Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up ahead of the Lone Star Showdown, the rivalry match-up between the Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Nov. 28, 2025.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
Texas Longhorns fan John Garrison takes a selfie with Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning on fan day at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Aril 18, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning gives instructions to participants during the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux on Friday, June 26, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY BRETT DUKE/Bretty Duke/New Orleans Times-Picayune
How about quarterback Arch Manning playing two more seasons of college football in Austin? The Texas Longhorns will take that all day long and twice on fall Saturdays in 2026 and 2027.
It’s not out of the realm of reality.
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Every bad NFL team, and some good ones, will be angling for a potential difference-maker at the most impactful position in team sports, and Manning projects as a top-three pick in the 2027 draft after his breakout first season as a starter.
That is, if he decides to leave college. He could stay.
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) throws a pass during the Lone Star Showdown against Texas A&M at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Imagine this scenario. The redshirt junior has an All-America season as expected and draft projections place him as the top overall pick.
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Imagine the abysmal Cleveland Browns — a veritable quarterback wasteland — go 2-15, “earn” the top pick and make it known that Arch is their guy.
Imagine his dad Cooper Manning informs the Browns that young Arch will not play in Cleveland under any circumstances.
Imagine the Browns standing firm on their intention to take Arch.
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Imagine Arch telling coach Steve Sarkisian he will return to Texas for the 2028 season and play in his final year of eligibility.
Imagine Sark doing cartwheels in the middle of DKR.
Before Arch, there was Eli
For those of not old enough to remember, here’s a little Manning family history lesson that makes this story even more interesting:
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Leading up the 2004 NFL Draft, the San Diego Chargers held the top pick and made no secret of their desire to draft Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning. But the Mannings made it clear Eli did not want to play there, despite the organization making numerous trips to their hometown of New Orleans for meetings.
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This came 21 years after coveted Stanford quarterback John Elway and his father Jack threatened to not show up in rookie camp and sign with MLB’s New York Yankees if the Baltimore Colts drafted him No. 1 overall. The Colts drafted him but traded him to Denver for guard Chris Hinton and two picks but didn’t experience football Nirvana until they moved to Indianapolis where Peyton led the franchise to a Super Bowl title in 2006.
Two years before Peyton’s career moment, the Mannings were in a tug of war of sorts with the Chargers. Family patriarch Archie Manning — he’s Arch’s grandfather if you’re not from Earth — was believed at the time to be behind the disinterest after instructing agent Tom Condon to tell Chargers GM A.J. Smith Eli preferred to play for the New York Giants.
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Eli says two decades later that it was his decision alone to not play in San Diego after a pre-draft dinner with Chargers brass, including head coach Marty Schottenheimer. Now whether you believe the story or it’s simply a case of Eli practicing some revisionist history…that’s up to you.
Former NFL quarterback Eli Manning gives instructions during the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux on Friday, June 26, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY BRETT DUKE/Bretty Duke/New Orleans Times-Picayune
Here’s Eli’s version of how it all went down.
“They came to work me out in New Orleans, we went to dinner and there was just friction between (Schottenheimer), (Smith) and the owners,” he said earlier this year, via CBSSports.com. “They were all yelling, kind of like fighting. We’re at a Marriott restaurant. Schottenheimer’s mad, he’s like, ‘We’re in New Orleans and we’re eating at a Marriott?’ He’s pissed. They are kind of bickering. It just didn’t seem there was a lot of agreement on things and (it didn’t seem) they were committed to building a great winning franchise at that moment.”
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The Chargers eventually drafted Manning and traded him to the New York Giants for four picks, two of which — quarterback Philip Rivers and edge rusher Shawne “Lights Out” Merriman — eventually became franchise cornerstones. Manning went on to rewrite the Giants passing record book on the way to winning a pair of Super Bowls.
Schottenheimer, despite going 14-2 the following season behind the exploits of stars Drew Brees, LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates, was summarily fired.
Sounds like Eli’s instincts were on point.
Arch holds most of the cards
Arch was in good spirts at the 30th Annual Manning Academy last month. He spent the offseason in Austin working on his craft, throwing to his receivers and got in some golf on the side.
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The Horns are loaded offensively and the face of the program is geared up for what he hopes to be a deep playoff run after Texas went 9-3 and missed the CFP festivities last season.
“(I want to) to kind of stay present,” he said. “We have a lot of big games coming up to look forward to but we want to keep it one game at a time and try to get better each day.”
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning talks with members of the media during the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux on Friday, June 26, 2026.
Brett Duke/New Orleans Times-Picayune
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There is a lot of football to be played before any of this NFL stuff pans out but the odds are Manning will end up on a bad team — barring a blockbuster trade — whenever he gets drafted, be it in 2027 or 2028.
The reality in most cases is the teams with the top picks are the teams that suck.
Take these, for example:
— The New York Jets have had only one winning season since 2011 and have finished last in the AFC East eight times since.
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— The Los Angeles/Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders have just three playoff appearances since 2002. By the way, Vegas isn’t a likely destination since the Raiders just drafted Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza. That said, stranger things have happened.
— Over the last 20 seasons, the Browns are a league-worst 110-214-1. They’re on the hook to QB Deshaun Watson for $46 million this season in the final year of his deal.
— The Arizona Cardinals have had only one winning season since 2016.
— The Carolina Panthers have had eight straight losing seasons.
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So where does that leave Arch?
His situation is different than coveted picks from previous decades because he is the product of the NIL generation, where the best of the best have options. He’s already making millions through endorsements and if he chooses to put off the NFL for another year, he won’t be starving.
Remember, this is the same guy who didn’t take NIL money while he was Quinn Ewers’ backup out of respect for the starter.
Manning grew up a child of privilege in a family of millionaires. His father is a successful entrepreneur/media personality and his famous uncles have achieved generational wealth through the NFL and their various ventures in business and media. The money has always been there. Plus, he’s having a blast in college playing for a program that has the resources to surround him with the best players, coaches and facilities.
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Barring a catastrophic injury to their best player, Manning will lead the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff with a chance to compete for a national championship if they make enough plays. The prototypical pro prospect at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds — he’s similar in size to the legendary Vince Young — Manning is a league GM’s dream. He has good feet, a big-time arm, a great head on his shoulders and the nurturing that came with growing up in an NFL family.
So what organization wouldn’t want him as the face of the franchise?
The decision will be his and his alone. Remember before last season when his grandfather was moved to text him an apology for presumably speaking out of turn when he told reporters Arch would play two more seasons at Texas?
It shows that Arch is his own man, no question.
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Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) runs into the end zone for a score against Texas A&M Aggies during the second half of an NCAA college football game in the Lone Star Showdown in Austin, Texas, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025.
Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman
Manning is easily the most talked-about player in college football and the hype will only increase as he works his way through what promises to be a big season in Austin.
His future is so bright that Timbuk 3 might have to come out of retirement after next season with Warby Parker as a concert sponsor.
Whether 2026 is his college swan song or the first of two huge acts, remains to be seen.
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Now this: Sarkisian told podcaster Kay Adams last month he wouldn’t be shocked if Arch played two more seasons at Texas, though he added the two haven’t discussed it.
“I think Arch really loves college football, I really do,” Sarkisian said. “I think he loves the University of Texas. He does pretty good through NIL. He’s got some pretty good endorsements going right now, which is a credit to him, and obviously, the lineage of the last name and the brand of Texas, all those things coming together.”
Translation? Sark is open to cartwheel lessons.
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