Saints Should Try to Deal for Eli Manning Since New Orleans Could Make Him Waive No-Trade Clause

The New York Giants finally turned the page on the Eli Manning era, and are moving ahead with No. 6 overall pick Daniel Jones as their starting quarterback.

This surely means that Eli has thrown his last pass as an NFL quarterback, right?

Not if Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints have anything to say about it.

Eli grew up in Louisiana, where his father Archie became the greatest quarterback in Saints franchise history not named Drew Brees. If Eli were to waive his no trade clause for any city, New Orleans would have to be pretty high on the list.

Given how little confidence Teddy Bridgewater inspired in his 2019 debut against the Rams, it's feasible that the Saints could look to upgrade their quarterback room.

While Eli has all the mobility of a tree stump, he can be afforded the luxury of hanging back in the pocket while being protected by one of the best offensive lines in the league, featuring star rookie Erik McCoy, as well as two Pro Bowlers in Andrus Peat and Terron Armstead. Quick slants and short dump-offs are Manning's game at this point, and say what you will, but he's still more sure of himself than a recovering Bridgewater. If there's one offense he can run on a temporary basis, it's this one.

Seeing Eli with the fleur de lis on the side of his helmet might look a bit weird at first glance, but don't rule out a late-career move back home.