After a stellar preseason, all the doubts and jokes about taking Daniel Jones at No. 6 overall in April’s NFL Draft ended for the New York Giants. Now, three weeks into the NFL season, he’s their starter.
Daniel Jones has been named Giants starting QB
— New York Giants (@Giants) September 17, 2019
The Giants made the official call Tuesday morning, moving Jones up the depth chart and sending two-time Super Bowl winner Eli Manning to the bench.
“Eli and I spoke this morning,” Giants coach Pat Shurmur said Tuesday in a statement. “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.”
New York is 0-2 with what should be an unforgivable 28-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills Sunday. With a road game coming up against a beatable Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad, this was a good time to make the switch.
The last time Eli Manning was benched it cost the head coach and the GM their jobs.
This time, it may save them.
— Tom Rock (@TomRock_Newsday) September 17, 2019
Jones completed 85.3 percent of his passes in the preseason for 416 yards, two touchdowns and no picks.
“Ultimately, this is a move that I felt was best for this team at this time,” Shurmur said. “I have said it since I got here, I am very fond of Eli. His work ethic, his preparation, his football intelligence. All those attributes are as good as I have ever seen in a player. And Eli worked as hard as you could ask of anybody to get ready for this season. This move is more about Daniel moving forward than about Eli.”
What’s next for Eli?
Manning may not be on the bench for long. With his former head coach now the executive vice president of football operations for the suddenly quarterback-needy Jacksonville Jaguars, there’s a good chance the team could trade for Manning in hopes of reviving its own playoff chances.
November 16, 2004… Eli Manning named the @Giants starter.
Sept 17, 2019 – End of an era. pic.twitter.com/7f4a0ZXB3A
— Scott Hanson (@ScottHanson) September 17, 2019
The quarterback would likely need to redo his contract to fit under the Jags’ salary cap. He’s due to make $11.5 million in base salary this season and Jacksonville is currently sitting at $9.336 million in cap space.
H/T: NFL.com
