The New York Giants are facing a critical juncture in their search for a franchise quarterback. With the Daniel Jones experiment officially over and a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft looking like a certainty, all eyes are on who head coach Brian Daboll and the front office will target as their next leader under center.
While quarterbacks such as Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward are at the top of most draft boards, many Giants fans have set their sights on a familiar name – Arch Manning.
Georgia’s motivational video reminds Texas and Arch Manning who’s the best team before the SEC Championship game
As the grandson of NFL legend Archie Manning and the nephew of Super Bowl champions Peyton and Eli Manning, Arch Manning comes with perhaps the most famous last name in football. The idea of another Manning donning a Giants uniform has fans buzzing, but the reality of that dream coming true is far more complicated.
Arch Manning is currently a redshirt freshman at Texas, where he is expected to develop for at least another season or two.
As a redshirt freshman, he won’t be eligible for the NFL Draft until 2026 at the earliest, meaning Giants fans may have to wait for several more seasons if Manning is their dream quarterback.
His path to the NFL could follow in the footsteps of his uncles. Peyton Manning stayed for all four years at the University of Tennessee before being drafted first overall by the Indianapolis Colts, while Eli Manning played through his senior year at Ole Miss before being selected No. 1 overall and subsequently traded to the Giants.
If Arch chooses a similar route, he could stay in college through his redshirt junior season or even as a senior. That extended timeline creates a serious dilemma for teams like the Giants that need a quarterback now. Banking on a quarterback two or three years down the line is not a strategy most franchises can afford to gamble on.
The Dallas Cowboys factor
If Giants fans weren’t already facing a sobering reality, recent comments from Archie Manning himself have cast further doubt on the dream of Arch playing in New York.
When asked where he would like to see his grandson play in the NFL, Archie didn’t hesitate.
“I hope he’ll play three years in Texas,” Manning said. “Nobody’s ever asked me that. Right off the bat, if somebody asked me I’d say Cowboys.”
This admission sparked a wave of reactions from Giants fans, who are all too familiar with their heated rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys.
That being said, it’s worth noting that Dak Prescott is currently entrenched as the Cowboys‘ starting quarterback, and the team doesn’t have an immediate need for a new signal-caller.
