The Arizona Cardinals Are Already Playing 4D Chess For Arch Manning in 2027
The Arch Manning sweepstakes are heating up a full year before the 2027 NFL draft, and one NFC team is apparently willing to tank right now just to get their shot at the New Orleans native.
Manning announced he'd return to Texas for one more season, which kicked off what looks to be a crowded race among NFL teams hungry for a generational talent. The Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, and New York Jets are the three teams considered frontrunners to land him next season. But according to Mike Florio, Arizona might actually have the clearest path.
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Here's the play: the Cardinals don't have a clear quarterback plan, so they could be intentionally accepting 2026 as a lost season and letting the chips fall where they may. "Maybe the overriding plan, if there is one, is to accept reality for 2026 and allow nature to take its course," Florio wrote. "The prize could be dibs on whoever the top quarterback is after the 2026 college football season."
It's a bold strategy. Tank now, position yourself for the biggest prize later. Whether it actually pans out depends on what happens on the college field this fall.
But Nothing Is Guaranteed
Here's the thing though: the consensus top quarterback a year from now might not be Manning. Florio points out that history has a way of surprising us. "The popular assumption is that it will be Arch Manning. As we've seen, however, the player who emerges as the consensus number one for the next year could be a player no one is even thinking about currently. It happened with Mendoza. It happened with Joe Burrow."
Last season, Manning threw for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdowns with seven interceptions for the Longhorns. Solid numbers, but there's still a full college season to play before draft boards get finalized.
The Cardinals are betting on Manning becoming that obvious top pick. Whether it's the right bet won't be clear until next April rolls around.
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