New York Giants doing right thing by finding Eli Manning’s replacement- who could it be?
By Alex Jordan
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning can’t play at a high-level like he used to anymore. Now, the Giants need to find his replacement.
As the New York Giants go through another dismal and losing season, the question becomes when will the Giants replace declining quarterback Eli Manning?
The answer apparently is next year.
While Manning has the support of the team’s front office and coaches, people familiar to the team’s recent deliberations told Bill Pennington and Zach Schonbrun of the New York Times otherwise.
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The Giants will probably acquire a quarterback next year either through the draft or through free agency.
Finding a new quarterback is the right move for the Giants. I’ve written before that Eli has lost it and he’s declined over the past two seasons.
Manning will turn 38 in January and he can’t play like he did when he led Big Blue to two Super Bowl championships anymore and he would cost Big Blue $23.2 million against the salary cap next year.
The Giants could save $17 million toward the salary cap by releasing Manning.
This season, Manning has thrown for 1,662 yards and six touchdowns and has a quarterback rating of 90.9. He has completed 68.7 percent of his passer, which is a career best, and has 277 passing yards per game, which is the most he’s thrown in seven years.
While Manning’s stats aren’t that bad, the Giants are ranked 27th in scoring offense at 19.5 points per game.
The Giants are 1-5 this season and have lost 18 of their last 22 games.
They have had only two winning seasons since their last Super Bowl title after the 2011 season.
If the Giants move on from Manning next year, then there will be questions about why they didn’t do it sooner.
Back in April, the Giants could have used their number two pick on a quarterback who would eventually be Manning’s replacement.
Instead they choose running back Saquon Barkley because they believed that Manning could get the job done.
Obviously, they were wrong about Eli but they still believe in him.
Here’s what Giants co-owner John Mara said about Manning on Wednesday, per the New York Times:
"“We still believe in him . I know he’s the punching bag right now, but a lot of guys need to play better right now. It’s not just him.”"
Even though they still believe in Manning, they can’t keep putting finding Eli’s replacement on hold anymore.
So who could be Eli’s replacement?
Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports says in his latest 2019 NFL mock draft that the Giants will target Duke quarterback Daniel Jones with the ninth overall pick.
Jones has completed 69 of 101 pass attempts for 821 yards and has thrown for eight touchdowns and has a 158.8 passer rating this season.
He was recently named to Pro Football Focus’s prospects on the rise list. Manning has been impressed by Jones, telling Meredith Cash of Business Insider:
"“I’ve been impressed with [Jones]. I always keep up with Duke. They’re having a great year this year, and I know Daniel is back and playing well.”"
Sounds to me that Jones has a really good shot at becoming Manning’s replacement.
Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert could be another option, but he’s not expected to declare for the NFL draft, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
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The Giants should have found Manning’s replacement back in April at the draft. Since they didn’t, they need to do it now because the time has come for them to move on without Eli.