Eli: Jones deserves to be Giants' QB 'for a long time'
Eli Manning believes New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones deserves to be the team's long-term starter after a career year in 2022.
Jones is scheduled to be a free agent this offseason after the Giants opted not to pick up the fifth-year option in his rookie deal last April, setting up a make-or-break campaign for the former No. 6 overall pick.
"I was proud of Daniel, the way he played, to learn another offense and pick it up," Manning told ESPN's Jordan Raanan. "Just the way he played in the fourth quarter of a number of games and leading the team back to victory, which was awesome; that's what you want from your quarterback. To do it so quickly with the brand-new offense, the way they were able to compete, make it to the playoffs, win a playoff game; that is awesome.
"I hope he gets rewarded for that. I hope he is the quarterback for the Giants for a long time."
Giants general manager Joe Schoen said last week that he's hoping to re-sign Jones and running back Saquon Barkley, who's also set to hit the open market.
With the ability to franchise tag only a single player, New York will need to reach a long-term deal with at least one of its offensive stars. The 2023 non-exclusive tags will be $32.4 million for quarterbacks and $10.1 million for running backs.
Jones led the 9-7-1 Giants to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 under first-year head coach Brian Daboll. New York ultimately lost to the eventual NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round after beating the Minnesota Vikings in its wild-card matchup.
The quarterback set career highs in passing yards (3,205), passer rating (92.5), and completion percentage (67.2%) in the regular season. He also ran for 708 yards and eight touchdowns, far exceeding his previous career-best rushing marks of 423 yards and two scores.
Jones is set to be part of a free-agent quarterback class that could include Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson, and Geno Smith.