Eli Manning era over – Daniel Jones named starting Quarterback by the New York Giants

Daniel Jones was named starting quarterback by the New York Giants on Tuesday, ending the Eli Manning era – one that brought the team two Super Bowl titles in 16 seasons.

Jones’ first career start will be made Sunday facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After back-to-back losses to kick off the season it was unclear whether Manning would keep his position as starter.

“Eli and I spoke this morning,” Coach Pat Shurmur said. “I told him that we are making a change and going with Daniel as the starter. I also talked to Daniel. Eli was obviously disappointed, as you would expect, but he said that he would be what he has always been, a good teammate, and continue to prepare to help this team win games. Daniel understands the challenge at hand, and he will be ready to play on Sunday,” he added.

Manning was acquired by the Giants in 2004 NFL Draft day in a trade with the then-San Diego Chargers, a team Manning refused to play for, forcing a trade to New York. The 38-year-old’s four year, $84 million contract is in it’s final year with a no-trade clause.

“Ultimately, this is a move that I felt was best for this team at this time. Have said it since I got here, I am very fond of Eli. His work ethic, his preparation, his football intelligence. All those attributes are as good as I have ever seen in a player. And Eli worked as hard as you could ask of anybody to get ready for this season. This move is more about Daniel moving forward than about Eli,” Shurmur said, highlighting that his decision was focused on improving Jones more so than because of Manning’s performance.

232 of the Giants’ last 233 regular-season games were started by Manning with the exception of a game against the Oakland Raiders on Dec. 3, 2017, where he was benched for Geno Smith.