Ernie Accorsi — former Giants GM who set up team to win two Super Bowls — dead at 84

Ernie Accorsi — a football-lifer who helped the New York Giants win two Super Bowls — died Saturday, the team announced . He was 84.

In a statement, Giants president John Mara called Accorsi a "trusted advisor and dear friend."

"Ernie helped shape the course of New York Giants history through his vision, leadership and unwavering belief in building a championship organization. Beyond his accomplishments as a football executive, he was a trusted advisor and dear friend. His legacy will forever be part of the Giants, and he will be greatly missed."

While Accorsi's NFL journey began back in 1970, his biggest contributions to the game came as a member of the Giants. Accorsi initially joined the team as an assistant to the general manager before being promoted into the GM role in 1998.

The team reached the Super Bowl during the 2000 NFL season, where it fell to the Baltimore Ravens .

Following that loss, Accorsi was instrumental in building the Giants team that would eventually go on to win two Super Bowl titles. Between 2000 and 2006 — the year he retired — Accorsi acquired Eli Manning , Jeremy Shockey, Osi Umenyiora , Justin Tuck , Brandon Jacobs and Plaxico Burress through the draft, trades or free agency. All six of those players would play key roles in the team winning the Super Bowl during the 2007 and 2011 seasons.

Though Accorsi set up the majority of the roster that won it all in 2007, he was not technically a member of the Giants that season due to his retirement. The team, however, awarded Accorsi a championship ring for being the architect that brought that group together.

In 2016, the Giants honored Accorsi by inducting him into the team's Ring of Honor. Accorsi was inducted alongside Tuck and head coach Tom Coughlin — another member of the franchise who was recruited by Accorsi.

While all of those acquisitions played a massive role in the team's two Super Bowl wins, it was Accorsi's trade for Manning that stands above the rest. Entering the 2004 NFL Draft, Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger were thought to be the three top quarterbacks in the draft. While Manning was expected to be the No. 1 overall pick, he did not want to play for the then-San Diego Chargers. Despite his pleas, the Chargers selected Manning No. 1 overall. It was initially unclear whether the team would force the issue or trade Manning away.

It didn't take long before that question was answered. The Giants — which picked No. 4 — grabbed Rivers moments later, and then agreed to swap the quarterbacks in a deal that shaped the future of multiple NFL franchises.

While both players put up excellent numbers over their careers, Manning led the Giants to two Super Bowl titles. Rivers never won a Super Bowl in his 18 years in the NFL. Both players, however, have a shot to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the future.

Manning also released a statement, thanking Accorsi for "making the trade and believing in me."

Coughlin, similarly, highlighted the Manning trade as Accorsi's biggest move.

"Ernie will always be remembered, and I say this out of great respect, he's the guy that made the trade for Eli Manning. That will go down in Giants history as one of the great moves of all time. Was it risky? Sure it was risky. Ernie did it. Shut the door, went in, he did it on his own. It was his move. He had followed Eli from the time Eli was a very young player at Ole Miss, and he was convinced that Eli was the franchise quarterback that the Giants needed. He was not going to be deterred. He saw an opportunity. I think both teams benefitted greatly from the decision, and Ernie pulled the trigger."

Ernie Accorsi spent decades working in football

Prior to joining the Giants, Accorsi served as the general manager of the Cleveland Browns , where he is credited for bringing franchise icon Bernie Kosar to the team. Prior to that, he was the general manager of the Baltimore Colts, and oversaw the team selecting — and then trading — John Elway. While Accorsi was the team's general manager at the time of that trade, it was team owner Jim Irsay — and not Accorsi — who was credited with trading Elway away.

Following his retirement from the Giants, Accorsi served as a consultant with a number of NFL teams, often assisting when those teams were looking for new general managers or coaches.