The New York Giants might make a change at quarterback in 2019, and it seems the organization is willing to look far and wide to find their successor to Eli Manning. That apparently includes the CFL, and while not a lot of players make the jump from Canadian football to the NFL, it’s not impossible to do. The latest player to make the attempt will be CFL MVP Bo Levi Mitchell, who has already worked out with four teams and will work out for three more this month.
Hearing that the @Giants are one of the team’s recently added to Bo Levi Mitchell’s NFL workout schedule. Has already worked out for Bills, Broncos, Bears, Jaguars and Vikings. Has three more to come this month. #CFL #NFL
— Dave Naylor (@TSNDaveNaylor) December 19, 2018
According to David Naylor of TSN, the Giants are on the list of teams. Some of the ones on the list, such as the Jaguars and Broncos, are more quarterback-needy than others. But with the Vikings having brought in Kirk Cousins, the Bears having Mitchell Trubisky, and the Bills drafting Josh Allen not even a full year ago, it looks like the Giants will be one of the more appealing destinations.
After all, there’s no guarantee that Eli Manning is the starter next season, and ideas of a quarterback competition have been brought up by fans and media alike. Some believe that a competition will come following the NFL Draft, but after surging in the second half of the season and improving their record from what it was at the halfway mark, the Giants may not have a pick high enough to take the quarterback they want.
This also isn’t a year where there’s an obvious move to make in free agency, other than the potential signing of Jameis Winston if the option on Winston’s contract isn’t picked up by Tampa. Such a move wouldn’t be popular, and seems unlikely not just because of that, but for salary cap reasons. It wouldn’t be possible for the Giants to sign Winston and keep Eli Manning, as both of them are paid significantly.
That’s why fans should keep an eye on this decision to work out a CFL quarterback, who could be signed for less and has an existing history of success in the CFL. Mitchell becomes a free agent in February and, while the CFL isn’t the same as the NFL, making it hard to directly compare stats between the two, performed quite well in 2018. He threw for 5,119 yards and 35 touchdowns, leading the Calgary Stampeders to a championship and a 13-5 record.
He was awarded the CFL Most Valuable Player award not once but twice, with the honors coming in 2018 and 2016. He also holds some other notable accomplishments, being the fastest CFL quarterback to 60 wins and the holder of the streak for most consecutive wins by a starting quarterback.
That’s not to say that Mitchell will immediately contend for the starting job with the New York Giants, but one shouldn’t write him off simply for playing in Canada. Playing in New York is more attractive to a lot of players than playing in Jacksonville or Denver, and if the Giants do sign Mitchell, it certainly makes their quarterback situation a lot more interesting.