The Hypothetical Eli Manning to the Jaguars Trade

Let's be clear: New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning isn't going anywhere despite the team's 1-5 start. But that doesn't mean we can't think about a trade that NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah posed.

(Note: This post was written prior to New York and Jacksonville’s Week 7 NFL matchups, all stats and records reflect the team’s first six games)

On October 9, Jeremiah posted this tweet, sparking conversations about the hypothetical trade:

If you're Tom Coughlin/David Caldwell, would you make a call to Giants & ask what it would cost to acquire Eli Manning?

— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) October 9, 2017

Manning already responded to the rumors, saying he doesn't want to leave New York at all. The longtime Giants quarterback also has a no-trade clause in his contract that we would have to waive to even make the deal possible.

This is the sports world, where "what if's?" can be debated endlessly, so let's like at this scenario: What if the Jacksonville Jaguars made a trade for Manning in an all-in for the playoffs approach?

The Jaguars are 3-3 through six weeks, showing no signs of consistency. In Week 1, they handily defeated the Houston Texans 29-7 in Deshaun Watson's NFL debut. They lost 37-16 to their AFC South rival Tennessee Titans, then followed up with a 44-7 beatdown of the Baltimore Ravens in London. The Jaguars most impressive game of the season, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-7, was sandwiched between an overtime loss to the New York Jets and a home loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Some of the Jaguars losses came at the hands of their defense, but Blake Bortles has been all over the place under center for Jacksonville. While beating the Ravens in London, Bortles had an incredible game. He completed 64.5% of his passes for 244 yards, 4 touchdowns, and no interceptions, good for a 128.2 passer rating.

But in the Jaguars other five games? Bortles averaged a 66.7 passer rating with a 55.4% average completion percentage.

For comparison, Manning has an 89.7 passer rating with 67% of his passes completed this season.

Another reason this trade has been hypothesized is Manning's connection to Jaguars Vice President of Football Operations and former Giants head coach Tom Coughlin. The duo won two Super Bowls together and would be looking for one more in Jacksonville.

The final reason this trade makes sense on paper is the team's playoff positioning this year. Unless the Giants rattle off a long win streak, their season was all but over when they reached 0-5. The Philadelphia Eagles lead the division at a strong 4-1 and there will be many teams vying for wildcard spots.

The Jaguars on the other hand, are right in the thick of an AFC South with three 3-3 teams, tied with the Titans and Texans. These two rivals have Deshaun Watson and Marcus Mariota, who have both played better than Bortles this year.

Manning would be throwing to Allen Hurns and Marqise Lee if he was starting for the Jaguars, and handing off to rookie phenom Leonard Fournette. While Manning isn't the least turnover-prone quarterback, he causes less than Bortles. With these offensive advantages, I anticipate Manning would lead the Jaguars to 9-10 wins and a playoff spot.

The Jaguars would likely have to give up a first or second round pick for Manning, which seems like a lot for a middle of the road quarterback on the wrong side of 35. But Manning has thrown for 4,000 yards in each of the last three seasons and surpassed 30 touchdowns in two of them: so he's not done quite yet.

Manning represents a tangible upgrade over Bortles, and in my opinion, the swap would get them in the playoffs. I'm not sure they'd be favored against the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots, but everyone knows when Manning and Coughlin get in the playoffs, anything is possible.

Again, I'm not advocating for either team to make this trade, but it's certainly interesting to imagine how the Jaguars would fare with the veteran quarterback on their roster.