Eli Manning could unretire today and still be better than any Giants QB

Yup, you heard that right. Eli Manning, at 43 years old and fully entrenched in his life of dad jokes and trick-shot videos, could dust off the ol’ jersey today and probably be the best quarterback on the New York Giants roster. Honestly, if you watched him sling a some-50-yard dart into a set of bowling pins on The Eli Manning Show, you might be wondering the same thing.

On his show, Eli was messing around with his buddies, cracking jokes, and casually dropping dimes. "We got 335 max base, we got X post, okay?" he called out before launching an absolute laser that knocked the pins down like he was Patrick Mahomes at a carnival game. Cue the celebrations. It was fun, lighthearted, and genuinely impressive—three things the Giants haven’t been since, oh, Week 1.

Eli Manning’s trick shot proves he might still be better than the Giants’ current QBs

Meanwhile, back in East Rutherford, the Giants are having their worst season in a long time. That’s saying something. With Drew Lock sidelined and Tommy DeVito gearing up for another start, the QB room feels less like a professional operation and more like a reality show where no one wins. Reports from Giants practice this week? Not one pass completed in 17 attempts during red zone drills. seventeen. Yeah, the wind was rough, but when a red-zone drill turns into a red flag, it’s time to get creative.

Enter Eli.

Look, Eli Manning isn’t walking through the door with his two Super Bowl MVP trophies and ice-in-his-veins playoff pedigree. But Giants fans can dream, can’t we? Watching Eli’s bowling-pin bullseye is enough to make you wonder if a 43-year-old Manning could pull a Tom Brady and give the team a shot of life. (Spoiler: He’s not. But imagining it is way more fun than thinking about this 2-11 season.)

Eli’s trick shot had everything Giants fans have been missing—a sense of purpose, execution, and, dare I say it, joy. Right now, Giants football is about evaluating talent for the 2025 draft and figuring out whether Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen are still the right men for the job. It’s rough sledding. So, excuse us for indulging in a little nostalgia.

Could Eli Manning unretire and lead the Giants' offense? Of course not. But would he be a better QB option than Tommy DeVito or Drew Lock? Based on what we’ve seen this year, the answer is... maybe. And if nothing else, at least he knows how to hit his target.

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