Getty Eli Manning gave his verdict on what the New York Giants should do about quarterback Daniel Jones after this season.
Eli Manning offered his best advice for what the New York Giants should do about Daniel Jones. The two-time Super Bowl winner doesn’t think the Giants should give up on their starting quarterback after a miserable season plagued by injuries and turnovers.
Instead, Manning told Andrew Marchand and John Ourand of “The Marchand and Ourand” podcast (h/t Justin Tasch of the New York Post), “He’s still in the first year of the offense, played extremely well. He can run, he’s tough. He can make the throws. Just unfortunately, this was a tough year with injuries. … And so, I think you still got to trust your quarterback.”
Manning believes Jones is “going to come back, he’s going to be healthy. He works hard. He’s a great teammate. He does all the intangible things really, really well, and I think they got to trust him, can put some guys, get help around them and continue to grow with these teams.”
Maintaining the status quo is a tricky part line to tow. Especially when the Giants are 2-8 and in position to be able to select one of the top passers in the 2024 NFL draft.
Yet, Manning thinks “when you sign your key guys to contracts, Saquon (Barkley), Dexter Lawrence, Daniel … you put these guys, you keep adding guys around them and you don’t just say, hey, switch it up right away because you have one bad year.”
Eli Manning Urges Giants to Stick With Starter
Manning’s reference to contracts is significant, since Jones only signed a four-year deal worth $160 million in the offseason. Obviously, the 26-year-old hasn’t played up to the contract, even before be tore his ACL against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9.
Plays like this pick-six thrown against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4 showed Jones’ issues with decision-making.
DEVON WITHERSPOON 97-YARD PICK-6!
📺: #SEAvsNYG on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus t.co/3ctCY8GbRh
Jones entered this season tasked with expanding a passing game that manufactured a league-low 28 completions of 20-plus yards in 2022. Unfortunately, No. 8 averaged fewer completed air yards per completion, 4.3 compared with 5.1 last season, through six starts this year, per Pro Football Reference.
It’s easy to put the onus on Jones, but he’s not to blame for all of the Giants’ problems. There’s also a threadbare offensive line and suspect recruitment of new targets that yielded injury-prone tight end Darren Waller, supporting receiver Parris Campbell and limited burner Jalin Hyatt.
This long a list of extenuating circumstances supports Manning’s view the Giants should give Jones another chance. Contractually, the franchise has little choice, even if some of the draft options may be too good to pass up.
Daniel Jones’ Contact Likely to Dominate Giants Draft Plans
A cap hit for 2024 worth $47,105,000, per Spotrac.com, is a major reason why Manning and others believe Jones isn’t going anywhere. This level of fiscal obligation will likely dominate the Giants’ plans for next year’s draft.
Those plans will be led by what to do with a top-five pick. The Giants currently own the second-overall pick with seven games remaining, according to Tankathon.com.
That pick puts the top QB prospects within range. Signal-callers like USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
The latter offers intriguing comparisons for the Giants, according to an unnamed NFL offensive coach speaking to the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy: “The Giants will love Drake Maye because there are similarities between him, Daniel Jones and Eli Manning with personality — he’s a relaxed kid. He’s kind of raw in the fundamentals because he’s had a lot of coordinators, but there’s a lot to work with.”
One stat worth noting about Maye is his 25 “big time throws” this season, per PFF College.
Leader in Big Time Throws this season:
🎯 Drake Maye: 25
The number is proof of Maye’s ability to stretch the field the way the Giants need to improve their output through the air. Sitting Maye behind Jones for a year, the way the latter did behind Manning for part of 2019, could be the best of both worlds for the Giants. Especially since Big Blue has an out for Jones’ deal in 2025.
This scenario makes sense, even if it’s a little too neat for a struggling team that may be better served using a premium draft pick on an instant starter.