Many years ago — in August of 2011 to be exact — Eli Manning was asked by ESPN broadcaster Michael Kay if the quarterback thought that he was an elite player in his position. The then-New York Giants signal-caller did not hesitate to answer that question with stern affirmation. Fast forward to 2023, Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was asked the same question, this time by Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com, who got an intriguing response.

“I'm very confident in myself,” Jones said. “I'm very confident that I can play this game at a high level and lead this team to win a lot of games.”

He paused before adding: “Yeah, I'm very confident in myself.”

Manning told Kay that he considered himself in the same class as Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. Months later, he led the Giants in beating the Patriots (again) in the Super Bowl.

To this day, Manning's status as among the elites of his era continues to be debated, but what's not up for argument is the fact that he won the Giants not just one but two Super Bowls.

Daniel Jones is entering his fifth season in the NFL with a lot on his shoulders. The Giants trust him enough to lead the team that they inked him to a four-year, $160 million contract extension last March. Hopefully, for the Giants, Jones will duplicate Manning's feat by helping the team bring the Vince Lombardi Trophy home.

Jones and the Giants will kick off their schedule in the 2023 NFL regular season on Sep. 10 against the Dallas Cowboys at home.