Two decades ago, Archie Manning was vocal about his desire to have his youngest son, Eli Manning, not play for the Chargers, who ended up trading Eli to the Giants after initially drafting him with the No. 1 overall pick. Archie, a decorated quarterback in his own right, has now revealed his preferred NFL destination for his grandson, current Texas backup quarterback Arch Manning.
“I hope he’ll play three years at Texas, I hope he’ll play three more years,” said Archie, who starred collegiately at Ole Miss before being a multiple-time Pro Bowl quarterback with the New Orleans Saints. “It’s funny, nobody has ever asked me that. Right off the bat, if somebody asks me, I’d say the Cowboys.”
Archie’s answer is somewhat of a surprise given the Cowboys’ current situation at quarterback. The team recently gave Dak Prescott a record-setting contract that will keep him in Dallas through the 2028 season.
Archie, however, may not consider that a bad thing, as it would give his grandson time to develop in the NFL before possibly becoming a starter. Arch, who is currently a redshirt freshman, can’t declare for the NFL Draft until next year anyway, and he could decide to prolong his college career beyond that given the new NIL format.
This season, Arch has played in seven games for the Longhorns, who at 11-1 are a shoo-in to participate in the newly expanded College Football Playoff. He’s completed nearly 68% of his passes with 9 touchdowns against just 2 interceptions. Arch threw for a career-high 325 yards and two touchdowns in Texas’ 35-13 win over Mississippi State on Sept. 28.
Arch is following in the footsteps of quarterback royalty. Archie, despite being saddled on a bad Saints teams for most of his NFL career, was named to two Pro Bowls and tabbed as Sporting News’ Player of the Year in 1978. Archie’s middle son, Peyton, is a two-time Super Bowl champion as well as the NFL’s first five-time league MVP. Eli, meanwhile, won two Super Bowls and was named game MVP on both occasions.
