They didn’t want him, not with the sixth pick of the NFL draft. They booed, and booed loudly. They wanted Dwayne Haskins.

But Daniel Jones wanted them. He wanted Giants fans and he wanted New York. He wanted the opportunity to learn at the feet of Eli Manning.

Now Jones tries to unseat an icon, one pass at a time, one day at a time. Tries to close the gap on a New York football legend, one pass at a time, one day at a time.

No one since Manning showed up in the summer of 2005 as the incumbent starter has been given so much as a hint of that chance.

It has been all rainbows and lollipops for Jones from the moment he donned his No. 8 jersey and began impressing teammates, Pat Shurmur and Mike Shula. He reminded everyone of a young Eli.

Jones’ makeup for this market is a big reason why GM Dave Gettleman reached to make him The Chosen One, the heir apparent, staked his legacy on him the way former GM Ernie Accorsi staked his on Manning.

Gettleman either had more conviction about Jones than he did about Sam Darnold or more urgency one year after taking Saquon Barkley.

The main reason is the Giants begrudgingly have been forced to confront the evidence that Manning’s window as a championship quarterback had expired. Along with his contract at the end of the 2019 season.

This will be Jones’ team at the time of Shurmur’s choosing, and unless Manning has one last hurrah in him, the Giants likely will not follow the Kansas City model of Patrick Mahomes sitting for a season behind Alex Smith in 2017.

So from the start of training camp, with all eyes on him, more eyes than he ever had on him at Duke, Jones will have to show that he can block out the noise the way Manning has so effortlessly for 15 seasons.

Jones cannot blink, and the Giants are confident he will not.

Manning is the starter until he isn’t. Jones is Plan B until he isn’t.

Reporters will chart every one of Manning’s and Jones’ passes, and the stats will be chronicled for all to read. Jones will be asked to navigate through the storyline minefield of Manning versus Jones. The media will attempt to read the tea leaves after every Shurmur press conference.

Shurmur has volunteered that Jones is a quick study who does not make the same mistake twice. Jones opened eyes with his athleticism, specifically with his legs. Shula volunteered early on that Jones has the capability to start in Week 1.

It means that the Giants aren’t necessarily committed to babying him. And they shouldn’t be if it becomes obvious to Shurmur — and to the team — at some point that Jones gives the team as good a chance to win as Manning does. Or if the playoffs become a pipe dream sooner rather than later yet again.

The best-case scenario is Manning gets off to a fast start for a change and wins so Jones can learn by osmosis before any seismic changing of the guard sends tremors through the Land of the Giants.

The worst-case scenario, even if the Giants surprise and bid for a playoff berth, is Jones never plays and gets no experience heading into 2020.

The second-worst-case scenario is Manning struggles early and the Giants stumble out of the gate, forcing Manning and Jones to listen to the boobirds and the chants of “We want Jones.”

The Giants aren’t paying Manning $23.2 million to be the backup. On the other hand, they didn’t draft Jones as high as they did for him to have a redshirt season. Haskins doesn’t have Manning standing in his way with the Redskins, only Case Keenum and Colt McCoy. If Haskins should start Week 1, the Giants could ultimately bemoan that Jones will have fallen behind Haskins in his development.

Jones checked all the boxes in the spring. Looked like a kid who had been coached by David Cutcliffe, who coached the Bros. Manning. Only when the games begin will Jones get a chance to vindicate Gettleman and quiet the naysayers and win them over. And win his head coach and his teammates over. One pass, one day at a time in the meantime.