Eli Manning says Giants can win Super Bowl with Daniel Jones

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Coming off their first playoff victory in 11 years, the New York Giants committed to quarterback Daniel Jones this offseason. His predecessor is of the belief that the 25-year-old signal-caller will deliver for Big Blue.

After crediting Jones' work ethic and leadership, former Giants quarterback and two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning expressed to NJ.com on Tuesday that Jones is primed to take the next step.

"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. "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."

Prior to the 2022 NFL season, the Giants were a combined 12-25 with Jones, who they selected with the No. 6 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, under center. New York declined Jones' fifth-year option after the 2021 season. Then the quarterback helped the Giants go 9-7-1 and reach the second round of the NFC Playoffs.

In the 2022 regular season, Jones totaled 3,205 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, five interceptions and a 92.5 passer rating, completing 67.2% of his passes. He also ran for 708 yards and seven touchdowns.

Jones and the Giants agreed to a four-year, $160 million contract with $92 million guaranteed in March. 

New York is entering year two with head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kakfa, continuity which Manning thinks will help Jones prosper.

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

As for the playmakers around Jones, the Giants acquired one-time Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller from the Las Vegas Raiders, signed former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Parris Campbell and traded up to select Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt with the No. 73 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. 

With that said, two-time Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley is yet to sign the $10.1 million franchise tag, which the Giants placed on him in March after signing Jones.