Pat Shurmur confirms Eli Manning will be back with Giants in 2019

Any talk about the New York Giants potentially moving on from Eli Manning this offseason can be put to rest.

While it would not be a surprise if the Giants draft a quarterback in the first round, head coach Pat Shurmur told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday that he and the team “fully expect” Manning to be back in 2019. While Shurmur acknowledged that Manning is getting older and the Giants will have to eventually find his replacement, he all but confirmed that Eli is going to keep his starting job for now.

Pretty strong on Eli returning … pic.twitter.com/EjqDMbHbnM

— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) February 27, 2019

“I think Eli can help us win games,” Shurmur said. “He proved when the players around him started playing better that he can play at a very high level and help us win games.”

Manning clearly is nowhere near the player he used to be, and he struggled to throw the ball downfield last season. However, it seems obvious that the Giants don’t want to start a rookie quarterback in 2019 and go into full rebuild mode, so they’re probably hoping to find Manning’s replacement in the draft and not rush him into action.

Giants GM Dave Gettleman appeared to hint last month that Manning’s days in New York are numbered, but that would now be an unexpected change.