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Eli Manning is entering what could very well be his final season with the New York Giants and possibly his last year in the NFL, period.
The two-time Super Bowl MVP is now 38 years old and is barely a shell of his old self, no longer having the arm strength to consistently make plays downfield like he did in his prime, which has severely handicapped the Giants' offense over the past couple of seasons.
And now, Manning has to worry about rookie quarterback Daniel Jones on his heels. Make no mistake: Eli's job is not safe, and if New York struggles out of the gate, Jones could be under center fairly quickly.
So, here are three last-minute predictions for Manning going into this season:
3. He'll Start for At Least the First Eight Games
While there has been a movement for Jones to start the season opener, that isn't going to happen. The Giants are not going to throw their first-year quarterback to the wolves right off the bat.
And keep this in mind: in New York's eighth game of the season, it plays the New England Patriots in Foxborough. I don't think Pat Shurmur is going to want Jones playing against Bill Belichick.
So, let's say the Giants are out of playoff contention by the middle of the year (which is very possible). If that occurs, I expect New York to let Manning start that game against the Patriots before turning things over to Jones at home against the Arizona Cardinals the following week.
Basically, expect Eli to start at least half of the games for Big Blue this season, and if the Giants somehow remain in playoff contention for an extended period of time, Jones will be on the bench most of the year.
2. He'll Throw 25 Touchdown Passes (if he starts most of the year)
Let's for a second assume that the Giants are actually capable of winning some games early on, which would buy Manning some time to remain as the starter.
Considering the NFC is not nearly as strong as the AFC, it is entirely possible that New York could remain .500 throughout much of the season, which would probably keep Eli under center for as long as the Giants have a chance of making the playoffs.
If that scenario does occur, I actually expect Manning to play well (or at least better than he did in 2017 and 2018) and throw 25 touchdown passes.
Keep in mind that the Odell Beckham Jr. trade might actually be addition by subtraction for Eli, because he no longer has to worry about his hot-headed wide receiver complaining to the media about him and the rest of the club.
For that reason, Manning might actually be a bit looser this year, even with Jones on his tail.
1. He'll Handle Everything with Class
Say what you want about Eli Manning. Criticize his performance over the last couple of years. Deride his paycheck. Doubt the Giants' sanity for remaining committed to him for 2019.
But one thing you cannot do is question how he handles himself.
Ever since he arrived in New York in 2004, Manning has carried himself with the utmost class, always saying the right thing and never placing any blame on anyone other than himself.
And if Jones ultimately does supplant him as the starter at some point this season, you can bet that he'll take it in stride and still root for Jones to do well.
Manning may have lost his rocket arm, but he has not lost his grace.
