Report: Giants' New Starting QB Daniel Jones' Jersey Sales Up 500 Percent

Jersey sales for New York Giants rookie Daniel Jones reportedly increased 500 percent after the team announced Tuesday he would replace Eli Manning as the starting quarterback.

Nicolas Vega of the New York Post reported that Fanatics data showed Jones' No. 8 was the apparel shop's top-selling player in the hours after being named the starter. It was bought more during that period than it was during the first two weeks of the 2019 NFL season.

The Giants took a lot of heat for selecting Jones with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft since he was widely considered a reach, with the Ohio State Buckeyes' Dwayne Haskins still on the board. Haskins was eventually taken at No. 15 by the Washington Redskins.

Jones took his first step toward proving the doubters wrong with a terrific preseason. He completed 85.3 percent of his 34 attempts with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Those strong numbers likely pushed up the timetable for him entering the starting lineup.

In relief of Manning in Week 1, Jones was 3-of-4 passing for 17 yards and ran once for five yards while losing a fumble. 

The 22-year-old North Carolina native is coming off a solid junior season with the Duke Blue Devils. He posted a 60.5 completion percentage for 2,674 yards with 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions across 11 appearances.

While there's a major difference between college and the NFL preseason, the Giants fanbase has been clamoring for the offense to move in a new direction in recent years as Manning's performance started to fade in his mid- and late-30s.

That created additional hype around Jones and likely helped the spike in jersey sales.

"Ultimately, this is a move that I felt was best for this team at this time," head coach Pat Shurmur told reporters. "I 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."

Jones will make his first NFL start Sunday on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His first home start, which is clearly going to feature plenty of No. 8 jerseys in the crowd, will come Sept. 29 when the Giants battle the Redskins, who have not yet played Haskins.