Quarterback Daniel Jones is poised to enter free agency this spring, leaving the Giants with a decision to make about whether or not to move forward with the former first-round pick under center. Though some doubts may remain about the rising fifth-year signal caller, Jones appears to have an important voice in his corner: former franchise staple and his predecessor, Eli Manning.
Manning has been a staunch supporter of Jones in the past and his admiration for the 25-year-old only grew this past season. As a result, the former Giants quarterback believes that Jones has earned a new long-term deal, which he hopes comes from the New York franchise.
“I was proud of Daniel, the way he played, to learn another offense and pick it up,” Manning told ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. “Just the way he played in the fourth quarter of a number of games and leading the team back to victory, which was awesome, that’s what you want that from your quarterback. To do it so quickly with the brand new offense, the way they were able to compete, make it to the playoffs, win a playoff game, that is awesome.
“I hope he gets rewarded for that. I hope he is the quarterback for the Giants for a long time.”
Manning’s comments come after Giants general manager Joe Schoen spoke the day after the team’s 2022 season came to a close about Jones’s future and made clear that he and the front office would like to strike a deal with Jones this offseason.
“We’d like Daniel to be here,” Schoen said of Jones during a press conference. “We feel like Daniel played well this season, he’s done everything we asked him to do.”
Jones made significant strides in his fourth season with the Giants, who went 9-7-1 and made the playoff for the first time since 2016. The former Duke quarterback threw for 3,205 yards and rushed for an additional 708 yards, while combining for 22 touchdowns. He also threw just five interceptions and lost only one fumble while finishing seventh in the league in QBR.
