The New York Giants are facing a conundrum at the quarterback position with Daniel Jones still unproven and trying to find his way in the NFL. Heading into his fourth season, the Giants have to make a decision on Jones’s fifth-year option come May 2, which would likely determine the team’s future.
Unfortunately, Jones is set up to fail this upcoming season. The offensive line is once again hitting the reset button, and he’s preparing to learn his third offense under his third head coach.
Some have made the argument that trading for exiled Browns QB Baker Mayfield could be an answer at the quarterback position, but here are three reasons they should avoid that at all costs.
Three reasons the New York Giants should stay away from Baker Mayfield:
1.) The Giants can’t afford him
First things first, the Giants simply can’t afford Baker Mayfield. Skip Bayless went on a whole rant about how he would shine in the bright lights of New York; he clearly didn’t do the simple task of looking at their cap situation.
Mayfield is set to earn $18.8 million on his fifth-year option, and the Giants barely have enough to sign a veteran minimum contract. The expectation is that Big Blue will release James Bradberry or trade him in the coming days, saving nearly $12 million in salary space.
However, that money will be used to sign the 2022 draft class. Right off the bat, the Giants don’t have the funding to acquire Mayfield, and allocating a big chunk of their 2023 cap on an extension could be viewed as malpractice.
2.) Mayfield isn’t a proven quarterback
There’s a reason that Cleveland elected to move on from Mayfield after acquiring Deshaun Watson via trade. Watson faces major legal allegations which still haven’t been acquitted. Given that fact, the Browns have already given up on Mayfield and taken the team in a very risky direction.
Mayfield has dealt with injury in the past, playing in 14 games last year and recording a 60.5 completion percentage. After posting impressive statistics in 2020 with 26 touchdown passes, 3,563 yards, eight interceptions, and a 62.8 completion percentage, his play fell off tremendously this last year. Mayfield is a bit more proven than Daniel Jones, but his deep passing ability is simply poor.
3.) The Giants would once again be skipping over a true rebuild
If Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll are truly looking to rebuild around a young roster, acquiring Mayfield is the exact opposite of what they should be doing.
In all likelihood, they will look to the 2023 draft for a new quarterback, building a strong foundation this year and preparing to raise a young signal-caller.
Daboll mentioned during his introductory press conference that it takes a village to raise a quarterback, but it’s much easier to do so when you have a raw prospect that hasn’t already developed bad mechanics or habits. The simple reality that new management usually likes to build around their own quarterback suggests that even Daniel Jones isn’t safe. Mayfield shouldn’t even be in question.