‘Frustrated’ James Jones Just Can’t Wrap His Head Around CJ Stroud’s Bold Eli Manning Over Aaron Rodgers Pick

Recently, CJ Stroud appeared on the ‘Million Dollaz Worth Of Game’ podcast. While there, he was asked to choose between Aaron Rodgers and Eli Manning. The Houston Texans QB made a bold statement choosing Eli Manning over Aaron Rodgers. After his video went viral, Emmanuel Acho, Joy Taylor, LeSean McCoy, and James Jones discussed Stroud’s choice. And as James Jones is someone who has played alongside Rodgers, he was frustrated at this comparison.

As a WR who caught passes from Rodgers, James Jones was infuriated at the disrespect to A-Rod. He said, “Aaron Rogers and Eli Manning’s career is not even close man. And you’re talking about one Super Bowl so the man got four MVPs and five All Pros which Eli has never seen.” And the majority opinion would agree with Jones. The impact Aaron Rodgers has had in the NFL has been massive.

Rodgers has been the personification of an athlete who can do it all. While Manning has crafted a one-dimensional persona that remains mostly on the field, Rodgers has been inspiring beyond the gridiron. He has always dared to live in a non-conformist manner. He has been public about his epiphanies from experiences with ayahuasca and his unique routines. And even in terms of numbers, A-Rod pulls ahead.

While Manning does have 1 more Super Bowl win over Rodgers, the Green Bay legend comes out ahead in every other sense. Rodgers has 4 regular season MVPs while Manning has none. Manning has made it to the Pro Bowl only 4 times while Rodgers has been there 10 times. With a similar number of games played, Rodgers’ QB Rate is a whopping 103.6 while Manning’s at 84.1. This might paint a one sided picture of the situation.

However, not everyone agreed with James Jones. Since it is about having a legacy, maybe it made sense for Stroud to put Manning over Rodgers. After all, Manning will go down as the only player to defeat Tom Brady twice in the Super Bowl. And not lose once to the Super Bowl giant. Joy Taylor was one of those who agrees with this. When she was asked to pick, she picked Eli Manning over Aaron Rodgers. And to Jones’ dismay, she had some sound reasoning for her choice.

Eli Manning vs Aaron Rodgers: Who comes out ahead?

She first declared that in her eyes, both players are future first-ballot Hall of Famers. Having said that, Taylor’s logic for picking Eli over Rodgers had to do with something other than just stats. She spoke about the accomplishment that went behind his two rings.

In both the years that Manning won the Super Bowl, he played against the greatest QB in the world, Tom Brady. Moreover, his Giants were the only team that was able to defeat the undefeated Patriots. She concluded by saying that while Aaron Rodgers remains one of the most talented QBs to ever play, Manning’s career with a win over Brady is what she would pick. While Jones might not be fully happy with that answer, the reasoning remains extremely valid.

If Stroud is able to become the only challenger to win against the legendary Patrick Mahomes, he might want to take that win over just a Super Bowl win. And that might differ and define the legacies of Aaron Rodgers and Eli Manning.