Eli Manning makes case for Giants to stick with Daniel Jones at QB as NFL Draft decision looms

Daniel Jones has a pretty notable person in his corner regarding his future as the New York Giants‘ quarterback. Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning is publicly backing Jones, whose 2023 season ended early when he tore his ACL earlier this month. 

Instead of starting over with a new quarterback, Manning listed off the reasons why the Giants should stick with Jones, who went 1-5 as New York’s starter this season and has a career mark of 22-36-1. Jones’ disappointing 2023 campaign followed a 2022 season that saw him quarterback Big Blue to their first playoff win since Super Bowl XLVI. 

“Last year, they made a decision,” Manning said of the Giants’ brass, via the New York Post. “They saw Daniel Jones. They were around him, they had him for a year and they trusted that, hey, this is a kid that has a bunch of upside. He’s still in the first year of the offense. Played extremely well. He can run. He’s tough. He can make the throws. 

“Unfortunately, this was a tough year,” Manning continued. “With injuries, with just the way it went. I think, you’ve still got to trust your quarterback. He’s going to come back and be healthy. He works hard. He’s a great teammate. He does all the intangible things really, really well. I think they’ve got to trust him, get help around him and continue to grow with these teams. 

“I think when you sign your key guys to contracts — Saquon [Barkley], Dexter Lawrence, Daniel, signing [Darren] Waller — you’ve got to keep adding guys around him. You don’t just say, hey, switch it up because you had one bad year.” 

Will the Giants listen to Manning? They’re financially motivated to do so given Jones’ contract and the cap hit that’s coming over the next two years. But that hasn’t stopped the Giants from taking a look at North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. CBS Sports’ fifth-ranked college prospect (and second-ranked quarterback), Maye has thrown 61 touchdowns against just 14 picks during his time at Chapel Hill. Four Giants scouts were on hand to see Maye during Saturday’s game between North Carolina and Clemson.

While the Giants’ plans at quarterback are anyone’s guess, it is clear that they’re at least doing their due diligence and evaluating the top passers that are expected to be available in April’s draft.