The Eli Manning era is over in New York as the Giants announced on Tuesday that first-round pick Daniel Jones would be taking over as the team’s starting quarterback beginning on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Eli and I spoke this morning,” said New York coach Pat Shurmur. “I told him that we are making a change and going with Daniel as the starter. I also talked to Daniel. Eli was obviously disappointed, as you would expect, but he said he would be what he has always been, a good teammate, and continue to prepare to help this team win games. Daniel understands the challenge at hand, and he will be ready to play on Sunday.”
Though many ripped New York for picking Jones sixth overall, the Duke product completed 83.3 percent of his passes for 369 yards and two touchdowns during the preseason.
First series for Daniel Jones …
5/5, 67 yds and a TD 🔥 (via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/m1KARhhmhC
— ESPN (@espn) August 8, 2019
For Manning, though the move may be painful, it can’t be all that unexpected as it has been clear for a while that he is part of New York’s past, not its future.
If he doesn’t take the field again this season, Manning will finish the year with 556 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for a passer rating of 78.7.
Should his career be over for good, Manning will retire with all of the Giants’ career passing records. In the NFL overall, he’s sixth all-time in completions (4,860), seventh in passing yards (56,537) and eighth in touchdown passes (362). His career record is an even 116-116.
A two-time Super Bowl winner, Manning is a surefire Hall of Famer despite never being the best player at his position at any point in his career.
In addition to a future bust in Canton, Manning also has his $17 million salary to dull the pain of riding the bench behind Jones.
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