expected to be taken with the first overall pick, a selection that the then San Diego Chargers held. He, however, made his feelings known that he did not want to go to the franchise. There had been swirling rumors that the Chargers did not help then quarterback Ryan Leaf with his mental struggles.
Eli's father, Archie, then barred his son from playing for them, paving the way for a now infamous trade.
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The Chargers picked the Ole Miss star with the first overall pick before trading him to the New York Giants and got another quarterback, Philip Rivers, in exchange. The Giants had selected Rivers with the fifth pick in the draft. A chorus of boos rang out as the Chargers selected a man who didn't want any part of their franchise.
It is now perhaps the most talked about moment of any NFL draft, as there was a flat-out refusal from Eli to have anything to do with the Chargers organization.
What is perhaps now ironic is that both the quarterbacks involved in the swap went on to have stellar careers with their respective teams. Manning would win two Super Bowls while Rivers, despite not winning a ring, holds just about every passing record for the Chargers franchise.
Another stud pick was Ben Roethlisberger, who was taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 11th pick. "Big Ben," as he was known, had a super rookie season in which he led the Steelers to a 13-3 record. He also won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2004.
All three quarterbacks were highly touted and had serious talent.
Manning, Rivers and Roethlisberger had Hall of Fame careers
All three quarterbacks from the 2004 Draft class are now retired. They are near certainties for Hall of Fame status, according to many. Manning and Roethlisberger are perhaps the pick of the three, winning two Super Bowls each.
For Rivers, while there was no Super Bowl ring, he still had a sensational career. He finished eighth all-time in career regular-season passing yards with 54,656 as well as completions (4,518). He is also sixth all-time in regular-season touchdowns with 374 and has an all-time passer rating of 95.6, which ranks him eighth all-time.
All three quarterbacks have been sensational over the duration of their careers. But no matter what they accomplished, everyone will still remember that fateful day back in 2004 when the Chargers selected Manning and a chrous of boos rang out as he held their jersey for photos.
In the overall scheme of things, however, the swap between the Ole Miss star and Rivers worked out very well for the respective franchises.
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