Giants' Daniel Jones: 'Huge Advantage' to Learn from Eli Manning as Rookie

Adam Hunger/Associated Press

While New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones admitted it "was probably a little awkward at times" during his rookie season, especially after he won the starting job over veteran Eli Manning, he called it a "huge advantage" to work with the two-time Super Bowl winner during his first season in the NFL. 

"I appreciate everything [Eli] did for me [last] year," he said, per Kimberly Jones of NFL Network. "It was a huge advantage for me to be able to learn from him and talk to him."

Manning started four games for the Giants during the 2019 campaign and went just 1-3. Jones wasn't much better from a record standpoint at 3-9 in his 12 starts, but he also represents the future for a rebuilding team.

New York selected the Duke product with the No. 6 overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft.

He showed flashes of his potential and completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 3,027 yards, 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He was also capable as a runner with 279 yards and two scores on the ground.

There are far worse quarterbacks to learn from, especially in a major media market, than Manning. The potential future Hall of Famer was a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time champion who played all 16 of his seasons in the Big Apple.

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He threw for more than 4,000 yards seven times and holds the distinction of beating Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in two different Super Bowls.

It will now be up to Jones to parlay what he learned alongside Manning into a winning strategy for a team that has not won a playoff game since it ended the 2011 campaign with the Lombardi Trophy. It has been to the postseason just once in that span and is an ugly 12-36 during the last three seasons.

Jones and running back Saquon Barkley are ideal building blocks, but Giants fans are surely looking for the team to return to the postseason picture in the near future.