New York Giants fans have been accustomed to seeing Eli Manning start every game since nearly the beginning of his NFL career, but he has now been replaced.

Eli Manning Benched by Giants News

The team announced Tuesday that Geno Smith will replace Manning — who has played his entire 13-year career for the Giants — as starting quarterback for Sunday’s matchup against the Raiders in Oakland. Smith, 27, played his first four seasons with the Jets before signing with the Giants last offseason.

Rookie Davis Webb — a third-round pick out of California — will also receive a few snaps before the end of the season, the Giants added.

Manning — the top overall pick out of Ole Miss in 2004 — has started every Giants game since Nov. 21, 2004, a streak of 210 straight regular-season contests that ranks second on the quarterback career list behind only Brett Favre’s 297. He took over for veteran Kurt Warner just ten games into the season.

Manning has won two national championships (after the 2007 and 2011 seasons) with the Giants, and was named the MVP of both those Super Bowls. He is also a four-time Pro Bowler and was named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in 2016.

The Giants (2-9) have endured an atrocious season — that has included a string of injuries and short suspensions — under second-year head coach Ben McAdoo. New York’s only two victories this year have come against the Denver Broncos in Week 6 and against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11. The team’s offense has been especially terrible: it ranks second-to-last in the league in scoring.

In Thursday’s Thanksgiving 20-10 loss to the Washington Redskins, Manning struggled. He finished 13 of 27 for 113 yards and an interception. This has not been the 36-year-old quarterback’s worst season statistically, although it remains clear the Giants are pursuing as many options as possible.

Several former Giants stars voiced their disdain of McAdoo’s decision. McAdoo’s predecessor, Tom Coughlin, said he was devastated but not shocked.

“Surprised is not the word,” Coughlin, the executive VP of football operations for the Jaguars, told WJXL-AM. “My sentiments are totally with Eli Manning. I love the kid. He is a class act. He is a two-time Super Bowl champion. He is the finest, most humblest young man in that locker room.”

Added Coughlin: “I haven’t followed the Giants. I know it’s a disappointing year, but my thoughts are strictly with Eli. I was very upset … when I heard that.”

Coughlin coached Manning from 2004 to 2015. Among the other ex-Giants who weighed in on the QB’s benching were CBS analyst David Diehl, Justin Tuck, Tiki Barber, Osi Umenyiora and Plaxico Burress. Diehl even noted a classy move that Manning made following the news.

“Just the way that this is going down is very disheartening from Giants fan’s perspective and as a former teammate of his, and all the great things he achieved in his career,” said Barber. “You don’t want to see it end like this. It’s disappointing. I feel like it’s premature.”

All of these players’ sentiments are perfectly understandable, particularly as everything appears to show that most of the Giants’ blunders this season are nearly everyone’s fault except Manning’s.

Manning reportedly was offered to start against Oakland, but declined. In the Giant’s press conference on Tuesday, McAdoo stated he wanted to rotate the squad and assess the depth chart now that the team won’t be advancing to the playoffs. They suggested starting Smith the second half against the Raiders, but Manning said he didn’t feel comfortable starting merely to keep his 13-year streak alive. So he surrendered his starting position to Smith and potentially Webb.

“Coach McAdoo told me I could continue to start while Geno and Davis are given an opportunity to play,” Manning told CBS Sports. “My feeling is that if you are going to play the other guys, play them. Starting just to keep the streak going and knowing you won’t finish the game and have a chance to win it is pointless to me, and it tarnishes the streak. Like I always have, I will be ready to play if and when I am needed. I will help Geno and Davis prepare to play as well as they possibly can.”

Coughlin and Diehl’s compliments for Manning seem accurate given this quote. The quarterback truly speaks and acts like a humble and selfless man.

Webb, selected in the third round from California, called Manning the “best teammate I’ve ever had in my life” as part of his effusive praise for the veteran.

“Today was pretty big,” Webb said Tuesday. “The way [Manning] handled himself, the way he handled himself in front of teammates, myself and Geno included, he was first class.”

PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 22: Quarterback Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants looks to throw a pass against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second quarter of the game at Lincoln Financial Field on December 22, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

Colin Kaepernick has been named the San Francisco 49ers‘ starting quarterback for the team’s Week 6 matchup against the Buffalo Bills, coach Chip Kelly announced Tuesday.

Colin Kaepernick To Start At QB For 49ers In Week 6 Vs Bills; Restructures Deal With Team

The move will surely benefit the 49ers, whose offense has struggled under starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert’s incredibly poor performances thus far this season.

Kaepernick, 28, has also signed his restructured deal with the 49ers to eliminate injury guarantees, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday.

The reworked contract allows the quarterback the option to void the deal after the 2016 season. The restructured pact eliminates approximately $14.5 million in injury guarantees for 2017 and dissolves the last three years of a six-year deal that previously maintained him under contract through 2020, Rapoport adds. Kaepernick’s contract is now essentially a two-year deal.

A former 46-man roster bonus has been converted to part of his base salary and a bonus will be triggered if Kaepernick–who became one of the most disliked players in the NFL after launching a protest by sitting during the national anthem during the preseason– plays half of San Francisco’s snaps this season.

The new contract will erase the risk of the 49ers needing to pay out any guarantees to the QB is he injured this season, and would allow Kapernick an opportunity to test the free-agent market in March.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter provided more details on Kapernick’s reworked contract.

The 49ers (1-4) will visit the Bills on Sunday. San Francisco is coming off four consecutive losses, the last two at home against the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals.

ST. LOUIS, MO – NOVEMBER 1: Michael Brockers #90 of the St. Louis Rams sacks Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers in the second quarter at the Edward Jones Dome on November 1, 2015 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

The Dallas Cowboys have been very impressed by rookie quarterback Dak Prescott, but continue to plan to start Tony Romo as their starter when Romo returns from a back injury, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

Cowboys Have ‘Zero Chance’ Of Starting Dak Prescott Over Healthy Tony Romo

One source even stated that there is “zero chance” Romo does not start when cleared, noting the commitment Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has made to the veteran QB and the bond between the two. The teams’ coaching staff believes it will have a stronger offense with Romo back under center, and that he is best positioned to lead the most productive offense possible.

Prescott is 4-1 thus far this season, and earned two more touchdowns (one running, one throwing) in Sunday’s 28-14 home victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The 23-year-old 2016 fourth-round pick out of Mississippi State has yet to throw an interception after tossing 155 passes with Dallas.

On Sunday, Prescott plowed through the Bengals’ defense, scooting for 134 yards and two touchdowns on just 15 carries. The Cowboys led 28-0 after three quarters of play.

These are just the beginning of the youngster’s impressive statistics. Prescott has attempted just seven passes that have traveled 20 yards or more in the air — last in the NFL for any regular starter to play all four games — and completed just one. He has just three passing touchdowns and a TD percentage of 2.3 (30th in the NFL). None of Dallas’ outside receivers have more than 11 catches or even 170 yards on the season.

Romo had surgery on his left clavicle in March, and appeared to be healthy after that. However, in the third week of the preseason, Seattle Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril hit Romo and the 36-year-old QB fell to the ground, clutching his back in pain. Romo has had to wear a brace after undergoing surgery to repair a broken bone in his back.

Romo remains on track to play Week 8, after the Cowboys’ bye. Top receiver Dez Bryant is most likely to return by then as well, sources said.

The Cowboys, (4-1) who currently sit at the top of the NFC East, will next visit the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

ARLINGTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 25: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys throws during a game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Chicago Bears at AT&T Stadium on September 25, 2016 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)