Eli Manning might not be preparing for the upcoming season, but that doesn't mean he hasn't been keeping up with what's been going on in the NFL.
Two of his fellow quarterbacks in Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady are currently going through some big changes, and Manning is fully aware of them. But if there is one he can give his two cents on, it certainly is what happened during the 2020 NFL Draft with Green Bay.
Rodgers saw the Packers take QB Jordan Love after trading up in the first round, and that pick was a total shocker. The Packers went 13-3 last season and Rodgers is still playing elite-level football under center.
But nonetheless, the Packers got Love to develop and take over whenever Rodgers is done. Manning relates that to when Rodgers was drafted out of Cal to eventually replace the great Brett Favre.
"It was a little bit of déjà vu and kinda how it happened with [Brett] Favre," Manning told SiriusXM NFL Radio's Bob Papa and Charlie Weis on Monday. "When Aaron Rodgers was drafted to Green Bay, obviously they didn't trade up, but they took a quarterback in the first round when Favre was still playing well and had years left of playing. I'm sure Brett wasn't real fond of that happening and I'm sure Aaron wasn't real fond of it happening today, especially after going 13-3 and playing good football."
Manning didn't necessarily relate it to his situation last season with Daniel Jones being taken sixth overall, but there is some comparison there in seeing your future successor coming into the building. However, Manning had the retirement questions coming to him already, while Rodgers isn't seeing that in the slightest after yet another 4,000-yard season.
As for Brady, the change for him is a little warmer -- literally and figuratively.
His years with the Patriots have come to an end, as he'll now don a Buccaneers uniform next season. He also happened to get Rob Gronkowski, his trusty tight end, out of retirement and down to Tampa Bay as well.
After Brady spent 20 years in New England, Manning couldn't believe he left. The speculation was there, but it didn't hit home until he signed his new deal with the Bucs.
"I was just surprised," Manning said. "So much success and still having success and playing at a high level and making playoffs and everything he's done there in New England that there would be a departure."
But Brady finds himself in a great situation down in Florida. He has very talented receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to go along with Gronkowski. He has the weapons he asked the Patriots to get this offseason, and they failed to do so.
That's why Manning is intrigued, like the rest of us, to see how Brady does in his new environment at age 43 when the season starts.
"When you got talented receivers it makes it easier to get on the same page because they're getting open," Manning said. "It'll be interesting how it all plays out."