Much debate has been had about when (or if) rookie quarterback Daniel Jones will start under center for the New York Giants this coming season, and on Tuesday, Giants co-owner John Mara provided a bit of insight into that topic:

“I hope Eli has a great year and Daniel never sees the field,” said Mara, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.

Now, before you jump to conclusions, this does not mean that Jones won't be playing in 2019. Mara is merely stating that he hopes the Giants never have to turn to Jones, as that would mean they are out of playoff contention.

It was obvious all along that Manning would be the opening day starter for New York regardless of what Jones does in preseason, so Jones' impressive debut last Thursday did not move the needle at all.

However, based on the fact that the Giants are not expected to be that good, there is a very good chance that New York finds itself out of the postseason picture at some point, which could pave the way for Jones to step in as the starting quarterback.

Jones, who played his collegiate football at Duke, was selected by the Giants with the sixth overall pick of the NFL Draft back in April, drawing mostly negative reviews from fans and media pundits.

The consensus was that New York should have taken Dwayne Haskins, who ultimately fell to the Washington Redskins at No. 15.

But, no matter who the Giants drafted, Manning was going to be the Week 1 starter.