One NFL analyst asserts that Texas quarterback Arch Manning will not step into his grandfather’s shoes and play for his home team. In many aspects of life, the family business means a great deal. When a parent turns the reins of a company over to his child, they expect the child to uphold the family name in that particular field.
In the parent’s eyes, the surname in that chosen profession will outlive them, evolving into an eternal reminder of what the last name means in the industry. While the newest member of football royalty captures headlines, one analyst asserts the patriarch does not want him to specifically follow his path.
Texas Quarterback Arch Manning Predicted to Never Play for Saints, Opines Analyst
New Orleans, a city of resilience and mental toughness, battled through adversity. The Saints mean everything to that city and fanbase. From Gentilly to the Ninth Ward and all points surrounding, the franchise captures the soul of the city. At the same time, save for one magical season, the organization perennially disappointed fans by losing in the most spectacular of ways.
On the horizon, the fanbase sees a local product from a football lineage that could change their fortunes. The Longhorns’ quarterback, in the belief of many, could walk into the Crescent City and change the culture of the franchise. However, one writer wholeheartedly believes that the Manning family will push against the homecoming. Connor Orr of Sports Illustrated does not envision any plausible scenario to make the move happen.
“Because he’s not leaving Texas, folks. I think we all enjoy pairing the Mannings with NFL teams much in the way young Royal obsessives like matching future princesses with handsome Welsh princes, but the truth is that the Manning family probably abhors the idea of Arch playing for his grandfather Archie’s franchise in his home state.
“Every chess move made by this football family has been to set up their kids with normal, successful lives, and placing the burden of his grandfather’s franchise on Arch’s shoulders would be deleterious to his progress at the next level. My guess is that whichever franchise the Mannings bless, it’ll be more about the general manager and head coach in place.”
In 145 career games with the Saints, Arch’s grandfather Archie Manning absorbed 378 sacks. Now, you must remember those sacks arrived at a time when quarterbacks did not enjoy the same protections as they do now.
As a result, watching the eldest Manning flung all over the field probably conjures up bad memories. In order to avoid the same painful fate for his grandson, Orr believes that the Texas quarterback will return for another year, at the behest of his grandfather.
While the head of the family remains entitled to his opinion, the elephant in the room surfaces. In 2004, Eli Manning, under the direction of his father, engineered a trade to stay away from the San Diego Chargers.
Before that, in 1983, John Elway and his father, Jack strong-armed the Colts into trading him to Denver. People look at these maneuvers as shrewd while castigating Deion Sanders for attempting the same thing.
Either way, if Manning elects to stay in Austin in 2026, it will show, in the quietest way, that he probably does not want to play for the Saints. Granted, the move will prompt the team to look elsewhere for a passer. The potential power play would sting the city. However, the population has stood eye to eye with hard times on a regular basis. Draft manipulation will not bother the team or the populace.