Eli Manning backs Daniel Jones with Giants potentially looking to replace him

Until the NFL Draft comes and goes, there's going to be a ton of speculation about what Joe Schoen and the NY Giants might do with the No. 6 overall pick. If they stand pat, then going after a stud wide receiver feels like it will be in the cards.

However, if Schoen decides to go all-in on a new quarterback to replace Daniel Jones, then we could see the GM move into the Top 3. Giants legend Eli Manning isn't hoping to see that happen, though. In a recent conversation with The Athletic, Manning made it quite clear that he's still a big-time believer in Jones despite him tearing his ACL and looking rough in the games he played in during the season:

Eli Manning is refusing to give up on Daniel Jones as the Giants QB1

This isn't the first time Manning has gone to bat for Jones like this, as these same kinds of comments arrived leading up to the 2022 season. That campaign, Jones took a big step forward, powering the G-Men to a 9-7-1 record.

People haven't forgotten about how brilliant he looked in the Wild Card Round win over the Vikings, tossing for 301 yards and two touchdowns. Because of how sharp he looked, Schoen and Co. decided to take a gamble on him and they signed Jones to a $160 million extension.

One year into that deal and it's already looking like a Dave Gettleman-type of mistake. Jones finished with two passing touchdowns and six interceptions before going down with his torn ACL in the Week 9 loss to the Raiders.

He's now working his tail off in his rehab and the hope is that he'll be ready to start once Week 1 rolls around. However, there are a ton of Big Blue supporters who want to see a rookie QB lead the offense out onto the field once September gets here. Schoen has backed Jones and now Manning is doing the same.

These words of encouragement from Eli sure are nice, but they may not mean much if Schoen surprises a lot of us out there by moving up for either Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels in late April.