Giants legend backs Daniel Jones to win Super Bowl with New York

New York Giants legend Eli Manning believes current starting quarterback Daniel Jones is the right man to guide the club to at least a fifth Super Bowl championship. 

"Once you make a playoff run, you win a playoff game, I think you always have the mindset that you can get better," Manning told Darryl Slater and Adam Zagoria of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "And if you can make the playoffs, then anything can happen. I know that from experience."

The Manning-led 2007 Giants went 10-6 in regular-season play but then notched three straight road playoff victories before they stunned the 18-0 New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XLII. Manning and the 2011 edition of the Giants entered the postseason at 9-7 and ultimately defeated the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.

Years later, Manning served as Jones' mentor and, eventually, as the then-rookie's backup during the 2019 campaign. The two-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player has continued to offer Jones advice, in part because Manning knows plenty about experiencing ups and downs as a quarterback in the country's largest sports market. 

"The fact that he has had struggles — and I had struggles — I think if you work through those and you learn how to grind it out, it makes you appreciate the good times," Manning said of Jones. "And [you] understand: 'Hey, I want to keep winning. I want to win championships. I want to do all those right things for my organization and for the fans and everybody.' So I think he has the right mentality to take the next steps." 

Jones had the fifth-year option attached to his rookie contract declined last offseason but then helped the 2022 Giants go 9-7-1 before he earned his first career playoff victory. Per Dan Benton of Giants Wire/USA Today, Jones became the first quarterback in postseason history with at least 300 passing yards and multiple touchdowns through the air to go along with a minimum of 70 rushing yards in the January win at the Minnesota Vikings.

The Giants rewarded Jones in March with a four-year contract that reportedly could be worth up to $160M. Manning suggested his successor hasn't yet reached his ceiling.  

"Daniel works extremely hard," Manning continued. "I think he’ll continue to get better as a quarterback, just going into his second year under this offense. So I’m excited for him. I know he’s excited to get back to work and work hard and make those improvements."  

Jones shouldn't be too satisfied this spring, as the Giants theoretically could move on from him as soon as March 2025 depending on what occurs over the next two seasons.