Giants legend admits to 'kind of' rooting for Eagles' Jalen Hurts

Diehard New York Giants fans may not love what retired quarterback Eli Manning recently had to say about the Philadelphia Eagles. 

While discussing the Super Bowl LVII matchup between the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs with ESPN's Jordan Raanan, Manning admitted that he "likes" Philadelphia signal-caller Jalen Hurts and "kind of" roots for Hurts. 

The two-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player added he enjoys the fact that Philadelphia wide receiver A.J. Brown is a fellow "Ole Miss guy" and that the Eagles have "got a good squad." 

That doesn't necessarily mean Manning, a New York quarterback from 2004 through the 2019 season, will find himself yelling the "E-A-G-L-E-S" chant on Feb. 12. 

"It's tough in the sense that I usually kind of root for the NFC in most Super Bowls that we're not in," Manning said about his ongoing relationship with the Giants. "It's tough to root for the Eagles. There is so much kind of hatred over the years. Not hatred, just the rivalry competing against them." 

Manning is completing multiple media hits leading up to this year's Super Bowl and recently discussed the not-so-warm-welcome he received when he and 11-year-old daughter Ava attended the Giants' playoff game in Philadelphia that the Eagles won 38-7 on Jan. 21. 

Additionally, Manning once again voiced his support for current New York QB1 Daniel Jones while speaking with Raanan. 

"I hope he gets rewarded for that," Manning said of Jones' successful season that included guiding the Giants to a playoff berth and a postseason win. "I hope he is the quarterback for the Giants for a long time."

Back on Jan. 23, Giants general manager Joe Schoen sounded committed to locking Jones down on a new deal before the 25-year-old is eligible to hit free agency when the new league year opens in March. 

Schoen could retain Jones' rights for 2023 via the franchise tag, if necessary, and Raanan noted that the nonexclusive franchise tag for a quarterback is set to cost $32.416 million next season. 

It's believed Jones could earn between $30-40 million per year if he puts pen to paper on a contract with the Giants or any club this offseason.