Arch Manning has never been a full-time starter at the University of Texas, but he already has NFL fan bases dreaming on his potential.
This season, Arch has seen extended run as Quinn Ewers’ backup, even making a couple of starts earlier in the season when Ewers was injured. The son of Cooper and nephew of Peyton and Eli, Arch is eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft, if he chooses to enter.
When he does make the move to the pros, his grandfather Archie, the man who started the Manning quarterbacking dynasty, has an idea of where he would like to see him play.
In a recent TikTok video, a man approached Archie at a bar and asked “what do you want him to go, NFL-wise?” about his grandson.
“I hope he’ll play three years in Texas,” Archie responded. “I hope he’ll play three more years.”
Turning his attention to the NFL part of the question, Archie did not name the Giants, Colts or Broncos, the three teams his sons played for.
“It’s funny, nobody’s ever asked me that. Right off the bat, if somebody asked me, I’d say Cowboys.”
Now, Archie may have been having some fun with the interviewer, but he also had to know this answer would explode on the internet.
ARCHIE MANNING WANTS ARCH TO PLAY FOR THE DALLAS COWBOYS 👀
COULD YOU IMAGINE!? 🤯 pic.twitter.com/yhlDAKpW3F
— Dallas Nation (@TheDallasNation) December 6, 2024
A Manning playing for America’s Team. Can you imagine the conversations on sports talk radio and debate shows if that happens?
While Archie naming the Dallas Cowboys is the headliner of this video, it shouldn’t be overlooked that he wants his grandson to “play three years” at Texas. Would that mean leaving after his third season on campus, which would be 2025, and entering the 2026 NFL Draft?
What if Archie meant three more seasons after this one, meaning Arch would stay until he is a fifth-year senior and go pro in 2028? That seems unlikely, but maybe splitting the difference and starting for the Longhorns in 2025 and 2026 before leaving for the 2027 NFL Draft is the right way to go.
Time will tell.
Related: Fans Loved Arch Manning’s One Snap, One Touchdown vs. Texas A&M