Giants legend talks belief in QB Daniel Jones

New York Giants legend Eli Manning sounds convinced Daniel Jones has earned the right to be the club's long-term franchise quarterback. 

"I’ve always believed in Daniel because I’ve seen his work ethic, his commitment and ability," Manning told Chris Rosvoglou of The Spun. "It’s about getting the right guys around him and putting him in the right offense. He has already had three head coaches, so it can be hard to get comfortable and make it your offense. I was fortunate I was in the same offense my first 12 years. It was really my offense, I could run it. I thought Daniel played really well this year and really smart. He should be able to get really comfortable in Brian Daboll’s offense." 

Manning began the 2019 NFL season starting for the Giants ahead of Jones but was replaced atop the depth chart by the then-rookie that September. The two have continued their relationship past Manning's retirement, and Jones admitted earlier this month he asked the two-time Super Bowl champion for advice ahead of the playoffs. 

Manning then remarked that Jones "is becoming elite" after the 25-year-old guided the Giants to an impressive 31-24 postseason victory at the Minnesota Vikings.

According to ESPN, Jones ended his first campaign playing under Daboll tied for 13th among qualified players with a 92.5 passer rating, sixth with a 60.8 total QBR, and tied for fifth with a 67.2% completion percentage.

The first-round pick from the 2019 draft finished this season with 3,205 passing yards and was fifth among quarterbacks with 708 rushing yards, and he tallied 15 passing touchdowns and seven scores on the ground. Jones tossed just five interceptions in 16 regular-season games. 

Jones is in the final handful of weeks of his rookie contract, and experts recently predicted he realistically could earn anywhere between $30-$40 million per season if he and the Giants sign a long-term deal at some point before the start of the new league year in March. 

The deadline for Giants general manager Joe Schoen to use the franchise tag to retain Jones' rights for at least 2023, if necessary, is March 7, but it seems Manning thinks it would benefit everyone involved for Schoen to lock the young signal-caller down on a new contract that ultimately could save Big Blue some salary-cap space.