Eli Manning says Daniel Jones has earned a long-term deal, hopes he is Giants QB for 'a long time'

Manning says he hopes Jones is rewarded for the kind of season he had

The New York Giants have several important decisions to make this offseason, and the most important one has to do with their quarterback. Daniel Jones is a free agent, and both Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll have said they are interested in bringing him back, but of course there's a business side to it all. Will Jones sign a short-term deal, a long-term deal or is he a candidate for the franchise tag?

Giants legend Eli Manning, who held the position of franchise quarterback prior to Jones, hopes that the former first-round pick puts pen to paper on a long-term deal this offseason that will keep him in New York for years to come.

"I was proud of Daniel, the way he played, to learn another offense and pick it up," Manning told ESPN. "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."

Jones went 9-6-1 as the starter in 2022, and completed a career-high 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns and just five interceptions. Jones also had a career year on the ground, as he rushed for 708 yards and seven touchdowns. Only four quarterbacks rushed for more yards than Jones in 2022. One of the most impressive items from Jones' 2022 resume was that he made the playoffs for the first time, and won his first playoff game with a 31-24 upset victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Super Wild Card Weekend.

Spotrac's market value tool believes Jones is in line to sign a three-year, $78,818,028 million extension that carries an AAV of $26.2M. That would make him the No. 15 highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.

Jones is interested in remaining with the Giants as well, telling reporters after their defeat to the No. 1 seed Philadelphia Eagles he'd love to be back. 

"I've really enjoyed being here," Jones said. "I have nothing but love and respect for this organization. I'd love to be back, but we'll see. There's a business side of it too. Very grateful to be here and be a part of it."