The Eli Manning era in New York appears to be over.
The Giants will start Daniel Jones in Week 3 against the Buccaneers, the team announced Tuesday.
Daniel Jones has been named Giants starting QB
— New York Giants (@Giants) September 17, 2019
“Eli and I spoke this morning,” coach Pat Shurmur said in a statement. “I told him that we are making a change and going with Daniel as the starter. I also talked to Daniel. Eli was obviously disappointed, as you would expect, but he said he would be what he has always been, a good teammate, and continue to prepare to help this team win games. Daniel understands the challenge at hand, and he will be ready to play on Sunday.”
Added Shurmur: “Ultimately, this is a move that I felt was best for this team at this time. I have said it since I got here, I am very fond of Eli. His work ethic, his preparation, his football intelligence. All those attributes are as good as I have ever seen in a player. And Eli worked as hard as you could ask of anybody to get ready for this season. This move is more about Daniel moving forward than about Eli.”
The move, which was hinted at by Shurmur on Monday, comes after two inconsistent starts by Manning that have left the Giants in an 0-2 hole following losses to the Cowboys and Bills.
"He's been our starter to this point," Shurmur told reporters. "I'm not ready to talk about that."
Pat Shurmur’s response to being asked if he’s ready to make the switch from Eli Manning to Daniel Jones:
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoSNY) September 15, 2019
pic.twitter.com/A4CfQaJNBO
Jones, selected out of Duke with the sixth overall pick in April, gave the Giants reason to believe in their backup with his strong performance during the preseason as he completed 29 of his 34 passes for 416 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Meanwhile, Manning has thrown for 556 yards with two scores and two picks in the first two games.
The Buccaneers are slated to host the Giants at 4:05 p.m. ET Sunday.