Archie Manning made waves when he said he revealed his preferred NFL landing spot for his grandson, Texas star Arch Manning.
“I hope he’ll play three years in Texas; I hope he will play three more years,” Manning said when asked about his grandson.
When asked about where he wants Arch to play in the NFL, Archie gave an unexpected answer.
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Former NFL quarterback Archie Manning stands on the field prior to the start of the Allstate Sugar Bowl at Mercedes Benz Superdome on Jan. 1, 2020 in New Orleans. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
“It’s funny, nobody’s ever asked me that. Right off the bat if somebody asked me, I’d say Cowboys,” Archie said in a video posted to TikTok last week.
However, the former New Orleans Saints quarterback walked back his comments about wanting Arch to play for the Cowboys on Wednesday after causing a stir on social media.
“That is something that kind of got out of hand, and I have a sports bar in New Orleans, and I was just being nice to a patron. I told him I hoped Arch would play three years of college football, and he said ‘and then maybe to the Cowboys?’ I said that’d be fine with me. I didn’t know that he was going to put that on TikTok or whatever that, I don’t what TikTok is. I didn’t know it was go viral as they say,” Archie told Sports Illustrated on Wednesday.
ARCHIE MANNING REVEALS PREFERRED NFL LANDING SPOT FOR GRANDSON, TEXAS STAR ARCH MANNING
Former NFL quarterbacks Eli Manning, left, Archie Manning, and Peyton Manning, right, pose with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, center left, prior to the SEC Championship game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the LSU Tigers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Brett Davis-Imagn Images)
Archie’s answer came as a surprise as Eli, his son, spent his entire career with the New York Giants, one of the Cowboys’ biggest rivals.
Additionally, the Cowboys signed Dak Prescott to a four-year, $240 million contract extension that keeps Prescott under team control through 2028. So, even if Archie got his wish, it would seem unlikely that Arch would start right away for Dallas.
Arch stepped in and started three games this season when Quinn Ewers got hurt and missed time with an oblique injury.
In addition to those three starts, Manning has appeared in seven games this season for Texas. He has completed 67.8% of his passes while throwing for 939 yards and nine touchdowns to two interceptions.
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Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning, #16, practices before the 2024 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Brett Davis-Imagn Images)
Manning has also shown an ability to run, rushing for 100 yards and four touchdowns this season. Even since Ewers has returned, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian will substitute in Manning for a couple of plays that involve the quarterback running.
Manning is not eligible for the NFL Draft until 2026, but the talent he has shown in limited action has fans clamoring for Manning to quarterback their favorite team.
The next time fans might see Manning on the field is when the Longhorns play the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs on Dec. 21.
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