Todd McShay Throws New NFL Team Into Arch Manning Rumor Sparked by Colin Cowherd originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Despite having as many career starts as he does famous uncles (2), Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning is the most polarizing player in college football right now.
The nephew of two-time Super Bowl champion quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning is gearing up for his first season as the starter in Austin, yet is already the focal point of the much-too-early 2026 NFL Draft chatter.
While there is a lot that needs to unfold before Manning declares for the draft, which may not even happen after this season, given his family’s history, FS1’s Colin Cowherd called the Cleveland Browns’ interest in landing Manning and hiring former Alabama head coach Nick Saban the “worst-kept secret in the South.”
With many fans scoffing at the idea of Manning leaving after one year and the Browns being all in on a quarterback after drafting two in 2025, NFL Draft insider Todd McShay threw out another piece of juicy intel.
The Ringer analyst also linked Manning to the Los Angeles Rams.
“Not refuting this as a “worst-kept secret”. But it’s not the only situation to monitor… There’s another team with two first round picks in ‘26 whose GM’s son is a close friend to Arch at Texas,” wrote McShay. “And the HC has a pretty good history with QBs. Just sayin…”
While fans may not know this, Snead’s son, Tate Harver, is a long snapper at Texas, who is in the same year as Manning.
With Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford turning 38 in February, the team could be in the market for an heir to his throne. Although they are expected to be Super Bowl contenders, the Rams do own the rights to the Atlanta Falcons’ first-round pick, who traded up for EDGE James Pearce in this year’s draft.
In 2024, Manning threw for 939 yards and nine touchdowns, while rushing for four more.
Related: Former Cowboys Star Crushes Speculation Linking Arch Manning and Nick Saban to Cleveland
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.