It might be hard to believe that Eli Manning’s reign as the starting quarterback of the New York Giants could be coming to a close, but after the team announced that he’ll be benched in favor of rookie signal-caller Daniel Jones, that certainly appears to be the case.
The team and coach Pat Shurmur announced in an official statement that they have chosen to go with the rookie QB out of Duke to lead the team going forward after New York’s disappointing 0-2 start to the season.
Manning struggled mightily in the Giants’ Week 2 loss at home to the Buffalo Bills, completing only 26 of 45 passes for 250 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions.
Despite the 38-year-old’s four-time Pro Bowl and two-time Super Bowl MVP pedigree, the team appears to be moving in a new direction with Jones at the helm. He seemed unsurprised by the team’s decision, stating that “I get it when you draft a guy early and [are] not winning games, things are going to come up. So I just need to keep working and do whatever my job is.”
The Giants selected Jones with the eighth overall pick in this spring’s NFL Draft.
It remains to be seen if the team sticks with the rookie later down the road this season, and if they do, if Manning would request a trade to another team.
