Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning may still be as many as two years away from heading to the NFL, but already he’s being talked about as the next big thing in the National Football League. In that respect, Arch is no different than his uncles, Peyton and Eli Manning, a duo of brothers who went 1st overall respectively in the 1998 and 2004 drafts. But according to New Orleans Saints legend Drew Brees, that’s where the similarities may end.
During an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Brees was talking all things football, including heading to the Texas Longhorns at Ohio State Buckeyes game on August 30. While discussing Arch Manning, who many in the state of Louisiana are hoping will follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and end up playing for the Saints, Brees threw some friendly shade at his retired peers.
“You could see right away, phenomenal athlete. Obviously got Big Archie’s athleticism,” Brees said with a laugh. “He was basically the Taysom Hill of the Texas Longhorns last year. They put him in to pound the rock, right? Run all these QB designed runs and I’m sitting there going ‘this is one of the better passers in all of college football fulfilling this role for Texas.’ No offense to Peyton and Eli, but you didn’t see Peyton and Eli doing that.”
Peyton Manning finished his Hall of Fame NFL career with 667 yards and 18 touchdowns on 431 carries. Younger brother Eli Manning rushed for 567 yards and 7 touchdowns on 315 carries. Aside from a QB sneak or an occasional naked bootleg, most of those runs were not designed plays like Arch is accustomed to running in Austin.
The question now is, will Arch Manning be running plays like these in New Orleans next fall?
How Realistic is Arch Manning to the New Orleans Saints?
While ‘Big Archie’ may be busy pushing back his grandson’s NFL debut to 2027, it’s possible that Arch — entering his junior season at Texas this year — could decide to come out for the 2026 NFL Draft.
For a moment, let’s assume that this season goes just as well as everyone seems to expect it will for the Texas Longhorns. Let’s assume that Arch wins the Heisman Trophy and captures the National Title… a pair of distinctions that eluded his uncles. At that point, what else does Arch Manning have to prove? Isn’t it possible, if not likely, that he’d be ready to ride into the NFL after reaching the college mountaintop?
We can’t rule out the possibility that before Arch officially makes his decision, he’d wait to see who will have the 1st pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Remember, Uncle Eli forced his way to New York rather than staying in San Diego in 2004, and there’s no reason why Arch couldn’t simply decide to return to Austin and rake in millions in NIL money if he doesn’t like the potential NFL fit.
From there, the question becomes, would the New Orleans Saints be a team that Arch would be interested in playing for, and considering he was born in New Orleans, played high school football in New Orleans, and his grandfather is a Saints icon, one would assume the answer would be yes.
Lastly, then we’d need to consider whether the Saints will be ready to target Arch Manning if he were to come out in 2026. The Saints invested a 2nd Round pick in Tyler Shough less than five months ago, and used a 2024 5th Round pick on Spencer Rattler. Will they already be ready to admit that Shough, who will start the season as Rattler’s backup this year, was a wasted pick? Would Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier push for his son, LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, over Arch, even if the tape says otherwise?
Perhaps either Rattler or Shough will surprise the masses this year and prove to be a viable starting quarterback for at least one more season. But if they don’t, you best believe fans in New Orleans will be ready to start the March for Arch sooner rather than later.
Drew Brees Compliments New Orleans Native Arch Manning, Throws Shade at Peyton and Eli