Would Arch Manning pull an Eli Manning, refuse to play for Browns?

New York sports radio legend Mike Francesa recently generated headlines when he suggested that the Manning football family "will not let" Texas Longhorns star quarterback Arch Manning play for the New York Jets as a rookie. 

Those who support the Jets aren't the only fans wondering if the Mannings could pull some sort of power play ahead of the 2027 NFL Draft. 

Is Arch Manning preparing to become Eli Manning 2.0 in this way?

For a mailbag published late Tuesday night, Cleveland Browns insider Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand was asked if Arch Manning would follow in the footsteps of Eli Manning and make it known he wouldn't want to play for the Browns. 

Back in 2004, the then-San Diego Chargers made Eli the first pick of the draft before they traded him to the New York Giants because he preferred not to play for the Chargers. 

"Prior to the 2004 draft, Eli and his family had concerns about the San Diego Chargers’ ownership and their handling of Drew Brees’ shoulder injury," Grossi wrote. "Despite the Browns’ problems in building a winner, I think the Haslam family has a good relationship with the Manning family that dates to Peyton’s time at the University of Tennessee. I don’t see Arch Manning and his father, Cooper, pulling an Eli. That depends, of course, on the Browns even being in position to draft Arch, which is impossible to predict." 

As Rich Cimini once shared for ESPN, some are convinced that Peyton Manning elected against entering the 1997 NFL Draft because his parents didn't want him to land with the Jets. That said, both Peyton Manning and Browns owner Jimmy Haslam are alumni of the University of Tennessee.

Browns will have competition to win the Arch Manning sweepstakes

Some around the NFL seem convinced the Miami Dolphins are basically "tanking" the upcoming season so that they can draft whoever emerges as the top quarterback prospect of the 2027 class. The Jets could once again be terrible this fall, while the Browns seemingly are hoping that they already have a franchise savior on the roster in 2025 rookie Shedeur Sanders. 

If, however, the Browns find themselves in a position to draft Arch Manning, it sounds like he would relocate to Northeast Ohio. In a mock draft updated this week, Charlie Campbell of Walter Football predicted that the Browns will make Arch Manning the first overall pick of the 2027 draft.