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New York Giants legend Eli Manning sounds disinterested in hearing any talk about the club possibly replacing quarterback Daniel Jones with USC Trojans star Caleb Williams or Drake Maye of the North Carolina Tar Heels next spring.
“He’s going to come back, he’s going to be healthy,” Manning said about Jones during the latest edition of “The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast,” per Justin Tasch of the New York Post. “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. I think when you sign your key guys to contracts, [running back Saquon Barkley], [defensive tackle and team captain 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.”
As a rookie, Jones served as Manning’s backup and replacement during the 2019 season before the two-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player retired. The two have maintained a close relationship over the years, and Manning shared advice with Jones before the 26-year-old guided the club to a road playoff win in January that helped him earn a four-year contract reportedly worth up to $160M.
“They saw Daniel Jones, they were around him,” Manning said about general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll sticking with the 2019 first-round draft choice. “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. Just unfortunately, this was a tough year with injuries. … And so, I think you still got to trust your quarterback.”
Jones has missed nine total starts, including three this fall, due to neck injuries since the second half of the 2021 campaign. He suffered a season-ending torn ACL on Nov. 5, and undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito is now starting for a 2-8 Giants team flirting with “earning” the top pick in next year’s draft.
It was reported earlier this week that some within the Giants believe Jones “can still be their long-term answer” at quarterback. Of course, the situation could change if Giants co-owner John Mara deems what’s already an embarrassing season for the organization as a fireable offense once Week 18 concludes.
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